Untitled - Auberge Presbytère Mont Lac-Vert
Transcription
Untitled - Auberge Presbytère Mont Lac-Vert
lluil llllilllil Saguenay Fiord was at a nasty, rolling boil, a chaotic mess of black /T\h" and white and silver foam lacking any discernible pattern. Looking over I I -y shoulder, I could see three- and four-foot waves rolling down the fjord behind us at a 45-degree angle, but our kayaks were getting hit by waves reflecting off the rock wall less than 200 metres to our right. W e h a d b e e n w a r n e d o f t h e d a n g e r so f s u r f i n gb y o u r g u i d e ,M a r t i n - F r é d é r i c B e r t h i a u m ea,n d i t t o o k r e a lc o n c e n t r a t i onno t t o l e t t h e w a v e ss i m p l yt a k eu s d o w n . h i l e s u r f i n gw o u l d h a v e t h e f j o r d - w h i c h w a s ,a f t e ra l l , w h e r ew e w e r e h e a d i n gW r e q u i r e dm u c h l e s se f f o r t t h a n k a y a k i n gw , e w o u l d r u n t h e r i s k o f b e i n gt u r n e d sidewaysand driven into the frothy mess,which is one of the ways an adventure can morphintoan ordear. and free-range And this was not supposedto be an ordeal.In fact,artisancheeses, pheasantand local beersburstingwith characterand flavour,were supposedto play a big part in our trip to the Saguenay and Lac SaintJeanin Quebec.The plan was to kayakthe SaguenayFjord,exploreits southernshore,then head northwardto finish our trip with a three-daypaddleof the northernand easternshoresof Lac Saint-Jean. Along the way we were hopingto seesomeof what makesSaguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean so famous:stunningscenery,greatfood and peoplewho know how to enjoyboth.As soon as the roughoutlinesof the trip startedto emergeI calledmy friendsSeanand in French,and Marionwill forgct Marion-Sean knowshow to paddleand can navigate more aboutfood than mostof us couldeverlearnabout it. t i n d s ,f o o d w a s t h e l a s tt h i n go, n m y m i n d . B u t n o w , o u t o n t h e f j o r d i n 1 S - k n ow I l o o k e da t M a r t i n - F r é d é r i jcu, s t ' l 0 m e t r e sa h e a c l , . l n ci nl m r e r l i a t e liye l t r e a s s u r e d : h e d i d n o t l o o k c o n c e r n e dT . h o s ew h o a r e o f t e n a f r a i d ,l i k e m e , a r e e x p e r t sa t recognizing c o n c e r ni n p e o p l e ' sf a c e s ,e s p e c i a l l tyh o s eo f d o c t o r so r g u i d e so r a c c o u n t a n t sa, n d l d i d n ' t s e e a n y t h i n g :h e l o o k e d l i k e h e w a s p e e l i n gp o t a t o e sa n d l i s t e n i n tgo C B C ' sQ o n t h e r a d i o .M a r t i n - F r é d é r i sc a l e v e l - t h r epea d d l e rw i t h m o r e t h a n 1 0 y e a r s ' e x p e r i e n cgeu i d i n go n t h e f j o r d , a n d e v e r y t h i n gh e d i d r e f l e c t e da I f.e l t s u r eh e w o u l d g e t u s t o d i n n e r ,a n d h i g h d e g r e eo f s k i l l a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l i s m w h e r rh e d i d . i t w o u l d n o t b e o f t h e K r a f td i n n e rk i n d ,c i t h e r . i''. I r r',c'ft;.