Hiking in Newfoundland – 3

I looked up at the wall in my hotel room and finally noticed this print of the Western Brook fjord’s terminus where I was yesterday!

But we’re headed north up the coast today.

A quick stop at The Arches Provincial Park

Our drive north was 90 minutes, so this was a pleasant place to stretch our legs for a few minutes before continuing on.

…and I saw a rabbit.

In Hawke’s Bay we visited the Torrent River Salmon Ladder.

Angie was funny and informative, and we loved her Newfoundland accent.

Atlantic Salmon return to spawn year after year, unlike Pacific species, which only return once to lay their eggs and die. The ladder was built here in 1965 to get the salmon further upriver than their traditional spawning grounds, which had been over-fished.

Last year’s totals dropped precipitously for some reason, but look better for 2024.

You can see the start of the fish ladder near the base of the falls that kept the salmon from getting upriver.

After learning about Atlantic Salmon we went on our morning hike, heading south along the Torrent River.

The salmon fishers are allowed to keep mid-size fish, but not the really large ones.

They’re proven survivors and full of eggs!

The Torrent River empties into Hawke’s Bay of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

After lunch I was able to get a quick photo of some Common Eider (females) that were in the nearby harbor.

Our afternoon hike was along the very windy coast of Point Riche Peninsula.

I actually was in shorts and shirtsleeves. It was windy, but still plenty WARM.

Several different Indigenous peoples have called this area home over the centuries.

Ian gathers us up every now and then during a hike to point out historical or cultural /information or identify interesting plants.

This was a really fun hike. There was so much for the eye to feast on!

A little Common Eider family was resting on a rock.

Near the Point Riche lighthouse, we had a nice surprise:

A herd of Woodland Caribou!