Nfld & Labrador - Ramah & Nachvach Fjord

 Continuing our exploration of the Torngat Mountains National Park, we stopped at Ramah before heading north to yet another breathtaking landscape - the Nachvach Fjord.  Ramah was once a Moravian mission from 1871 to 1908, situated in Ramah Bay.  There is nothing left other than some bricks on the ground.  But at Ramah, there is a beautiful waterfall and a cave with some dramatic rock formations.  We are able to see an uncommon semi-translucent light-grey stone with dark banding called "Ramah chert".  Ramah chert crops out in a narrow geological bed stretching from Saglek Fjord to Nachvach.  A fine-grained stone composed mostly of silica, it is used for tool making.

It was quite a steep climb up the hill but the Inukshuk made it a destination.  There was no trail so it was a continuing challenge to find a way up and even harder, find the way down as we don't want to miss a step and fall.  The ground cover is sometimes thick enough that you don't know what you're stepping into.  Such is the challenge of hiking in remote areas but it also makes it more fun.

Ramah

The waterfall and the cave beside it

The cave wall

A human face!




Dramatic rockscapes

Dr. Lynn Moorman, Geographer, holding a piece of "Ramah chert" in her hand, behind her, a wall of the stuff.

More dramatic rocks

Ramah Bay

Mountain Avens mostly found in Arctic tundra

Full view of Ramah Bay from the Inukshuk

what is left of the Moravian church

As we headed up the coast again, we were treated to more of the dramatic landscape at Torngat Mountains National Park.  As you can see below, it is stunning view after stunning view.  We could not afford not to be on deck!  So while the morning was spent hiking on Ramah, the afternoon was spent hiking fore and aft on deck

Banded rock strata

As the ship approached Nachvach Fjord, everyone gathered up on deck with anticipation

Voilà!  Nachvach Fjord!  The symmetry of the slopes is astounding, as is nature itself. I first saw Nachvach Fjord on a painting by Laura Adams, the artist on board.  Laura was showing us in a workshop how she had interpreted the Nachvach and so I was prepped for the stunning view.  What a treat to be able to gawk at this creation of nature, undisturbed - we were all quite subdued, stunned into silence, contemplating the scene in front of us and quietly thinking how lucky we were to be there!

Nfld & Labrador - Torngat Mountains National Park

We finally arrived at the Torngat mountains and they were as stunning as we expected.  Weather was a bit drizzly but the clouds added to the drama.  After sailing into the Saglek Fjord, we were taken further in on zodiacs to get a close up look.  It was the highlight of the trip as the Torngat Mountains was the reason why we went on this cruise. The mountains rose straight from the sea on both sides of the fjord.  There were no trees to break the lines of the mountains as we are now above the tree line and so it was one mountain after another going into the fjord in layers.  Together with the mist, the scenery almost begs to be painted.  

Saglek Fjord at the southern end of Torngat Mountains National Park

Mist descended and the drizzle turned into rain as we went back on board

After the exhilarating ride into the fjord on the zodiac, we moved on to the Torngat Mountains National Park Basecamp, where we went on a guided hike with our resident geologist and chaperoned by a bear guard, as we are now officially in polar bear country.  The hike took us to several waterfalls and the many colourful rocks that filled the landscape.  The landscape was nothing like what we saw in the fjord - the hills were rounded, probably from glaciation.  The camp itself consists of a cluster of space age like globular tents which  provide accommodation for the few visitors here, whether for research or for adventure.

Torngat Mountains National Park is part of the land governed by the Inuit people and the park is co-run by the Canadian government and the Nunatsiavut government.  The mountains are a spiritual place for the Inuit and the name Torngat came from the Inuktitut word Tongait meaning "Place of spirits".

The hike took us up this incline to the foot of the hill.  The advanced hikers actually went to the top of the hill.

Rocks with beautiful patterns on the way up, including this with a sign beside it that claimed it to be "the oldest rock in Labrador"!

Three waterfalls on the hike

Bog labrador tea

Labrador Indiant paintbrush (not verified)

View of the bay and the Base Camp from the top

A surprise caribou on the way down

Rocks and more rocks...

View of the bay

The space-age looking tents for visitors at the base camp.  Thanks to my fellow traveller Jean, who had a personal tour of the base camp and provided more details.  She was able to take some photos of the inside of the tents shown below.  The white and red colour domes are for research scientists while the green domes are for guests.  Each tent has its own heater.

Inside the tents - Photo credit: Jean Liao

Photo credit:  Jean Liao

Map of our itinerary in Labrador