So you’re thinking about hiking the Long Range Traverse …

Last summer my girlfriend and I decided we’d be adventurous. Somewhere along the line, that resulted in us hiking the Long Range Traverse in Gros Morne Park in less than 3 days ... I’ve made better decisions. It’s an AMAZING backcountry hike, I would recommend it to EVERYONE. But … before we got to the hiking part there was a shit load of prep that needed to be done … if you’re thinking about doing this hike you’ll need to prep as well. This is what we did … it seemed like a good starting point for the series of posts we are going to write about the trek.

Couple things that you need to know about the Long Range Traverse:

• This is a backcountry hike without a set trail.
• There are no bail-out points, so you either perish along the way or finish. (this may be a slight exaggeration? You might not perish — but a helicopter might be involved in your expensive emergency evacuation)
• There are animals (moose, bear, caribou, etc) … think of these like hungry zombies, best that you stay away and observe them from afar.
• The views are amazing; every advertisement for Newfoundland and Labrador includes shots from here.
• It’s totally worth the hard work, and the work is hard.

Worth a watch …

Blogs and Websites

Once you’re done reading this series of blogs (see what I did just there?) go to Google and type in “Gros Morne Long Range Traverse” and you’ll find a collection of websites and blogs of varying helpfulness. Some of the best ones we found include:

• http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/nl/grosmorne/activ/activ2e/longrange.aspx
• http://grosmorneadventures.com/2011/03/backpacking-in-gros-morne-national-park/
• http://www.clubtread.com/articledetail.aspx?ID=52
• http://mylostwords.blogspot.ca/2013/10/the-long-range-traverse-gros-morne.html

What you’re looking for are tips on where to go, hints on what to bring, some context on how long the hike can take, and where people go wrong. Everyone gets turned around … you will too … so best to find a new place to do it rather than repeating other people’s mistakes.

Fitness

To say that the Long Range Traverse is very physically demanding would be a massive understatement. This is among the hardest things I have done. The biggest challenges are:

• If you’re not careful you’ll end up carrying a SUPER heavy pack (avoid this if at all possible, see our upcoming gear guide).
• Huge elevation changes in short distances.
• Long distance between some campsites with few really great spots to camp between them.
• Bugs, tuckamore, and constant navigational challenges.

Our training was pretty basic … we were running the Tely 10 (another awesome thing to do while you’re in Newfoundland) that summer anyway so we were getting a fair amount of regular cardio. We had access to the East Coast Trail and regularly did overnight camping trips with full packs and long hike-ins to get used to carrying big loads while on uneven terrain. The biggest advantage to doing prep hikes; you can figure out what gear you need to bring and what stuff is best left at home (more on that later).

East Coast Trail — Treasure of Newfoundland and Labrador

Neither me nor Nicole are authorities on fitness or fitness training. That said, doing this again I would have done a better mix of cardio training (hiking/running) and strength training (picking up heavy shit). The hills are THE MOST HARD.

Navigation

This is pretty typical … no real trail here at all.

Navigation is not left to the end because it is least important. Rather, I think it might be the most important thing and probably the toughest to explain. We had a bit of a background in map and compass work, this was an advantage. Despite this, we probably spent the most time re-learning this skill during the prep phase. Some good references would be:

• Wilderness Navigation — Finding your way using map, compass, altimeter & GPS
• Wilderness Navigation Handbook

In general you need to get a map and a compass with a sighting mirror. Then you need to get out and use it (regularly). In fact, you should be using it, and thinking about navigation, every time you’re out on a hike. It will make your life so much easier.

Once you’ve got the map and compass work down, go buy a GPS. Know how to turn it on, put in a few waypoints for backup, then turn it off. You shouldn’t need this unless you forget everything you’ve learned about the map and compass. (Not old school … just smart)

Before you start the hike you’ll need to do a written test for the wardens. This helps provide them with peace of mind; knowing they won’t need to send in the helicopters to pick you out of the bog you walked into while you were busy looking at the GPS screen and not paying attention to your surroundings. The test is easy if you read a couple of the navigation books, review the Gros Morne map (12-H/12) and know how to use it and your compass. If you don’t, you’ll probably find the test tough.

This is the first installment of our notes on the Gros Morne Long Range Traverse hike. If you liked it Recommend it, if you want to read more, Follow along.

Thanks!