-' H a v i n gt h eb e n e ift o f a s e a s o n cgdu i c l e on it, I strugglecl kr grasplrou,the errtire is critical on the ijord, where rveatlrer re'gion,stretchingr,vestltel,onclOttar,r,.r a n c l p a c l c l l i n gc o n d i t i o n sc a n c l ' r a n g e a n ds o u t ht o M a i n e ,h a db e e nu n c k rsr a l t q u i c k l ya , n d w h e r et h e r ea r ef e w p l a c e s w a t e r a s r e c e n t l ya s 1 0 , 0 0 0v e ( r r sa g o . to get out of the water saic.lywhen the T h e C h a m p l a i nS e . r ,w h i c h r v a s r e r a l l v s u r f a c ei s n ' ts o p o l i s h e cTl .h c t i c l e sc l o s e r a s a l t l a t e r i n l e rot f t h c A t l a n t i c( ) c e a n , to the enciof the tjorcl,whcre it narrows, w a s c o n s t a n t l vr c c e c l i n gl ) e c . r L r s(ce e r t reach r-rpto nine knots, wl.ricl.rmakes t h i s )t h e e a r t h ' sc r L l s t\ \ ' . l s r e l r o r - r n c l i n g travel by kayak one way only. Ancl a n d r i s i n go n c c i t r r . r s r e l i e v e col i t h e even further north, tides of four or five w e i g h to f a l l t l r a t i c e . S o t h e l n n u a n d n r e t r e sa r c c o m m o n ,n r a k i n gt i d e t a b l e s otl.rerNativepcoplcsof the regionwere e s s e n t i af lo r n r u l t i - d a yp a d c l l e sM. a r t i n l i v i n g i n c o . r s t acl o n r r . t . r u n i t iaensc, lt h e Fréclérictold us that kayakshacl been n a t i v en a r r c t o r t h c l a n c l - l o c k esda l r . n o n rvasheclaway by the wavescreatedltv t h a t i s s t i l li o u n c li n L . r cS a i n t - j e atno c l a , v t h e l a r g c rt o u r l t o a t st h a t r u n u p a n d i s " p o o r l i t t l i 'l o s to n e r . " down the fjord to Tadoussac, and some t l r r n e du p B 0 k i l o m e t r c sa w a y o n t h c s o u t hs h o r eo f t h e S t .L a w r e n c eR i v e r . Berthiar-rr.ne is not only an exltert paclcllcrwith a cleelt ar.rclthorough éa,-r/",r* / ,'rÈ, krrowlcclgcof the fjorcl,l)ut it turns out lre's also a vcry altle ancl enthr-rsiastic W c h a c l c l r i v c nn o r t h f r o m M o n t r t , . r c h e f . W h a t h e a n d O r g a n i s a c t i o (no r - r r t h r o L r eQ h L r c b c cC i t y ,a n d t h e n t h r o u q l . hostoutfitter)l.raveirr n.rincl is aclventurc J a c c l r - rC Pla r k ,a l o n q . i c sa r t i c rN . r t i o r . r a c|r-rring thc clay,then fine iooclancllteacr- p er i e c l l r s n r o o t hh i g h w a yt l ' r a u t n f r r r l tj, r tiful vicws as evening,rcwarcls, and tlrey i n f r o n t o i u s l i l < ca g i a n t r i l t l t o n .T h l r e a l l yc l c l i v cor n a l l c o u n t s . h i s l r r r ' . rivt s c l iw a s a s u r p r i s cl,t u l r l l t , t i The fjorclitselfprovicles thc views,but S a g L r c n . t r , / L . r c - S a i n th- Jaeda inn s t o r l its bc.ruty is nrorc than sl<irrclecp:it's i o r L r sr r ' . r se r t r a o r c l i n a rny a : t u r al t e a L r t r a l s o a e e o l o g i c arl v o n c l etrh a t i s w o r t l . r r v i l h o u tc r o r v c l sc,l r a r n r i n gt o w n s ,\ , c r \ t h e t r i p a l < ; n e( a b o i r ti i v c h o L r r sf r o n ' r goorl loocl,.rnclu,arr.r'r, frienclly1teo1tlc. \lontreal). lt starteclfornring, altor-rtiour \ \ 1 r '. r r r i v e cal t L . r B a i c ,n e a rt h e n o r t l r b i l l i o nv e a r sa g o ,w h i c h i s a n a s t o u n d i n g ('nmrostcncl o[ thc fjorcl,and chccl<crl r . t u n r b et lr.r aIt c a n ' tv o u c hf o r o r c x l t l a i n i r r t o A L r l r c r s c l c s2 . 