The Skerwink Trail

Sunday, July 14, 2013


As we left Terra Nova, National Park, it appeared that it would be another hot, humid day. We wanted to drive to a coastal area and look for the oceanside cliffs and the iconic Newfoundland fishing villages. Driving north out the Bonavista Peninsula, we stopped in Port Rexton to hike the Skerwink Trail. The town had set up a small parking lot along a back road and when we arrived it was full of cars. We managed to slip in front of the small clapboard Anglican Church. It was 12::45 on a Sunday and the lot was empty, so we figured we wouldn't be in the way.

The neighboring towns maintain the trail and it was well taken care of. We set out and followed it across a dike, through a meadow and into the spruce woods. It smelled like Christmas trees! We began to climb up the head land and were soon enthralled by high rocky cliffs and vistas across the coast. At one narrow opening in the trees we stopped and looked down and saw a mother sea otter and her three babies leaving a small cave and heading into the crystal clear water. The babies sat on a seaweed covered rock while mama chased fish up against the rocky cove wall and then took them to the rock with the babies, where they ate them. Soon two of them decided to jump in with mama. They got in the way of fishing, so she swam off a little to dive and catch more fish for them. We left them frolicking in the waves and learning how to fish for themselves.

Traditional Fence

Mamma Otter and 3 not-so-little babies

Clear water let us see the otters swimming

Otter Cove

More climbing up steps and across narrow boards close to the cliff edge, brought us to a flat steep sided head land looking over the Atlantic Ocean. We spent some time soaking up the beauty and climbed up an even steeper section to more cliffside views. The trail worked its way around the backside of the headland, and the small town of Trinity East came into view across the water. Outside its harbor is a small lighthouse. There was no wind on this side and the last stretch of up and down hiking was very hot and sunny. At the bottom of the trail we came out on a pebbled beach and the wind blew in across the cold water and cooled us off. The trail left the beach and circled a pond with lots of wildflowers alongside and water lilies in the water just starting to open up. Shortly after that we came back to the end of the trail and walked back to the church and our rig.

Old Man's Beard Lichen

Steps on the steep sections

Cow Parsnip

New Spruce pine cones, very blue

Trail along the cliff top

Narrow cove approximately 200 feet deep

Trinity East and Lighthouse

Sea Stack in vertically bedded sandstone

Blue Flag Iris

Back to downtown somewhere

We were hot and tired, but thoroughly appreciated the chance to experience the otters and the vistas. By now it was 4 pm and we needed to find a campsite for the night. We drove further north to near the end of the peninsula where we saw a sign for Paradise Farm Trailer Park. Pulling in we were greeted by Chris who asked us where we were from. When Greg replied Maryland, Chris made some odd comment and acted like we were joking. Talking to him later, we found out that Greg looked just like a guy from a neighboring cove, and Chris thought he was joking with him! We had a similar experience in North Sydney when we went to the Black Spoon for dinner. The waiter said, “ Welcome, or should I say, welcome back. Weren't you here before?” I thought he was talking to me, as all my life people have mistaken me for someone they know, even calling out to me from across the street, or insisting that I really must be who they think, and please stop joking around! I replied to him, “No we haven't been here before. I just have one of those faces.” He said, “No, not you, him. His beard is familiar.” Greg's Scottish looks are helping him fit right in with so many people of Scottish descent in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland!


Once we convinced Chris we really weren't Newfoundlanders we had a great conversation about T-shirts and slogans. He was wearing one that had a tie on it looking like a fish. He said he had another one that said, “Some Stunned”, which apparently is a common Newfoundland phrase for someone who is not too sharp. Anyway, we parked in a nice site with a pond behind and a meadow of wildflowers in the middle of the campground. At dusk the frogs started up and made a loud sound like twanging a banjo string. They went on all night, and Greg woke up in the morning to the sound of a loon. Yours truly slept right through it!