Coast south of the mouth of French Brook, Part 1

Photo #1 is a wide-angled overview of the coastal plain and the cliffs that line it from the tip of Cape St Lawrence at the far left to the Fox Den at the far right. The coast to the north of the mouth of French Brook has already been seen in detail earlier in the essay. This and the following page will be examining the coast south of the mouth of French Brook to the Fox Den, a distance of roughly 1200 m (¾ mi) in a straight line (but somewhat longer if one is walking along the coast line).

The next three photos are telephoto views taken from off the mouth of French Brook. Photo #2 shows the mouth of French Brook at the far left, the stream’s actual egress invisible in this photo, and the start of the long line of cliffs and beaches which continue on to the south. In this part of the coast, rocks protrude from the inland plain; the remains of some uneroded large rocks are still to be found at the water’s edge, but most of the rocks have been reduced to small boulders, cobblestones, and gravel.

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Photo #3 shows the continuation of the coast; it overlaps considerably with photo #2. Bear Hill rises in the far distance. Notice the coastal indentation at the middle right where the soil has given way, likely from a small stream making its way over the cliff, carrying some rubble with it down to the edge of the water.

Photo #4 shows progressively less rock as one reaches the right edge of the photo, though there is some, and more sand/gravel/dirt along the cliff faces. The plain is gradually rising towards the hill inland of the Fox Den, which gives this photo its askew look. As one walks along this coast, the soil is mostly good walking, but there are a number of places north of the Fox Den that require care if one is to keep one’s feet dry, as spongy and peaty/boggy spots are adjacent to the cliffs here. It is never wise to approach the edge of these cliffs without extreme caution—the soil is unstable there and it’s a goodly ways to fall; the herd paths through the grass along the cliffs are usually the best and safest way forward.

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I lack photos that show the area to the right from the same location as the three previous photos, so, with photo #5, I am switching to a series taken from somewhat further north than the three preceding photos, for which I do have photos of the rest of the coast to the Fox Den. Like photos #2, #3, and #4, they are telephoto views and form a connected panorama from left (north) to right (south), though they were actually shot in the reverse order. These views have the advantage that, in addition to showing the coastal features, they also show considerably more of the area inland behind the coastal plain. Photo #5 has only a little overlap with photo #4 and, because of the further north perspective, Bear Hill is no longer in the background—the far left shows the descending slope of the twin peaks summit south of Bear Hill. At the left, the banks are largely sand/gravel/dirt, but a return to mostly rocky cliff faces begins again at the right. The first photo on the next page will continue this panorama to the right (south).