1 . Thc lticturescprc or cven grasltrcally,ltr-rttl.rat's thc numh o t c l i s k n o un l o r i t s o u t s t a n d i n fgr t o c l be.rconficler.rtly asserteclat thc Musée . r r r r li t s . r r r i a b l co n , n u ra n c l h e a c lc h c i , c l u F j o r c li n L a B a i e .T h e f j o r c li s n o w MarcelBoucharcL l . L r c k yf o r u s , h c ' s . r .100-kilonretre-lonÉl a t r e n c h , a l n r o s t s t r o n g b e l i c v e ri n t h c v a l u e c l f l < t c a l 275 nretrescleeltin ltlaces,left ltehincl foocl, ancl even thc hcrlts useclin thc: afterr.r mile cleep slalt oi ice n-reltecl r e s t a L r r aanrtea l l l o c a l l yB r o w n . . r b o u t2 0 , 0 0 0y e a r sa g o .T h e i c e s h e e t s l n t h e n r o r n i n gw e m a c l et i m e t o h e a c l i'r-rtclcclt into tl.reSagr-rerray Cralten,a up to Fror.nagerie LesBergeries du Fjclrcl, p o r t i o n < t f t h e e a r t h ' sc r u s t , g o r - r g i n g a b o u t l 0 n r i n u t e sf r o n r L a B a i e .I l r a c l r l r c i i r t r c il n t h e l t r o c e s sW l.rearcl that the area around Lac Saint. hat was left i r c h i n c il s . r s t r - r n n i n dg y, n a n r i ce c o s y s - Jeanhad sornevery good cheeser.nal<crs . . ' - . rt l r a ti n c l r - r c lsetse e p c l i f f sr i s i n g4 0 0 ar.rdI wantedto seeancltastefor rrysclf. " . . " r ' s s t r . r i g hut p o u t o f t h e w a t e r ,a n d W c p u l l e d i n t o t h c d r i v e w a yo f a n e a t ' . , , : r l . r n sr lh a r k s( w l . r o gousl l o s en o d a r . r g e r f a r n rw i t l r a s i z e a l t l eo u t b u i l c l i n h " . n s , p a t r o l l i n tgh e f r i g i dc l e p t h s . ing the fromagerie.We were greeteclby ' , . r 1 ( , rosf t h e f j o r d - a l a y e r o f M a r t i n C i l b e r t ,w h o r u n st h e f a r m a n d ' r r l ). l r ) csl a l t w a t e r below-and t h e c h e e s eo p e r a t i o nt o g e t h e rw i t h h i s " ,r u n c li t h a v e b e e n t e e m i n g b r o t h e r a n d h i s w i f e , J o s é eC a u t h i e r . ' t l r o u s a n c losf y e a r ss i n c e Everrthoughthey rverebusygettinghay , ' , r 1 ,a n c l N a t i v e p e o p l e , off the field that clay("fairelesfoirrs,"as ' ' ' . r , t h c A l g o n c l u i na n c l they say),Martin was eager to sl.rowus . i , c la n c l c l i e c lh e r e f o r a r o u n da n d t o h a v eu s s a m p l es o n r eo f - r r c i r t r teh e E u r o p e a n s t h e i rr a w m i l k c h e e s e s . The cheeseis nradefrom one herd of sheepand one herd of jerseycows, and _2,'ù).",** -7 ,,:i1"1T,:'iîJJ:: ffiril.