Moments from the East Coast Trail | Newfoundland | 4K

The East Coast Trail is located in Newfoundland and follows the coast 336 km from Topsail Beach to Cappahayden. It is filled with beautiful views, amazing trails and kind people along the way.

I was initially going to do this hike with my mother but she got pneumonia a week before we were suppose to leave. I hiked the entire trail solo over the course of 14 1/2 days. Making some poor decisions on food and clothes as well as carrying my camera gear my bag ended up being around 70 lbs.

At the beginning of the trip i was faced with 35 degrees weather as I was going over the Piccos, the most strenuous part of the entire trail. Coming from the Rocky Mountains I thought this would be a breeze but the combination of my heavy bag and hot weather took everything out of me. Once I got over the Piccos, it rained for the rest of the trip. I struggled to keep my gear and clothes dry but most importantly my feet. My feet became extremely tender from the constant moisture that surrounded them. They became painful as I walked and by the end of the trip I had formed massive blisters on the souls of each foot.

I was blessed by the kindness of the Newfoundland people a couple of times. I was sleeping under a bridge, down to one pair of dry socks when a man rolled up to my tent at 2 AM and offered me a bed at his place. I was able to dry all my gear, take a shower and wash my clothes. I also was blessed in Port Kirwan when a man and his wife saved me from a huge storm. He then took me out on his boat the next day and saved me that evening from another storm. Throughout the entire trip I was only met with Kindness. I am convinced the Newfoundland people are the most welcoming people in the world.

This entire trip was a physical and mental challenge. Physically because of my heavy bag, wet feet and rugged trails. Mentally because of the solitude. I challenged myself to not listen to any music or podcasts the entire hike. I forced myself to be alone in my thoughts. I never truly realized how little I actually sit deeply in my thoughts. My life can be so busy as I am constantly planning for the future or trying to meet some deadline, I do not sit and think in the moment. This walk forced me to think deeply inside of my mind which at times was a little scary. I would often go into such a deep meditation my body would be on autopilot and I would walk 15 km without paying any attention.

I did not have the intention to fully capture this adventure on my camera. These are just a few moments I felt inspired to capture the beauty of the East Coast Trail. I hope you enjoy!

Instagram:
Thomas Garchinski:   / photo_tours_  

Camera Gear:
Camera: Sony A1
Lens's: Sigma Art 14-24 mm 2.8, 24-70 mm 2.8, 85 mm 1.4
Gimbal: DJI Ronin-S
Drone: DJI Mini 2