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Fjords to rival Norway Keith & Heather Nicol, Kanawa, Fall 2005 Gros Morne National Park offers fjords to rival Norway and long sand beaches. But as we paddled out of the community of Norris Point, it was the world class geology that drew our attention.
We paddled along the shore toward Rattling Brook in a light chop with the Tablelands and the community of Woody Point slowly drawing closer. Chad said that just last week they had been surrounded by dolphins while paddling in the area. “All of a sudden they were all around us – but then they were gone just like that. No one got a picture because they just moved too fast. Some even came right up next to the kayaks.” Earlier in the summer, minke and humpback whales are also common in Bonne Bay. Once we reached Rattling Brook, the wind picked up so we began to paddle back. At Gadd’s Cove we scanned the sky for eagles which nest in the area and then ducked around the corner into the protected water of Gadd’s Harbour. From Gadd’s Harbour, te large dome of Gros Morne dominated the skyline. At 806 metres, it is the second highest point on the island of Newfoundland. We rafted up; cameras came out of dry bags, and we snapped photos of Gros Morne and Shag Cliff – a steep wall of rock which seems to jut out of the ocean floor. By then the wind was gusting strongly from the northwest. Fortunately the fetch was just 1.5 kilometres and so the waves were not large but it did take some focused paddling to get back to Norris Point waterfront. In the harbour, the wind eased off and we enjoyed the slow paddle to Gros Morne Adventures’ small beach. Kayakers should check out the other arms of Bonne Bay, Trout River Ponds and the paddle from Trout River to Woody Point. Shallow Bay and its long sandy beach are ideal for surf kayakers. For more information on Keith's travels check out http://www.swgc.mun.ca/~knicol.
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The morning sun was shining, highlighting the rusty brown colour of the Tablelands. We headed across the
“tickle” (a Newfoundland term for a narrow passage of water) toward Gadd’s Cove
as Chad Howse, our guide from Gros Morne Adventures, explained that the
Tablelands were a result of the continental collision millions of ago which
thrust up slices of ocean floor and mantle. “The tablelands are really ocean
mantle and due to their toxic chemical makeup are generally barren of
vegetation,” he explained. “They have lots of iron which rusts and hence are
reddish brown in colour. This process doesn’t happen very often – the
peridiotite bedrock is rarely found on the earth’s surface.”