-':].]El-rrEl +U -z- â:" , ._ :,". ;.. ' . ,t,.:'rr.,,,;a " ;;;'"":;,', rl z:' o n l y t h e m i l k f r o m t h e m o r n i n gm i l k i n g is used (owingto its higherfat content). W e a r e c o n d i t i o n e dt o t h i n k o f m i l k a s eitherraw or pasteurized, but for Martin i t ' s r e a l l ya q u e s t i o no f " d e a do r a l i v e " (processedvs. unprocessed;dull vs. robusttasting),anclhe much preferstl.re latter.Now I do, too. There'sa reason their cheeseswerc amongthose served to BarackObama and the rest of the C 2 0 l e a d e r si n T o r o n t oi n 2 0 1 0 . We drove nortl.rand west, through C h i c o u t i m iw , h i c l . rw a s h o s t i n ga b e e r f e s t i v a l ,a n d m a d e o u r w a y t o t h e eco-lodgeLa Por-rrvoirie Cap au Leste. W e s p e n tt h e n i g h t i n w h a t f e l t l i k e a n aerie-high above tl.refjord, with spect a c u l a rv i e w s b a c k t o w a r d L a B a i ea n d southeastin the direrction of Tadoussac. T h e n o r t h s h o r co f t h c f j o r d , t h e r o a d to Tadoussac,is a favouriteroute for c . y c l i s t sb,u t j u d g i n gf r o m s o m e o f t h e h i l l sI s a w i t l o o k e clli k ea g o o d p l a c et o r i d ea l o n gi n t h e s u p l r o rvt e h i c l e . A f t e r a h e a r t y b r e a k f a sa t t Cap au Leste,we rollecldown to RivièreÉternité, w h e r e w c m c t C r a h a r nP a r k , a t r u l y t r a n s p l a n t e dA n g , l o p h o n ew h o w o r k s Fjord National ;rs a rangeral Sag,r-renay Park.lt nrustbe il comrron experrie-nce: f e e l i n gt h i s w o u l d b e a g r e a tp l a c c t o livc ancl wclrk, but Park has managcd to nrake it a reality.He helped us get o r g a n i z e da,n c a l f t e ra q u i c kI u n c hu n d e r b l u es k i e sw e p u s h c do f f ,p a d d l i n gi n t h c c l i r e c t i oo n f C a pT r i n i t é . I h . r d h c ' . r r rtll r . r tt h i s w a s , r s e r i o u s d e s t i n a t i ofnr l r r o c kc l i n ' r b e rasn d I c o u l d seewhy: tl'rerclckrisesstraightout of the water and jr-rstkeerpson gclingfor 400 m e t r e s( t h i n kE m p i r eS t a t eB u i l d i n g )T. o get a senseof what some peopledcl u1r h e r e ,a l l y o u h a v et o d o i s C o o g l e" B i g W a l l C l i m b i n gS a g u c n a y ,a"n d s i t b a c k and watchthe show. We were still a few hunclredmetres from the north shore when Martin"Écureuill" My [rrain Frédéricsl.routccl s e a r c h e dt l ' r c F r c r r c h / E n g l i rsohl o d e x . . . d i d h e j u s t s a y s q u i r r e l ?S u r ee n o u g , h , a wide-eyed trcc-dwellingrodent was p a d d l i n gf u r i o u s l ya c r o s st h e f j o r d , i n s e a r c ho f w h a t t r e a s u r eI c o u l d n ' tt e l l y o u . H o w h e e n d e d u p h u n d r e d so f m e t r e sf r o m s h o r ea n d n e a rt h e m i d d l e of the fjord will forever be a mystery. As I looked at his face, all contorted effort and gnawing rat fear, I tried not t o l a u g h ,a s I k n o w l ' v e h a d t h e s a m e 4Yt r i, l o o l <o n m v o w n f a c e l t a c l d l i n gi n l t a c l c o n c l i t i o n s - e v e sf i x e d o n t h c c l i s t a n t s h o r e c, l e e p l yu n a m u s e dj u , s th o l t i n ef o r a place to land. We watchedfor a ielr, n r i n u t e sp,a r t l yt o n r a k es u r eh c w < t u l c l n ' t pcrishout tl'rereand partlyJUSt to acinrire h i s p l u c k a n d c o u r a g eA . n c lt l ' r a t ' sh o w o u r t h r e e - d ap y a d d l eo n t h e f j o r dl t c g a r r , w i t h a r o d e n ti o r e s h a d o w i n n gt y o w n anxiolrspacldletwo