In May, Claire suggested that we do the Long Range Traverse together. Without doing too much research, we booked the last permit we could get for the weeks we were available for vacation in August. Having returned from that trip a couple weeks ago, I want to recap the experience and provide a guide and some recommendations for anyone considering doing the Long Range Traverse or making it a part of a trip to Newfoundland. It was our first time in Newfoundland, and we loved it. We flew into Deer Lake and picked up a car rental at the airport. Why are there so many Bronco's in Newfoundland? We still don't know the answer. We arrived in Rocky Harbour two days before we started the trail. This was a good move. It gave us time to settle in, explore town, and finalize logistics. Rocky Harbour is a lovely town. For food, I'd recommend Java Jacks. Sweet Rock had great ice cream. And for live entertainment, Anchor Pub seemed to be the spot, though we failed to catch Anchors Aweigh. Norris Point is also very much worth the visit, even if you're only in Rocky Harbour for a short stay. It is a ~15 minute drive from the Gros Morne Visitors Centre and has its own charm to it. We were recommended to check out Jeremy Charles' King Lobster food truck and it was excellent. King Lobster serves lobster rolls for $25 and lobster roll combos for $40. The combo includes three salads: a pesto pasta salad, an apple, celery, cheddar salad, and a cole slaw. If you're two people going, I suggest getting one combo to share and an extra roll. The salads are fresh and nice to try. The lobster rolls were the best we've ever had. There is no mayo-based dressing. The chunks of lobster meat are simply poached in butter, seasoned with an Old Bay-style seasoning, and finished in an outdoor oven. Check out this podcast with Brad Leone and chef Jeremy Charles for more on King Lobster. Jeremy Charles is also featured in this episode of Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain. Awesome stuff. Other things we enjoyed in Norris Point: snowballs from Rumbolt's bakery and convenience store, the Old Store Cafe and Ice Cream, and the lookout at Jenniex House. King Lobster was really the highlight though. Re: Long Range logistics - the day before we started the Long Range Traverse, I called Pittmans Taxi to arrange our lift from the Gros Morne trailhead (the parking lot at the end of the Long Range you'll leave your car at) to Western Brook Pond (the start). In hindsight, I should have booked that sooner than a day in advance. Fortunately, a kind couple from Montreal, didn't mind Claire and I bunking in with them in their taxi the next morning. We also rented a Garmin eTrex GPS and purchased our camp fuel from Out East Adventure Centre in Rocky Harbour. The folks there were extremely helpful. We were lent an emergency satellite communicator from Parks Canada at the Gros Morne Visitors Centre when we went there for our orientation the afternoon before we started the hike. The orientation was straightforward and did not emphasize the necessity of map navigation skills nearly as much as I expected. I don't think Parks Canada would like to hear anyone recommending this, but if you have a reliable GPS, you won't ever need to use your map and compass. This hike was my first time using a GPS to navigate. The device we rented from the Adventure Centre came with the GPS track file pre-downloaded. I also had the AllTrails route downloaded to my phone as an alternate navigator, which ended up becoming the primary. I was surprised by the accuracy of both tools. The morning of our first day on the trail, we drove the car down to the trailhead, got picked up by our taxi, and drove ~20 minutes up highway 430 to Western Brook Pond. You can pay for the taxi by cash or e-transfer. Service is spotty at the pond. From there, you'll walk 3km to the dock. With heavy packs on the first day, I'd suggest giving yourself an hour to do this. It is a beautiful walk. When you arrive at the dock, you'll receive your boarding pass to the Bontours boat. Long Range Traverse hikers will need to show theirs during the boat ride to be let off at the drop off point, so don't lose it. Mark Carney was visiting Gros Morne the week before us and got the same tour as we did from KJ and the Bontours crew.