Massive cliffs plunge steeply into the seaA paddle Ysabelle, Neil, Stan and I did on May 1 from Flatrock to Pouch Cove is my #5 paddle of the year. Every paddle is in its own way special so its probably unfair to rank them. What made this day memorable though was the scenery along an exposed coast, sea caves and an iceberg. This coast is open to the North Atlantic and not always accessible because of the seastate and there are few emergency take-outs. Even where a take-out is possible, the cliffs will keep you on the beach, unless you're a mountain goat!
Stiles Cove The paddle from Flatrock to Pouch Cove is along an exposed coast. It was calm on this day. Here a Stiles Cove where there's no way out, the fishermen used to hang a ladder to let them scramble out in case they had to seek refuge in the cove from sudden changes in the weather. We stopped here for a shower and lunch.
Our cathedral for the day Cathedrals have been built for the glorification of God. Here we had one natural made cathedral in which we could experience the spiritual aspect of sea kayaking. The entrance was maybe 3 metres wide and 10 long before it opened up with vaulted ceilings and other "religious" trappings. The light from outside barely made it inside but the camera's flash illuminated the scene.
"You go ahead Ysabelle" As usual, where there are places to squeeze through, there's a bottleneck.
A waterfall tumbles over the cliff edge Bright sunshine, little wind, the sound of the waterfall ... we took our time a let it all sink in.
And, there was an iceberg As we neared Pouch Cove we caught sight of the iceberg we saw when we shuttled the cars. We paddled out to it to have a closer look. I find icebergs have their own environment about them - a bit mystical and a bit intimidating.
Tony,
ReplyDeleteWhen Des & I paddled up the East side of the Northern Peninsula, we had a day and a half of calm conditions. The coast there is much like that from Quidi Vidi to Cape St. Farncis. The calm allowed us to land at very exposed pocket beaches, which we appreciated on long days. Good weather makes touring a lot easier. Some very good photos, as usual.
Malcolm
Malcolm, I see pocket beaches, even the ones you can't get out of, like a bivouac on a mountain. At best, a rest stop like in your case or, at worst, a place in an emergency to survive to paddle another day along an exposed coast.
ReplyDeleteTony :-)