d*ayslater. After a half day or so of paclclling, rve pullecl irrto Anse dr-r Portagc,.r snrall canrpsitcon tl'renorth shoreof the fjord looking clirectlyacrossat tl.rekrwn of A n s e S a i n t - J e aA n f. t e r a q u i c k s w i n r i n tl.recool fresh water I walked past the p i c n i ct a b l ew h e r e M a r t i n - F r é d é rw i ca s c h o p p i n ga n d s l i c i n gw i t h g r e a te n e r g y . " H u n g r y ? "h e a s k e d ,w i t h a g r i r r ." l t ' s importantto eat well whcn you paclclle all day."As someonewho's eatcr.rr"nore than a few sodium-rich freeze-clried nrcalsI l<newwhat he meant,ltr-rtI still wasn'tpreparedfor what he had in skrrc. Lessthanan hourlaterwe satdclwnto a mealof localvenison,becfand vegctaltle forrduc,local red winc and cheesesfronr Fron.ragcric BlacklturnanclLcs l3ergcries du Fjord.Justwhcn I thor-rght I couicln't eat anotherbite, a honrenradeservicebcrry cheesecake apltearecl, courtcs;,of Organisaction's own Mathieu. I lc.rew what I thoughtaboutthe food, but when Marion-my foodie companion-said it was one of the best cheesecal<cs she'clevcr l.racJ I l<newit wasn'tjust rny appetitcanclthe freshair speakirrg. As if that wasn'tenough,the cheesecake was scrvcd with a local rasltberrywhiskcy clcsscrt wine. We wokc restedand relaxedthc r.rext nrorning. After a leisurely breakfast, we pacl<ecJ into our l<ayaksand bcgan paddling south, with Martin-Frédéric f i l l i n g L r si n o n t h e h i s t o r yo f t h e a r c a a l o n g r o u t e . A r o u n d m i d - m o r n i n gw c r e a c h e cÎ l e S a i n t - B a r t h é l e m Tyh.e r o c k y shore rradc landingan adventr-rre, ltut a g a i nM a r t i n - F r é d é rfi o c u n da w a y a n d we scranrblea d s h o r e ,t h e n c l i m l t e dt o a vantageltoint where we could see a l l t h c w a y s o u t ht o P o i n t ea u x C r ê p e s . B a c ko n t h e w a t e rw e p a d d l e dl e i s u r e l y to L'Ansedes llets Rouges,wherc we stoppedfor lunch. Toward the end of lunch I noticed Martin-Frédéric watchingthe sky to the northanclwest,and it wasn'tlongltefore )U : r. ..r! ,'ly ";fËeniun-Ë;j1Ë::; 'l I \ ( -l ïn: .,' ) *.,{fl h\ i. i he got us moving.We paddledat a good clip directlytoward the south shore as the skiesdarkened.About two-thirdsof the way acrossthe fiord the rain came, but mostlywithout much wind, and as we paddledinto Anse à Tidée,the sun was pouringdown alongwith the rainit looked like millionsof sparklinglights laidout beforeus. After setting up camp I wandered down to the cook tent.I was copingwell with the feelingsof guilt and shamethat can arisefrom beingcaredfor by a superior, and oleasedto see Martin-Frédéric whistlingwhile he workedon dinnerover a Colemanstove.He had kept it a secret that he was carryingin his kayakenough rackof lambfor six people,wild foraged lobster mushrooms for his "hunter's he would grill to sauce,"and asparagus oerfection.And when the homebaked blueberryand raspberrytart appeared after dinner (Merci encore, Mathieu!) togetherwith scotchand maplesyrupice wine, I thoughtl'd been deliveredfrom the world and all earthlysuffering. The followingmorningwe pushedoff in the directionof Cap Sainte-Marguerite, back