Monday 29 July 2013

Newfoundland: Trout River Pond

Trout River Pond, NL
June 17, 2013

This is the reward you claim when hiking the stunning Trout River Pond trail in Gros Morne National Park.  I am glad our friends/guides encouraged us to complete the hike, they kept talking about "the payoff".  Boy, they were not exaggerating! 

The trail is a ~15 km round trip.  The first half winds its way through typical softwood forest.  It is only once you emerge from the trees that you start to get stunning views of the tablelands.  

It was odd how quickly I became accustomed to sitting in front of a landscape that more resembles Mars than Earth.  The contrast is indeed extreme.  One side of the pond (aka lake) is treed/wooded while the other side is stark and rocky.  Those rocks form what is known as the Tablelands, one of the few places on Earth where one can walk on the Earth's mantle!

I highly encourage one and all to experience this trail and Gros Morne National Park.  It is truly one of our national treasures.

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