Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Hi Blog!
The weather in this part of Newfoundland is slowly starting to improve. No snow in the forecast today. We enjoyed our visit yesterday to the French Bread Oven in Port au Choix. The ladies running the center, had loads of local information. We mentioned we were thinking of heading to Hawke's Bay (no, Kenny, not to see Patsy) to visit the Salmon Interpretive Centre and Fishway. One of the bake oven volunteers mentioned it wasn't open yet, but we could still hike the 3-km boardwalk, named for Newfoundland Ranger, John Hogan, which would take us to the Salmon Interpretation Centre.
Getting ahead of our story, here we are at our destination:
Our adventure started at the Torrent River Nature Park at the mouth of the Torrent River. We walked down to the bridge so we could get a good look at the river. The Torrent River flows from the fens, bogs and barrens of the Long Range Mountain highlands through a chain of ponds including Western Brook Pond (a famous location of inland fjords in Gros Morne National Park), to it's outlet in Hawke's Bay. The lower portion of the basin is located along the flat coastal plain and is dominated by areas of bog and forest. Listening to the water rush into the bay, you can understand why they called it the Torrent River.
The John Hogan Trail is a 3-km boardwalk meandering along the Torrent River in Hawke's Bay. The trail was built to commemorate the remarkable courage of Newfoundland Ranger John Hogan, who, for over 50 days, survived in the wilderness and cared for a totally incapacitated companion. The Hogan Trail begins at the Torrent River Nature Park and leads to the Torrent River Salmon Interpretation Centre and Fishway.
There are several scenic stops along the way. Here Kathy tries her hand at casting an imaginary spey rod for imaginary salmon (they haven't started running here yet).
We were skeptical when we saw this sign for Mini Fish Brook, but we really did see a mini brook working its way through the willows. We're pretty sure it's a nursery for small salmon fry before they venture forth to make their way out to the Atlantic Ocean.
One thing we learned hiking in Newfoundland is that Newfies love their boardwalks and stairs. It took a while to realize the reason they go to all that trouble is that nature would quickly take back any trail that they build. Willows are relentless. Without the boardwalks and stairs, you would never be able to find the trail.
One of the bread ladies mentioned that the bridge over the Torrent River was washed out. She wasn't sure we'd be able to get across the river. As it turns out, while the approach to the bridge was washed out and the road was closed to vehicle traffic, we were still able to walk across the bridge.
This was our view downstream --
-- and this our view upstream:
Torrent River is the site of one of the region's most successful salmon enhancement projects in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Research had indicated that giving salmon access above the falls would boost the population and improve the recreational fishery on the river. So, in 1965, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) developed an enhancement program which included the design and construction of a fishway past the falls. Resembling a series of stairs, the fishway enabled adult salmon to swim up and over the falls through a series of 34 gradually elevated pools.\
With all the recent snow and rain, the falls were very active. In the photo below, Kathy braces herself as the mist approaches.
The Adult Salmon-Stocking Program is a success. Salmon born above the falls in Torrent River return to the upper reaches of the river to spawn and a healthy, viable salmon population has been created. The salmon count at the fishway increased from 58 fish in 1971 to a high of 7,000 in 1996 and has remained at approximately 4,000 salmon in the years since.
Click the link to watch a video of the falls and fish ladder
As we hiked our way back to the trailhead, we kept an eye out for moose. While there were plenty of moose prints and moose poo, we didn't see any moose. However, the river valley provided lots of scenic views.
After our hike, we drove back into Port au Choix for lunch. We both ended up ordering Newfie fish cakes! Back in the RV Park, we decided to use the rest of the good weather for a good beach walk. The limestone bedrock in this area made for some really interesting rock formations on the beach.
We weren't sure if this square rock eroded from some nearby limestone or was deposited here by some ancient glacier.
The beaches in Newfound are full of amazing things. The sea urchin shell is completely intact.
There is a section of the beach that was covered in rounded rocks. We can only assume that once upon a time, a river entered the bay near here and left all these perfectly round rocks.
If you wanted to collect driftwood, Port au Choix is the place to come. There were huge piles of bleached and stripped driftwood along the high tide line. Here is one that fell down onto the beach looking like a whale bone.
In our drives to and from Port au Choix, we passed this inuksuk on the side of the road. We decided to make this our turnaround.
On the way back, we noticed our traditional inuksuk friend had several more modern companions.
The perfect place to watch the sunset across the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
No one knows for sure the exact number of shipwrecks around Newfoundland, but it is estimated to be in the thousands. There is no way of knowing exactly where this gear shaft came from. It just one of Newfoundland's many mysteries
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