Nfld & Labrador - Mugford Tickle & Hebron

We were warned the day before to be up on deck first thing the following day to watch the sail by the "Mugford Tickle" - an intriguing name for a channel with sheer cliffs on its sides.  But the spectacular sail by definitely took our breaths away.  The lingering morning mist made it even more enchanting.  Sheer cliffs rose 4000 ft. straight from the sea and we sailed past Cape Mugford and the Kaumajet Mountains, the only landmarks I could identify from online photos.  But it is not important what they are called - we are there for the scenery!  And I will let the photos speak for themselves...

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Cape Mugford

Kaumajet Mountains

Brave Mountain at 4300 ft on Grimmington Island

An iceberg as we approached Hebron

Our next stop is Hebron, a National Historic Site.  Hebron was originally a Moravian mission and the northermost settlement in Labrador.  The mission was founded in 1831 but disbanded after the forced relocation of the local Inuit families.  There was no consultation with community members.  The mission is now being restored by Inuit volunteers, descendants of the families that were resettled.  There was a plague monument beside the school with an inscribed apology for the site closure.  It is difficult not to read the plague with some emotion.  

The mission still has some daily utensils from the period and it was interesting to see what was left behind.  The site itself also has some dramatic rock formations, particularly near the water.  

This was what we saw on landing - like a dramatic still-life sculpture on one side and the remains of this house on the other.

The mission church

What was left behind 




Inside the church

Hebron waterfront

A final pass by the Mugford Tickle - Bishop's Mitre

The excitement mounted as we got closer to the Torngat Mountains.  The Mugford Tickle was like a preview.

Nfld & Labrador - Indian Harbour & Nain

We are now one week into our cruise as we continued our northbound journey along the Labrador coast. It was the usual routine of zodiac landings, hikes, zodiac cruises, watching for wildlife on the deck, scoring thousands of steps up and down the ship, dashing up to the deck with the announcement of a polar bear or whale sighting, or scurrying down to the cabin to pick up a needed lens or camera combo - we're pros after last year's Arctic cruise!  

The following two days were low key as we psyched up for the highlight of the trip - the Torngat mountains coming up. We spent a couple of hours hiking around the gneiss rocks at Indian Harbour, a former settlement which now only has some abandoned fish shacks left.  What interested me were the huge slabs of metamorphic rocks with bands and veins as you can see below.  The rocks cooled slowly and so have crystals in them.

Indian Harbour metamorphic rocks with veins and bands 

Crystal in the rocks

Bunchberry

Harbour view

Remains of a fishing shack.  Note the impressive band of black igneous rock on the mountain.

Another iceberg with a nice sunset backdrop as we sailed on to Nain.




Early morning on the deck yielded smooth seas and beautiful sky reflections

Beautiful rocks along the Labrador coast - a foretaste of what's to come


Nain

On board, our Inuit in residence performed the Inuit welcome ceremony using the
 Quilliq, originally filled with seal oil, in preparation for our official visit to Nain.

Nain is the northernmost permanent settlement in Labrador and is reachable only by air or by sea. It was established by the Moravian missionaries in the 18th century and the church in town is Moravian.  

We were welcomed by the locals in the church with a performance of throat singing and a choir performance before they took us on a tour of the town.  The most impressive structure was the beautiful Illusuak Cultural Centre - unfortunately it was closed due to some construction issues and its reopening is still pending when I last checked.  But it was an unusually stunning architecture for a northern community.

Welcome band on the pier

Moravian Church

Demonstrating the delicate art of throat singing

A touching candid moment when the singing ended...

Looking inland

Looking towards the harbour


Husky Centre operational in the winter

Illusuak Cultural Centre

Local children playing on the porch of the Cultural Centre

Stunning architectur of the Illusuak Cultural Centre

As we sailed away from Nain, more amazing rockscapes and a rainbow to boot

We missed a spectacular sunset one evening because we left the deck too soon and so we hung around hoping for a repeat every day...hope springs eternal...

We were told to be up on deck the first thing the following morning in anticipation of the sail through the "Mugford Tickle".  It didn't disappoint!