November 15: Queen Charlotte Track - Endeavour Bay to Punga Cove

 It rained last night. Not a steady light mist. Not even a constant downpour. But a torrential deluge accompanied by very high winds. The track today was a sloppy mess: water and mud everywhere, downed limbs, raging rivers and streams, and even some small landslides partially blocking the path. Thankfully, it was a relatively short day with no additional rain; 8 miles with 1100 feet in elevation gain. Should have been an easy walk, but with the trail conditions as they were, it was a constant struggle to not slip in the goopy mud. Our shoes are filthy! Don’t think I’ll ever get them clean.

At one point, I almost slipped and fell in the mud but caught myself in time, wrenching my shoulder in the process. I didn’t realize how bad it was until we reached our destination and I removed my backpack, quickly discovering I couldn’t raise my arm or move it in certain directions without a lot of pain. 

We’ve decided not to walk tomorrow to give my shoulder a rest and hope it feels better by Sunday so we can finish our trek. In the meantime, I’m on an ibuprofen regimen and will pick up some additional meds when we get to Picton tomorrow. 

I lost count of how many gushing streams 
we saw. Thankfully, most of them passed
under the trail, not over.




















Foxgloves bring an additional bit of 
color to the scenery

Our first view of Punga Cove

View from the deck off our room. All of our 
accommodations on both treks have been exceptional.





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