Day 32 – August 4th – Western Brook Pond, Rocky Harbour & Norris Point

Day 32 – August 4^th – Western Brook Pond, Rocky Harbour & Norris Point

We woke up to another breezy morning.  We had booked the boat tour of the Fjords of Western Brook Pond, so away we went, leaving the campsite at about 8 AM.

We left a little earlier as the walk in is just under 3 km and we wanted to be sure we were on time.  We did not know what to expect on the walking part of this expedition.

The walk was really a piece of cake (don’t tell Diane I said that), with a mixture of gravel and boardwalk.  The GPS totalled 2.8 km each way which we accomplished in about a 45 minute leisurely walk.  We did stop to smell the roses in some places.  The trail was through a varied landscape of bog, marshes, little creeks and brooks and some evergreen growth. There were the odd black fly here and there and I am sure if it was not for the light breeze from time to time, the bugs could make it a very short walk through motivation!

We arrived just before the ticket office opened and we boarded the boat at about 9:45 AM.  Fire her up and off we go, towards the Fjord.  The views are spectacular once you get into the fjord.  You are looking at 1 billion year old rock in some places and there are small waterfalls here and there tumbling down the rock crevices.  It is not hard to imagine the torrents of waterfalls in the spring and early summer with the snowmelt and spring rains – cool!!

 

The boat narrator/guide told us that a normal pond/lake this size usually changes its water over about 4 to 6 times per year with inflow and outflow. This lake only changes its water once every 15 years!!  Also, due to the lack of minerals and other chemicals that are in normal lakes, this pond does not conduct electricity because of the make up of its water!  First time I have ever heard of water not conducting electricity.  Not sure I want to test this claim, I will just believe what they say in this case J.

Hikers from the Toronto Area

There were three hikers on board that we let off at the end of the pond.  They were walking out.  Their trip would take three to four days covering about 30 km.  There is no trail, everything has to be done by compass.  To be able to do overnight hike in this area of the park; one must get a National Park Permit which includes taking and passing an orienteering course.  They have a GPS only as a back-up and an emergency locator beacon, just in case they run into a problem.  They were from the Uxbridge and Newmarket areas just north of Toronto.  Following the boat tour we walked back along the same trail and out to the truck.

We drove to Rocky Harbour and Norris Point to look around, have lunch and check on another possible adventure.  We ate at Earle’s, food was excellent and the desserts were even better.  Diane and Joan had the Bakeapple Cheese Cake which was home made and tasted just wonderful.

It was time to head back to Cow Head to do a bit of grocery shopping and get back to the trailer.  I have to admit I am a little tired but it was another great day!