Hike to Brimstone Head on Fogo Island

Wednesday, June 28, 2023 

Hi Blog!

The day had finally come to make our epic journey to Fogo Island. Back in 2018, we didn't have enough time to visit Fogo. We made sure to add Fogo Island to this year's itinerary. Because the July 1st Canada Day Holiday Weekend is fast approaching, we were worried there would be long lines for the Fogo Island Ferry. Since the ferry operates on a first come, first serve basis, we left Lewisporte at 7:00 a.m. We were lucky enough to make the 8:45 ferry.

After getting loaded, we retired to the passenger lounge to eat our breakfast. The ferry made a quick stop at Change Island to unload, before heading to Fogo. The weather was picture perfect.

We were lucky enough to spot a couple icebergs along the way.

Once we arrived on Fogo, we made a quick stop at the Visitor's Center to pick up maps and suggestions for everything from trails to meals and tunes. 

Arriving at our campground, we left Dusty parked in the shadow of Brimstone Head as we took the RV to a local dump station to empty tanks for our 5 day stay.

After getting settled in our site, we were able to spot this iceberg just past our little cove.

We love the view from our site.

Ruby likes this campground, too. However, when the wind picks up, she tends to hide under the RV or the Jeep.

The weather in Newfoundland is constantly changing. While the sun was shining, we just had to climb up to the top of Brimstone Head. The Newfoundland-Labrador Flag proudly flies at the trailhead.

Looking back down on our beachy campground, that's Buster tucked in the far corner.

We decided to hike the scenic route, which took us to a small cove and old water well, which has now been turned into a wishing well. Proceeds go to the Lions Club, which maintains the campground and trails around Brimstone Head.

While these stairs look imposing, they were nothing like the 600+ stair climbs we had in Labrador.

Looking back, we could see the town of Fogo, for which the island is named. The island was likely named by Portuguese explorers and early fishing crews in the 16th century (Fogo means Fire in Portuguese). 

As we approached the top of Brimstone Head, we noticed this sign indicating that Brimstone Head is one of the Four Corners of the Flat Earth. The other corners are the Greek Island of Hydra, Papua in New Guinea, and the Bermuda Triangle. The Flat Earthers contend that, if you go too close to the edge, you might just fall off. Needless to say, we did not stray too close to the edge.

From our vantage point, we could see at least a half dozen icebergs. Here are three bergs in a row.

 If you are curious about the edge of the Flat Earth, click the link to this 360-degree video from the top of Brimstone Head 

After a very windy summit, we decided to head down to Simm's Beach. Kathy is holding on to keep from getting blown off-trail!

After weeks of cold weather, it was so nice to see all the flowers about.

The trail took us through a wooded track. We were worried about bugs, but with the steady strong winds, they didn't bother us. They were just holding onto the nearby branches for dear life.

Simm's Beach is an amazing rocky beach. We looked for sea glass, but the large rocks made it difficult to hike along the shoreline.

We decided to make our way back to the campground along an ATV trail. The area was very moist and spongy. We found several pitcher plants waiting for their next meal.

After completing our Tour de Brimstone Head, we retired to our camp chairs and enjoyed a well earned strong beer.

 We have four days of adventure ahead of us, so stay tuned.