on the north shore.The caoe is where whales tend to congregate,and we were anxiousto see some belugas. But the weatherwasn't cooperating.By 9:30 the wind had picked up, and the two or threekilometresthatseoarated us from the cape were mostlywhite caps. It looked like excellentconditionsfor America'sCup sailing,but not so much for kayaking.We would need to paddle north while the waveswould be bearing down on us from the west. Thoughwe were preparedto do whatever MartinFrédéricrecommended, when he said "l think no" aftera minuteor two of looking out overthe fjord, I was secretlyrelieved. lnstead,he turned us south and east, a n d s t i l lt h e p a d d l i n gw a s a s c h a l l e n g i n g as anything I had experienced.How much I now resembled thatsquirrelin the middleof the fjord I will leaveto others. Aboutan hourlater,we roundedPointe aux Crêpesand headedfor the beach at llAnse SaintÉtienne.Here the wind was settled,and it was like we were in a differentworld from the churningwind tunnel we'd just paddled through.We were arrivingnear low tide, and getting the boatsand gearup to the beachmeant haulingit a few hundredmetres.And yet the musclework wasn'tall that difficult becausewe knew lunchwas waiting-as usualthat meanta whole arrayof local cheesesand otherdelicacies. Tired but happy,we thankedMathieu and Martin-Frédéric and rolled back up to the highwayand droveto LAnseSaintJean,about 20 minutesaway.The little town isquitepicturesque, andthe charming Les Cites du Fjord affordsexcellent viewsof the water and the harbour.The town was also North America'sfirst municipal monarchy-becomingone after a 1997 local referendum-and I gather that King Denys I (DenysTremblay,a professorat the Universityof Quebec in Chicoutimi)was pretty accessible, as monarchsgo. Alas,the experimentwas short-lived: threeyearslaterhe abdicated a m i d l o c a l g r u m b l i n g tsh a t a m u n i c i p a l king wasn'tall it was hypedup to be! After doing laundryand a few other chores,we met up in Restaurant lllslet, where we ate exceotional steaks and watched the deep blue waters rolling south toward the St. Lawrence,happy not to be out amid the whitecaos. -nghâz9h -Yb4^"ee The next morningwe woke to beautiful blue skies,and decldedto spendsome timewanderingaroundLAnseSaint-Jean. Foundedin 1838, many of the town's well-maintainedhouseswere built well before 1900. The town's covered bridge has been made into an art gallery,and much of what was on displaywas very justto feel highquality.lt was therapeutic how peacefuland quiet it all was-even now, during the height of the tourist season.Therewere peoplearound,to be sure, and the hotel and restaurantwere full; but the town and the folkswho live therefelt undisturbedby its visitors,and the naturalrhythm of life near the fjord seemedintact. Curiousto see what local artistswere doing,we stoppedinto a galleryrun by André Bouchard,an animatedhistorian and environmentalactivistwho creates beautifulmurals,canvasses and tabletops (stunning,we all agreed)using acrylic paints.As it turnsout, Bouchardlivesin a housethat he tradedfor one of his oaintings,and he'sthe creatorof the posterfor AmnestyInternational's