NL Part 2: Hiking & Learning & Marveling

"Gros Morne National Park was designated a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1987 for its impressive geological features. The 1805 sq kilometer park offers unsurpassed beauty and adventure - a perfect complement to the local cultural scene." ...that's the explanation on the little pamphlet you get when you stop at the visitor's center. But the Kay-version of that description would be this: 696.91 sq miles of WOW-NESS!! We had a little over 2 weeks in Gros Morne and we ended up hiking 13 of the 19 trails. Not to mention visits to other various lighthouse trails and the like that aren't officially part of the National Park trail system. Each trail led you to a different view, over different terrain, with varying levels of physicality and all were amazing and well worth the trip.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: I have included a picture of the hiking trails map with our checklist of which ones we did on my next post...you're welcome!)

One day when the weather was misty/rainy we decided that instead of going on a hike and breaking an ankle or something, we would drive around and check out the local area. We happened upon the Bon Bay Marine Station (aka the local aquarium/educational research center). OMG...this was a mega JACKPOT!!! The station is surrounded by Gros Morne National Park, in the Bonne Bay fjord and the exhibits included unparalleled diversity of habitat, marine plants, fish and invertebrates. The aquarium was staffed by students of Memorial University of Newfoundland and they were so damn knowledgable and enthusiastic and down-right amazing! We had such an incredible time seeing, touching and learning about the various species. I really wish we had taken more pictures during the tour because although we were more than impressed and intrigued by what we were seeing, it was only later that we learned that the creatures on display were all on a "catch and release" program. So although we were seeing (for instance) a rare green lobster that a local fisherman had inadvertently caught and donated to the Station, or a wolffish that was quite something; they were due to be released back to the waters following the season! I of course now can't remember what other amazing things we saw on the tour but it was all more than a little fascinating. We learned TONS while interacting with the staff and the creatures in the touch tanks. I will forever be amazed by sea urchins and their ability to weigh themselves down with nearby pebbles so that they don't get washed away in the tides - not to mention that they can camouflage themselves with said pebbles so that predators pass them over! But even more amazing were the students who were so damn knowledgeable and invested in sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with us. This little unplanned adventure was truly remarkable and a true highlight.

If you talk to ANYBODY about Gros Morne (whether they be Canadian, American or from another country) they will all inquire if you did the Western Brook Pond Trail and boat tour. Luckily, everyone asked us that early on and I was able to get on line and get us reservations to take the boat tour while we were in the area! The Western Brook Pond fjord is in the Long Range Mountains, the most northern section of the Appalachian Mountains. It is surrounded by steep rock walls (approximately 2000ft high) that have been carved from glaciers. We learned that after the glaciers melted, the land eventually rebounded and the result was that the fjord was cut off from the sea. Mother Nature saw to it that the salty water was eventually flushed from the fjord, leaving it a fresh water pond. The basin is quite deep - reaching 541ft in places and the ride was truly breathtaking. The lake is fed by numerous waterfalls cascading from the plateaus above. One of the falls "Pissing Mare Falls" is one of the highest in eastern North America at 1,150ft... Yep, pretty damn amazing - and it was only the beginning of Newfoundland's beauty.