Trailing the World’s Highest Tides

On the road to St. Martin’s

All along the east coast of New Brunswick, The Bay of Fundy, you can experience the world’s highest tides. It’s a place that rests in my heart like no other. I’ve been there many times. It’s packed with memories that unpack when I visit, while more are added. These photos are from my last visit in 2014, when it was still possible to travel to New Brunswick freely.

Layers of red sandstone

Eroded crevice in sandstone

All along the coast is this red sandstone. It’s so soft, that rubbing it lightly with your fingers loosens particles of sand from the stone. The erosion rate is very high, causing rapid changes in the coastline. The Atlantic Ocean carves all kinds of sculptures as the tides eat away at the sandstone annually.

St. Martins

The Fundy Trail begins at the edge of a tiny village called St. Martins. This spot in particular is one of my favourites for several reasons. There are natural caves carved out by the tides. During low tide, it’s possible to walk around exploring the ocean floor and caves. I wandered about connecting with nature, taking photos, and getting lost in the experience, my usual.

The caves at St. Martins

Above the heads of the people in this photo, the waterline is visible, marked by the green seaweed just below it. At high tide, the cave will be filled to just over half its height. It’s crucial to be very aware of the tides all along the bay. It’s quite easy to become trapped while it’s sneaking in behind you, stealthy fast. The water is icy cold, even in summer, with an undertow that will pull you under and out to sea.

Edge of the caves, left of the previous photo

Further back along the same cliff, looking towards the beach, obscured by a long kelp covered stretch of sandstone at the bottom

Close up of the cliff on one side of the beach

Here, the sandstone is embedded with conglomerate stone throughout. The stones are all rounded. It looks like nature’s cliff wall masonry creation. It’s stunning up close. Stones are half buried in the soft sandstone, protruding out. As the cliffs erode, these stones loosen and fall, becoming part of the beach, which is covered with them.

This is one of my top favourite spots to go rockhounding, another long time interest. I’ve found snowy quartz, clear quartz, serpentine, agate, calcite, pyrite, and many types of conglomerate stone.

Front and back of a piece of pyrite I found

Three brown agates I found

Sprouting lentil sculpture in brown agate

When I’m rockhounding, I’m on the lookout for stones to carve, ones that speak to me that way. The miniature sculpture in the above photo is in process of being carved from a piece of brown agate that I found. There are small orange inclusions of calcite throughout it, giving the stone a speckled appearance. I propped it up with an old hairy screw for size comparison.

Close up of sandstone cliff with lime green seaweed

Lichens growing on the sandstone, nature painting

Some periwinkles, barnacles and kelp covering sandstone

When I finish wandering, I take a break and sit on the beach, close to the water. It’s time to “just be”. I like to stay there for a couple hours, watching the ocean waves rolling in, listening to the sounds of the water playing with the smaller stones as it rolls them. I meditate and recharge, the ocean cleansing me.

Just inside the west entrance to the Fundy Trail

This is a different type of rock that had to be blasted in order to make the trail itself. Always, it’s necessary to keep an eye out for falling rock while driving.

Lookout point on the trail

From the same lookout point with a view of an old sawmill river and the Interpretive Centre for tourists

Closer view of Interpretive Centre area

Southwestern view of the coastline from another lookout point

Northeastern view of the coastline further along the trail

Beach view from another lookout point with a bench to sit and enjoy the sights

Spruce tree rooted on a giant piece of orange calcite

Another view of the same spruce tree

Drawing in brush and fine point markers of the spruce roots encapsulating the calcite.

I was awestruck seeing this large spruce tree grabbing a massive piece of calcite with its roots. I couldn’t resist doing a drawing of it, since my sketchbook is always near at hand. I brought a few loose pieces of that calcite home with me to bring back the memory of that incredible find. I’ve only seen such a thing once in my life.

The next four photos are from an area along the trail where the tides have carved out a tiny tall island. It looked like a sculpture to me. An unexpected surprise on the trail. Taking these shots was more precarious. It was necessary to lay flat on my stomach half under the wood fence and inch up to the cliff edge. It’s a straight drop down and very crumbly sandstone, so no standing. The foot trails close to the cliff edge have to be regularly repaired due to the erosion rate.

This place resonates deeply with me. I'd love to visit the Bay of Fundy again.

_{All photos taken by Nine with a Pentax digital 35mm camera.}

For those wondering why this post is muted:

galenkp chose to mute this post in retaliation, among other shady behind the scenes behaviour since I gave him the boot somewhere around two years ago. He has muted this post because I chose not to allow him to control me, give me orders, influence what I write, who to upvote, who not to upvote, whose posts to comment on, whose posts to ignore, etc.
No one controls me. I have always been and will always be captain of my own ship. Deal with it.

Trailing the World’s Highest Tides | Ecency