Author: mybirdwalks

The “Ethie Room” is named for a steamer which was deliberately run aground in 1919.
It was traveling along the coast near here when a storm arose. The steamer struggled to keep from capsizing, but was running out of coal, so the captain made the crucial decision to bring the boat to land at the safest place possible.

92 passengers and the crew were safely brought ashore. The captain’s drastic, but courageous decision saved them all.

The local dinner theater has a short play dramatizing the event.

That’s where we ate last night.

This morning, however, finds us at Gros Morne Mountain.

Erica went with three of our group at a fast pace up to the summit–a 7-hour hike with significant elevation gain.

Most of us made our way on the Approach Trail, which was still fairly strenuous. But a few of the group decided to do NO hiking here at all and went on a boat ride.

After half a mile, Ian let me go ahead at my own pace while he made sure everyone else was coming along all right.

So I basically had a six-mile solo hike in Gros Morne National Park!

The spruce trees are dying from a larger-than-expected abundance of Spruce Budworm. They are a natural pest, but their damage to the spruce has lately been more widespread than usual.

The Long Range Mountains are the northern terminus of the Appalachian Range.

Eventually I had great views of Gros Morne Mountain.

Ian had set a hard turn-around time, and six of us managed to get this far by that time. The climbing route for the mountain is straight up that scree-filled gulley.

I heard some interesting birds, but only got one good photo:

A recently fledged White-throated Sparrow

After lunch we had two short outings, with minimal walking.

Ian orients us to Green Point and its geology. It’s really windy up on the bluff!

Down on the beach we can see the layer after layer of sedimentary rock that has been turned on its side by plate tectonic action.

The layers were fascinating.

After our geological stop, we did a cultural one, at a still-functioning, but now fully automated lighthouse.

I quickly toured the little building, but I was more interested in exploring the little trail that circled the lighthouse.

It led to a nice view of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. . .

. . . as well as an interesting perspective of the lighthouse buildings.

And then I found a nice bench to wait until it was time to go to our third and final hotel.

Plenty of hydration at the end of the day

And a Newfoundland lobster roll and tasty salad!