Gros Morne - The Coastal Chapter

Hi Blog!

Thursday, June 19, 2018, was our first full day in Gros Morne National Park near Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland. Our drive up from the Codroy Valley was full of high winds and sprinkles, but luckily the heavy rain didn't hit until after we made it to camp. It poured the rest of the day and most of the night. When we awoke, we found ourselves totally fogged in. We were hoping to get in a couple hikes, but changed our plans. Time to visit a few historical sites along the coast.

Our first stop was the Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse, which is a century old lighthouse that once served as a beacon to safely guide fishermen and sailing vessels into Bonne Bay. Today, it is the gateway for discovering the rich cultural heritage of Gros Morne National Park.  A newly renovated exhibit highlights the people and heritage of the area, showcasing historical photos, audio recordings of folk songs and lightkeepers logbooks. Here was our first view of the lighthouse.

In 1889, Lobster Cove Head was chosen as the sight of one of four new lighthouse along the west coast of Newfoundland. Four years later, an iron tower was ordered from Victoria Iron Works of St. John’s, and the lantern and illuminating apparatus was ordered from Chance Brothers of Birmingham, England. In 1894, the lantern and apparatus arrived, but the light was not activated until the spring of 1898, when the necessary buildings had been constructed.

After our tour, we decided to wander around the headlands in hopes of finding more Red Chairs. The short trails lead you to hidden outcrops with breath-taking vistas of wide open ocean and rocky beaches. We first had to make our way through the tuckamore. We learned that tuckamore is the Newfoundland word for the stunted trees that grow along the coast and in alpine areas.  We know them as krummholz. It is said that they stand as a physical representation of the indomitable spirit of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. It reminded us of the forest where Hansel and Gretel had their adventures.

The forest soon gave way to the rocky coast. Luckily the fog lifted enough to see the rocks, but that was about it. Do Red Chairs still count if you can't see the view?

On our way back through the tuckamore, we discovered another set of Red Chairs deep with the forest.

One last look at the rocky shore and then it was off to our next adventure.

Gros Morne takes its name from Newfoundland's second-highest mountain peak located within the park. Its French meaning is "large mountain standing alone," or more literally "great sombre." Gros Morne is a member of the Long Range Mountains, an outlying range of the Appalachian Mountains, stretching the length of the island's west coast. It is the eroded remnants of a mountain range formed 1.2 billion years ago. Here, deep ocean crust and the rocks of the earth's mantle lie exposed. The best place to see all that exposed rock is Green Point, a small summer fishing village.

Green Point’s seaside cliffs have a beautiful and intriguing sequence of layered rocks. From these Red Chairs we had the perfect vantage point to take in layers and layers of time.  Yes, that's miniature us in those far-away Red Chairs perched out above the remnants of the ancient Appalachians:

Almost 500 million years ago, these rocks formed on the bottom of an ancient ocean. Here, geologists discovered fossils that define the boundary between the Cambrian and Ordovician periods, which makes Green Point a world geological benchmark. 

A closer look allows you to see the various layers deposited over time and then lifted up to almost vertical.

In other areas, whole layers are exposed and you can follow the fossilized contours left in the sea floor.

There were several large layers of limestone conglomerate. We stood around with a couple other tourists and tried to figure out what caused such a difference in the layering. We later learned that these limestone layers were formed by avalanches that tumbled from high in mountains down into the ocean.

Our last stop in the park was Broom Point Fishing Exhibit.  Gros Morne National Park Reserve was established in 1973, and was made a national park on October 1, 2005. The 1992 cod moratorium especially affected Newfoundland's rural outports like the one at Broom Point, where the loss of an important source of income caused widespread out-migration. Many communities were relocated by the government whether they wanted to or not. For some it was an easy decision: with no cod, there was no reason to stay. For others, it meant leaving behind their ancestral home.

The park took over this summer fishing shed and filled it with all sorts of things the locals used back in the day to catch their lobsters, crab and cod.

Upstairs, the rafters were lined with old fishing nets. The park ranger working the exhibit was a retired lobster man. 

We were still trying to wrap our heads around the whole resettlement thing as we began our hike on the trail to Steve's Beach. We later learned that state-assisted relocation is still practiced in Newfoundland and Labrador, but the requests must come from the communities themselves. The modern Community Relocation Policy clearly states that the government cannot encourage or "initiate any actions" to promote resettlement. Essential services, including electricity, are terminated in the communities where the vote reaches a threshold of 90-per-cent. In 2013, the compensation was boosted from $100,000 to $270,000 per household.

These thoughts filled our heads as we walked out across the lush, flat tableland toward the beach:

While the Broom Point Exhibit was busy, once we walked a few hundred yards from the parking lot, we had the place to ourselves. We did find a spot where Red Chairs once rested, but they must have been relocated, just like the residents of the fishing village.

We did get a magnificent (though fog-bound) view of Steve's Beach:

Tomorrow, we have a couple hikes planned, plus a boat ride on Western Brook Pond, which cuts deep into the mountains. Stay tuned.