campaignagainst 5 rl I t I I tl ,fi{/ ,lol )lil ,ffi . .r-+ -iePcr@+ , r 1 iiJr, t{t #îr * ?w I/* t J t't " ---'<:.ro <t b- i o r l r r . ( 'l.l t o L r r r ' , r n l o e ( ' t . r s t ' n s l o i l l t t ' n r , l r ' s . r s t o n i s l r i n eP , r s s i o na n r l t ' r t c r g V j L r s tl o l o h i s r v c l r s i l t .' r t , r r r r l r e l r o Ll rr,rr r r l . c o n r a r r r l\ v . l l (h l r i n rJ t \ \ , o r l ( . \ \ ' t ' l i r r , r l l r 'p , r c l < c r lL r l ) l l r c ( r r . , , r ) ( l I r ' . r v i n gl ' A n s c S , r i n t - J t ' .or rnrl v r t ' l t r rt . r r t l I r ' , s l . r r t t : cl l r t ' c l r i v t 't h r o L r g hl h e ' r i <h i . r r n r l . r n r lt h . r t l i e s l r t ' t r v e t ' nt l r c l . j o r t l. t n c ll . t r ' S . r i n l - j c a nW . c s l o i F l t ' b e r t v i I l cI,h c c o r r n t r v s i c l er . o l l c c.lr n c l u n c l u l . r t c t lr,i s i n g ., r n t l i , r l l i n gl i l i t ' . n o ( L ' a no f c r l r n . l n ( l ( . ' l n ( ) l J , r r r r ,I r l t , r l l . ,prr,- r nttr , r . r l chr le r r t,'r n c l l r c r c l r r i r , r , i r r , r r r rsl i l o s ,s i l h o L r e t t c.'rrgl . r i n sl th c I r . , . l r r r l -. r l . l . r u , l c sssu n t n t c rc l . t t ' . ' ., " i ' l r r ' , r r l i n el () r o n ( , o f l l r t , n r o s t i'- ' - , r r l c r l c l r c t ' s c n r , r l < ienr sl l t t ' , r r . r n n t , r n r i l r ' .T h c i a n r i l l t'qion ironr Srvilzcrlantl ' r ()l J . t c o l ta n r l M . t r i t ' s . r n r p l cns' r ' t . r s t r ' r<vl c r cj r - r sl -t l aot t r lc l c l i - h i r t l so l t l t t ' r r i o r 1 r r 'li'nnc,sst't' o r r l r , r tlrt ioLrs.Tlrt, l(tinog.rrni\v.rs nr\' 1rt'rsott.tl ( ) r - r rr t t r i i l t ' .( ) l . , r v o r r r i ,l cl s, u r l , l((' r i p c n t ' cl l, r r n rc l r c e s t ' n , r n r c ral f t t ' rt l r c r r r . r cl llr , r tl v . t s l,o r a l o t r e l l ( ' , t l { ) l q l t r l S . r g r . r t ' t t , t vj u r t i o rI l , r . r t i n r e ,l h e n r , r i nl i n l <l r c l u , e c ' n l l l ( ' , 1 1 - (, 'l ,r1r ( L . . r n cl . , r cS a i n l - J c ' . t n . l rr r t t ' . t r r r r ' r l r ) l l . i . . [ - , r l c ri n l l r t ' a l - t c r n o o nr l,t ' l i r r - r t tor L t l r ( 'l ) l . l (( ' \ \ . t r . . . rc Morrt\v.lv l() thc Arrberet'clu l'rcsllvte s t ' . r l su t ' r t ' 1 r , , rutt ltv I .rc-Vr,rt, .r rvontlt'rfulgr-rcsthouse I).rnii'llC c , r s t o r r e u aur, ,h, i c hr v . r st h t ' l . i r s l i t tt l t o s si l r l t ' l Lr' p r e s l l ' t e r vi n t h c L a c - S a i n t - J t.'r. rt tn' ,,tt t r t l o L r lo \ ' ( , r , l l , l f I r r ' u'ortlr il. Tht' lr,r r l a t e sl r a c l < t o l 9 l / . T h c i n n s i t so n l h t ' shorcsof Lac.Vc,rt,arrrloncc'ag.tin,r'r,c l ' r , h o b l o u t l r i r - t t - c L ' s ,. l r ( ' l ) ( ) r l u'ere sr-rrprisercl to iincl that lrc're,sontt' I h e t ir l l , ' . h a l i a n h o u r i r o n r C h i c o u t i n r \i v, e '\ \ / e r ( ' t l r ci s l . r n cal sl t l r t t'ating eournrctioocl. W c ' s p e ntth en i g h ti n S . r i n t - C i é c l éoor r r t h es l r o r eo s l L a cS . i i n Jt t ' . t