For iceberg watchers, the spring of 2019 will be one to remember. Hundreds upon hundreds of icebergs have been spotted along Iceberg Alley and a great number have even made it all the way to St. John’s and beyond: that doesn’t happen every year.

While watching these icebergs from harbours and highway viewpoints is an easy and perfectly pleasant way to enjoy them, I like to hike out to them on the East Coast Trail to get a better look.

Take for example a lovely spring day in 2014, when I spotted two icebergs around Cape Broyle Head from Admirals Cove. I knew as soon as I saw them I’d get a much better look from the trail, a hike on Cape Broyle Head Path would lead me right by both of them:

Iceberg ahead! – Cape Broyle Head Path

Walking into this stunning spring scene I knew I made the right choice, the trail always rewards me in some way and today was no different. 🙂

As you can see in the above photo, there’s quite a bit of fog out on the ocean and as I watched, it slowly covered the bright white iceberg, lighting up the foggy blanket from below:

Foggy iceberg light-show – Cape Broyle Head Path

After some time on Cold Harbour Hill I pressed on to find the iceberg on the other side of the Cape. It’s a bit of a climb to get on top of Cape Broyle Head, as you can see in this picture taken above the cliffs of Cold Harbour:

The climb ahead – Cape Broyle Head Path

That peak in the top of the frame is Cape Broyle Head, one of the most formidable peaks on the entire East Coast Trail. When you reach the top, a forest of pale green lichen welcomes you:

Witch’s Hair lichen – Cape Broyle Head Path

While these lichens look soft they’re actually sort of rough and dry to the touch.

A little further along the trail I passed a spot called Blow Me Down, named for the strong wind that can blow you on your back if you come here on a blustery day:

Blow Me Down – Cape Broyle Head Path

On the other side of the Cape the trail is more sheltered but covered in rocks and roots, a bit hard on the ankles:

Rocks and roots – Cape Broyle Head Path

Above Church Cove there’s a viewpoint that offers a dizzying look onto the beach below. There’s no way to get down safely, so a view is all you get:

Church Cove beach – Cape Broyle Head Path

The strange blue colour of the water is something you often see when icebergs are melting nearby; in this case there’s a bergy bit just outside the frame, it’s likely stirring up sediments from the bottom, or something in its meltwater is causing the discolouration. If it had been a little later in the year, a spawning event or even a small bloom could have been the cause of this picturesque phenomenon.

After a quiet lunch break in Church Cove Meadow I continued the hike and found the second iceberg where I expected it to be, right below the trail in Shag Rocks Cove:

Iceberg pool – Cape Broyle Head Path

What a beauty! A fitting reward at the end of my hike if I do say so myself. With a colour like that the water looks positively inviting, a private pool for weary hikers to cool their feet… 😉