It's not a brook. It's not a pond. It's not a fjord. It's a gorge!!! Indeed, the Western Brook Pond Fjord in Newfoundland's Gros Morne National Park resembles a Norwegian fjord, but it is technically a gorge. For comparison, and because I was interested myself, here is a photo of a true fjord, borrowed from fjords.com.
Below is a photo of the gorge, Western Brook Pond Fjord, borrowed from Newfoundland & Labrador's tourist website (https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com).
The photos -- both of breath-taking scenes with pristine-looking water at the base of rocky, tree-covered cliffs -- look pretty much the same to me. But technically speaking, these scenes are each the result of very different geologic forces. "Fjords are found in locations where current or past glaciation extended below current sea level. A fjord is formed when a glacier retreats, after carving its typical U-shaped valley, and the sea fills the resulting valley floor" (fjords.com). A gorge, on the other hand, "is narrow valley with steep, rocky walls located between hills or mountains" often carved by a stream or river or the result of geologic uplift (National Geographic). In other words, fjords are connected to the sea while gorges are not. So, fjords contain seawater and gorges contain freshwater (if water is present in a gorge).
We found out about the Western Brook Pond Fjord when searching "top things to do in Newfoundland" on the internet. Stunning photos of the gorge kept popping up. I began to think a trip to Newfoundland might not be complete without experiencing this iconic scene. Plus, it was in Gros Morne N.P., and we were planning on spending several days there. Further research revealed that this view required more than a simple car ride and a camera. We had two options and both included a car ride, followed by a boat ride, followed by a long hike through challenging terrain. The first option required navigational skills and demonstrating to Parks Canada that we had said skills so we quickly ruled this out. The second option entailed hiring a guide from the local adventure company BonTours. It came with a hefty price tag, but that's what having a second job is for, right? The fun fund. I quickly booked the trip.
Four months later, we were en route from Berry Hill Campground in Gros Morne to Out East Adventures in the town of Rocky Harbour, where we would meet our guide Brad, a young German couple, and a French-Canadian family who had also signed up for the hike.
After a quick debriefing accompanied with lots of coffee, we jumped in our respective cars bound for the trailhead. The first part of the adventure was an easy and enjoyable 3 km stroll on a gravel road through one of Newfoundland's ubiquitous boggy areas. We admired the wild orchids (Arethusa bulbosa - dragon's mouth orchid) and the incredible scenery including the tranquil pond below. Thankfully the weather was perfect. No rain, drizzle, fog, which is such a common weather phenomenon in Newfoundland that there is even an acronym for it: RDF. We spent the day under a bluebird sky and enjoyed temps in the mid 70s. I learned that weather can either make or break this experience.
Thus Spoke Arethusa the Dragon's Mouth orchid
The gravel road ended at the harbour, where a boat awaited. I just noticed that a bug photobombed this photo (directly over the boardwalk and where the mountaintop meets the sky). This reminds me that the bugs in Newfoundland are extremely aggressive bloodsuckers and so strong insect repellant is recommended.
For the duration of the 30-minute boat ride, beautiful scenery flashed past.
There were many good photo opps. I would highly recommend the boat ride, even for those who are not able to or do not wish to do the hike.
We saw several waterfalls including this one.
We arrived at the end of the fjord, climbed out of the boat and the difficult part of our day began -- a 12 km round-trip hike through challenging terrain that took us up 450 m, where we would see the iconic view of the "fjord."
For me it was helpful that Bontours described the hike as having 3 stages. "The first [stage] is a gentle hike, passing through a giant meadow, and up through the forest as we slowly gain elevation." It quickly became apparent why navigation skills were required to hike this on one's own as the trail was not always obvious.
From Bontours: "The second [stage] begins with crossing river beds which, depending on the recent rainfall levels, may have running water. Prepare to get your feet wet. From here the terrain gets steadily more and more steep as we continue to wind our way through the forest. We rest beneath a waterfall for a good break before we continue."
One of the riverbed crossings.
Sometimes I was like, "Are we even on a trail?"
Bontours: "The last stage is a steep climb and while it is relatively short, it is often the hardest part of the day. As hands and feet scramble to find a hold, we make our way up the rock face." For this part of the trail, I used my hands frequently, sometimes to pull myself up very large boulders, sometimes to grab roots and trees to pull me up and forward. Below is our fearless guide, Brad. Brad was a lot of fun.
Bontours: "Finally we emerge on to a rocky clearing and are immediately rewarded with one of the most stunning views you can find on the east coast of North America. The valley of Western Brook Pond opens up below you. The winding fjord and it’s steep cliffs provide the backdrop as life seems to stand still for a moment. You catch your breath and settle in for lunch. It’s all downhill from here."
At the top Brad offered to take as many photos of us as we wanted. Since he was so familiar with the hike, he had recommendations for where to pose. This pose made me nervous and reminded me of the time I had dangled me feet off of Half Dome, just for a photo.
This photo made our 2019 holiday card!
There was so much water at the top.
Because the weather was perfect Brad encouraged frolicking in the ultra-oligotrophic (low in nutrients, oxygen-rich) water.
Brad even encouraged us to drink the water without filtering it. This went against everything I had been taught, growing up backpacking in the Sierras where giardia is not uncommon. To make his point, Brad put his water bottle under one of the cascades and then drank from it. One by one the other hikers followed suit. I reluctantly did the same and filled my water bottle with the purest water. The water truly was delicious, and as I drank it I wondered if I might be very sick in a few days.
The guide said we should get wet.
The two adventurous French-Canadian kids on the hike had already jumped into the natural swimming hole and were splashing around. Their father was next and was soon followed by the German couple.
Not wanting to be a boring American, I jumped in.
Thankfully the water wasn't take-your-breath-away-cold as it is in the Rockies.
After splashing around for awhile, it was time to head back.
The return boat ride
And, if you are curious about whether or not I got sick from the water, I did not!
End