LOCALadk Magazine

24 Fall 2020 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk ful meals that we enjoyed. Given the total isolation of the is- land, we were astonished at how resourceful the chefs were, and are forever grateful at how accommodating they were to our dietar y restrictions. We even enjoyed quite possibly the tastiest gluten-free cake I've ever had, on my sister's birth- day, which we shared with our fellow island inhabitants and newfound friends from Ontario and the UK . While the cozy lodging and friendly staff were major perks of our stay, the highlight of any trip to Quirpon Island is un- doubtedly the icebergs. Up until a few years ago, I had no idea that icebergs even traveled by Newfoundland. It wasn't until going down a Google Images rabbit hole that I made the fateful discover y, and immediately became enthralled with the idea of viewing and photographing the icebergs of New- foundland given the relative ease of access from the North- east USA . The vast majority of the icebergs that glide past New- foundland originate in Greenland, and it can take up to 10 years for them to meander south to Newfoundland. By the time these 10,000 - year-old icebergs arrive, they've been car ved and weathered into an unlimited array of sizes and shapes. Just like snowflakes, albeit on a much larger scale, no two icebergs are quite the same. And while most of the Newfoundland coast makes for excellent iceberg viewing along "Iceberg Alley" from June to August, the far northern latitude of Quirpon Island makes it the longest iceberg view- ing season in Newfoundland, which can extend into Septem- ber or even October in certain years. It's no surprise, then, that a good portion of our time on the island was spent ogling and photographing the icebergs. We were incredibly fortunate to have arrived after a strong storm had blown an iceberg right into the bay closest to the inn, where it "parked" itself on the sea floor. One of the most fascinating parts of our trip was seeing how the iceberg pre- sented itself under the variety of weather conditions that we encountered. From appearing as a faint apparition through the thick morning fog to glowing blindingly white on a rare cloudless day, we were in constant awe of this jewel of the natural world. The most memorable part of the trip to Quirpon Island, though, may have been the time spent off the island itself. Zodiac boat tours to view icebergs and whales embark from the island daily, weather permitting. Riding in these boats is an adventure in itself, and the small capacity (max. ~10 peo- ple) allows for an intimate experience. We went on the tour both days that we spent on the island with our guide, Paul, dispensing local knowledge and folklore about the island. Al- though he knew the size and number of icebergs that we'd see, he played it cool, and it remained a myster y to us as we pushed off from the dock for our first tour. Although the fog that had obscured ever ything on our ride from the mainland the previous day had slightly thinned out, it was still difficult to see ver y far ahead. Having spent so much time navigating the waters in this area, however, I'm pretty sure that Paul could have safely guided us with his eyes closed. The first ice- berg that came into view was

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