Dave'n'Kathy's Vagabond Blog: North to Mary's Harbour

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Hi Blog!

We're using our time here in Red Bay, Labrador to explore additional areas along the Labrador Coast. After a great morning hike in Red Bay (see prior blog), we drove north to Mary's Harbour. We have decided that Mary's Harbour is as far north as we plan to drive, so we have more time to explore all of the towns and coves between Red Bay and Blanc Sablon. There is nothing between Red Bay and Mary's Harbour except miles and miles of subartic wilderness, and we think that is likely to continue north of Mary's Harbour.

As soon as we arrived in Mary's Harbour, we tracked down the Great Caribou Studio and Cafe. Great Caribou is a boutique, gallery, art studio, and café located in the center of Mary’s Harbour. The studio is managed and run by Inuit artist Charlene Rumbolt, whose goal is to represent her art further and educate others on Indigenous culture. The studio displays her unique, original paintings and traditional Indigenous crafts paired with a café so visitors can enjoy coffee, lunch and baked goods while browsing the store.

After hiking this morning, we were both famished. We each had a sausage, egg and tomato wrap and shared a bowl of rice soup and a wonderful, light and flaky bakeapple pastry. We enjoyed our repast in a room filled with wonderful creations.

After lunch, we perused the gift shop. Because we are in a small RV, we came away with a hand knitted puffin Christmas ornament and some amazing wood cut print cards with local themes. We are looking forward to framing them and giving them a place of honor in our for ever and ever house.

We also got some advice on the two local hikes we had scouted out. Charlene assured us that if we followed the trail markers to White Water Falls, we wouldn't get lost like the couple who had to be rescued last year. We promised we would not get lost and headed over to the trailhead for White Water Falls, which is literally across the parking lot from the cafe.

After crossing a long boardwalk over the muskeg, we got our first good look at the St. Mary's River. Mary's Harbour surrounds the St. Mary's River, which was the site of a salmon fishery as early as the 1780s. However, Mary's Harbour was not a permanent settlement until after a fire at Battle Harbour in 1930. The International Grenfell Association decided to relocate its hospital and boarding school, destroyed by the fire, from Battle Harbour to Mary's Harbour.

As we hiked along the river, we came to small hydroelectric power plant. A channel was cut to divert water to the plant to run turbines to generate electricity.

Mary's Harbour receives heavy snowfall each winter, which is unusual for such a coastal location. Mary's Harbour has a pronounced seasonal lag, especially in the summer, with September temps averaging warmer than June. However, there was no seasonal lag today. The temperature reached 66 degrees.

We're not sure how the other couple got lost. The entrance to the falls looks well marked. Or, perhaps, these new markings were added after the incident. That red paint looks fresh!

With all the recent rain, we heard the falls long before we saw them. In the photo below, Dave stands at the brink of White Water Falls. I hope he doesn't fall in trying to get the unbelievable shot!

Meanwhile, Kathy kept a safe distance, ready to jump in and save him should he get swept away.

After enjoying the falls, we returned to the trailhead and made our way over to the Gin Cove Trail.

We enjoyed a walk along the harbour. Here's a photo of the brightly colored cottages across the bay.

Mary's Harbour has always depended on the fishery for its livelihood. Since the collapse of the Atlantic northwest cod fishery, the community has thrived on the crab fishery. The Labrador Fishermen's Union Shrimp Company employs over 120 people at the local crab processing facility. It is also the gateway to the National Historic District of Battle Harbour. There are also a number of small recreational boats. It won't be long before the salmon start running and the cod arrive.

Our trailhead also serves as a local community garden. There are several neatly tended beds. Some have shoots already poking through the soil.

Our trail starts behind the gardening shed.

By now, we have come to realize that Newfoundland and Labrador love their boardwalks and stairs. If you plan to hike here, you should get a stairmaster and start practicing now.

After hiking up and over the highest point of land, we found ourselves on the beach at Gin Cove.

It didn't take long for Kathy to begin searching for sea glass.

Dave was busy finding cool rocks.

Below, Kathy shows off her prizes. Now, some collectors might considered a few of these "not ready." However, if it is not sea glass then it's trash and should not be picked up, tumbled and turned into sea glass!