A Piece of the Rock

Literary Newfoundland

Location

Quirpon Island, Newfoundland

Dates

June 18-23 (5 nights)

Readings

Wayne Johnston, Colony of Unrequited Dreams
Michael Crummy, River Thieves

Program Description

Tiny Quirpon Island, one of “the world's most secluded destinations” according to the London Sunday Times, affords you the opportunity to be at home with whales, icebergs, the sea and your self. As North America meets the Atlantic Ocean, at the northernmost point in Newfoundland, overlooking the Viking site of L'Anse aux Meadows, meet with your only (human) neighbors to discuss two novels of Newfoundland. Experience the importance of remoteness on the culture of Newfoundland at one of its most beautiful and solitary spots. The Quirpon Lighthouse Inn is a superb location for iceberg viewing and whale watching, a place to slow down in the (nearly) midnight sun of the summer solstice, at the edge of the world.

Several thousand of the icebergs produced by the Greenland ice cap reach the Newfoundland waters each year, starting in the north at Quirpon Island, known as “Iceberg Alley.” June is considered the best month for iceberg viewing. The ice that makes up an iceberg is believed to be at least 12,000 years old.

Many bird and whale species spend considerable time around the tip of the Northern Peninsula near Quirpon Island. Humpbacks are very common and favourites of viewers due to their spectacular tail displays. Minke are also plentiful and other species such as Orca and Right whales visit these waters. Boats, kayaks and the Lighthouse itself offer excellent opportunities to spot the whales. With the right light you can actually look down through the water and see the Humpbacks as they swim by and feed at your feet. Many days it is quiet enough to read in the new indoor whale watching station and still hear the whales as they surface.

Itinerary

We will convene in the capital city of St. Johns and fly together to St. Anthony, where we will travel a short distance by coach to the fishing village of Quirpon. Our innkeepers will collect us and transport us in their fishing boat to Quirpon Island and our lighthouse home. The itinerary will be loosely structured, allowing for participants to walk or kayak and to watch and reflect at their leisure. We will enjoy four book discussions as we seek to understand why it is said that you can always tell a Newfoundlander in heaven – he's the one who wants to go home – two discussions apiece on River Thieves, the haunting tale of one of the early colony's most tragic stories: the extermination of the Beothuk people, and Colony of Unrequited Dreams, an intimate history of Newfoundland through the career of its central character, a fictionalized “Joseph Smallwood.”

As you drift off to sleep let the powerful North Atlantic surf remind you of the hardiness of the generations of lightkeepers who have lived in this isolated corner of the globe where nature remains untamed. At dawn, as you stroll before a hearty breakfast, be sure to introduce yourself to your only neighbors - the whales migrating past the doorstep of the inn. Enjoy the endless June days when the sun rises about 4 am and doesn't set till about 11 pm. Hike the 7 km long deserted island to an abandoned fishing village where a mass murder and suicide became the basis for the remarkable book, Curse of the Red Cross Ring.

At the end of our magical adventure on Quirpon Island, we will retrace our steps and fly back to St. John's where we will either head for home or continue our travels in Newfoundland.

There is no day-by-day itinerary for this trip, because of it's loosely organized nature. Click here for the registration form.

Leaders

Davis Schmitt is an architect in private practice in Evanston Illinois, where he is active in Great Books groups. He is a keen outdoorsman who is eager to venture to the edge of North America. David will lead the discussions and be the on-site coordinator for this trip.

We will be joined on several occasions by a local naturalist to talk to us about the unique natural environment and guide us on foot around the island.

Accommodation

Quirpon Lighthouse Inn – Quirpon Island, Newfoundland - 5 nights. A lighthouse keeper's home that has been converted to a well-appointed inn. "This is the Real McCoy... a truly special, tell-the-grandchildren, buy-the-film-rights kind of place." Independent News & Media (UK) Ltd.

Fees

Fees include

transfer by air to Quirpon Island from St. John's,
all readings,
accommodation,
daily discussion,
guided and talks by a local naturalist walks,
three home-cooked meals a day, and
whale watching boat excursion.