MacKinnons Brook Mouth

Photo #1 was taken on the north side of MacKinnons Brook very close to its mouth; it is a rocky, forbidding coast and this landing, such as it is, was used by the settlers who lived on the Meadows about until about 1940. Notice how little water is flowing—the brook was nearly dry; other years when I have been here one could easily get one’s feet wet crossing the brook mouth. The huge rocks on the south side of the brook have broken off from the cliffs above and fallen down. MacKinnons Brook Mouth is a dangerous place, with lots of protruding rocks apparently ready to fall; while they are more likely to come down during spring thaws than in high summer, you should be very cautious here.

Photo #1 was taken as we were leaving the area; it is deceptively calm, as the winds continued to slam waves against the shore all the time we were there, though it is somewhat calmer than when we arrived. I positioned myself on the large brownish-coloured flat rock in the middle of the mouth, where I had great fun photographing the waves slamming into the shore (and occasionally a bit of trouble keeping the camera dry). Photo #2, taken more than a half hour earlier than photo #1, looks at the north cliff face, the lower third of which is hidden by the splashing waves, creating a human-like face if one has a good imagination. This cliff is seriously eroded underneath—look beyond the wave and you will notice the missing rock worn away by the constant wind and waves; it is also seriously fractured and the water penetrates those cracks, forming ice which expands and deepens the fissures and, when it melts, adds instability to the rocks above. The uppermost rocks, now unsupported underneath, will, one of these springs, eventually give way and fall into the sea below.

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Photo #3 was taken from the same place as photo #2, but looking up the brook from the mouth. Beinn Bhiorach is at the left of the photo, hidden by the wall of the gully; Beinn Alasdair Bhain is at the right of the photo, again hidden by the wall of the gully. The brook runs to the right of the grassy area in the centre, a safe spot for a mid-hike picnic, making a mini-waterfall as it slips over the rocks to the mouth. Notice the triangular shaped rock left of centre at the edge of the grassy area.

Photo #4 is a close-up view of that rock, taken from beside it. It was very unlike the other rocks I saw in the area, with harder stones embedded in the main rock that have been exposed as that rock has been worn away. Numerous indentations, one heart-shaped, are found at the upper end of the rock; my guess is that they once held fossils. Finally, notice the interesting curves along the far edge, evidence of the carving work of the winds which blow steady here much of the year.

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Photo #5 was taken from the southern edge of the grassy area just past the mini-waterfall looking east along MacKinnons Brook. I have never seen so little water here, though more water is present here than down at the mouth. Little water was reaching the mini-waterfall, which was covered with algal slime. The trees across on the southern side of the gully have all died off, more devastation caused by the spruce bark beetle.

With this photo, this essay has reached its end. I hope you have enjoyed the photos and, whether or not you have, I’d be interested in any feedback on them or the commentary that you’d like to send my way. See here for information on contacting me.