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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Icebergs, icebergs and more icebergs


There were icebergs in White Bay but should I go to Seal Cove or Wild Cove? A phone call to Seal Cove confirmed there was an iceberg right in the cove. As I came over the top of the hill I could see the berg. There were others. I quickly found a nice sandy spot to launch.


There was great anticipation as I paddled out of the harbour.


There was my first iceberg sighting in two years. I paddled over to it and took my time circling it to savour the moment.


On to the next one, a whimsical shape with gentle curves but also jagged edges where it had broken apart from something else. To my left ...


a more massive berg off of Southern Arm Head. I went to get a closer look.


Up close it was all iceberg. As I paddled around it I looked into Southern Arm and spotted ...


two large tabular bergs. I felt like a youngster in a candy store and being alone, it was all for me.


Bits of ice floated around.


Around every corner another iceberg.


What I thought were two bergs were in fact three. The popping sound of trapped gas escaping from the melting ice coupled with water dripping off of the bergs and a few drops of rain was magical.


I was deep in Southern Arm with the massive bergs but there were more to explore. Near Flat Point a contorted iceberg was calling.


It had a cave running right through it. I contemplated it for a minute but resisted. I looked down into the water and thought it wasn't massive enough and could break up any moment. Discretion is the best part of valour so I moved on.


Most of the bergs were massive blocky or tabular bergs but this one had been sculpted by wind an water. Further out in the bay there were still more so I moved on.


This one was jagged. In the distance off of Pound Head was one more I had to go check out.


It took me 30 minutes to paddle out to this one. I went because a fragment of Petermann A lay behind it. Unfortunately, it lay too far way on this day as my time was running out.


I turned and headed back to Seal Cove totally blissful. It was feast of icebergs, the most I've ever seen in one place and a day I won't soon forget. The only thing missing was someone else to share it with.

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