n(.) n t h c 'r v a v Io clinncrrvt' skrppeclbl' Mic'robr.rsscric lilrqr stillrvork on r l u L , r ct a n r i c r o l r r e r v e nr'v) h , i c hl > o t t l e s ' cl ol lrrorvnSrviss + 1 , 0 ( X )l i t r c , so f l o c . r l l vb r u n e c l b e e r tlrt' t.rrr' . . l , r to l t i s r v i c l e l v , r v e a r a n c ll r o p c st o n r o r et h a t rc k r u l t l e co\\s l)r.,. rrl ll|t to lhe r('that procluctiorrrvithin (t )/c,1roT t\\,o. r e c o 3 n t z ( ' (il r \ . r l ) r o c l L r c c r T h e i r l r r e u ' sa r c s t o r e ciln J a c l < D . r rt ' 1 . g i o n ' s e n r r ri n , ' : c s , , u r c lt l r e l < e g sr ,v l ' r i c hi n f u s ct h e l r e e r sn , i t hs L r l r, l o f r , v o r l ccl l a s s, r r ' !, i-' . irr Le,lrn'., 'g,J,clî.|L' ',:il Jc.rn,lvht'rc rr r' S t t l p h a nT r e n r l r l , , ' Aclventr-rrcs' T r t ' n r b l . r' r thc iqlori l o l -rl. r t l ' 1l'' ' *rs.t!l:-.\!I!I|L-a'E._{-ltsræ1 Dlan g o ug r e t a u a ug . r r teha s eP r e : x c r t r nsge i e L l i r r ' : ' ' l , i r ei e r zsa c t i u i t i epsh. 0 t ûasr r dn a l s a u a l tg o ua t u i t l t Lsi aJ g u e n a g l a c s a i n t j e a H:T'l æ..4 ..al -:r .. :':tl -.-4 i : ?:. _- r' ;!T v BONEAL 'r,"fr :-* J .. Êt{.SniI ,i*tsr"'r . i'iq&l''' ,;',*; '=t Tren.rblaywhcl sat in thc C;rnaclian Parliar.nent at the age of 2.1,and took h i s c h a i rf r o m t h e H o u s eo f C o n ' r n r o n s h o m e w i t h h i m t o L a c S a i n t - J e aA n.krt o f p e o p l e r e m e m b e rh i m d o i n g i t , l t u t n o t m a n yr e m e m b e h r e did it to protcst growingecononric* inequality. but Métabetchouanwas the historical meetingpl;rcefor nine Indi.rnnations,a comnrercialhub as in'rportant in its tin.re as Chicagowas in the late 19th century. E a c hs u m m e ru p t o 1 8 , 0 0 0p e ' o p l w e ould travelto thisplace,wherethe rivernleets the "big shallowlake,"rrost of them in largecanoesladenwith rnerchandise for At the mouth of the Métabetchouan trade.Tobaccoand corn were brought River,we stoppedat the archaeological from as far away as the shoresof Lake c e n t r ew , h i c h i n c l u d ea s n a r t g a l l e r ya n d H u r o n ,1 , 2 0 0k i l o m e t r esso u t ha n d w e s t . a kindof visitors'centre.We weregrcetecl L e p i n eh i m s e lpf a r t i c i p a t eidn a g r u e l l i n g b y A n d r eL e p i n ew , h o h a d a l o n gw h i t e re-enactmentof the traditional ror-rter, p o n y t a i ls, p a r k l i negy e sa n dt h e l o o ko f a p a d d l i n ga n d p o r t a g i n g1 5 t o 1 6 h o u r s. r nranw,itha lot to say.Lepinecan tracehis ( l . r \l o r s i xd . r y si n a r o w . .l rootsir.rQr-reltcc ltackto the early 600s, After a quick breakfastwe continuccl a n c sl p e n t1 0 r , e . r rlsi v i n ga n d t e a c h i n gi n north to Saint-Prime, where we stoltltr:rl r-r;ltil,e coltrntunities in NorthernQuebec. in at the FromageriePerron ancl the He g.rveus a crisp,cletailedpresentation ChecldarCheeseMuseur.r.r. The n'tuseunr o n t h e h i s t r i r ro t . t l ' r er e g i o n ,a n d l ' m itself incluclesthe preserveclultstairs p r e t t vs L r r ei t r r , t s n o t i n a l l r e s p e c t tso flat of the Perronfanrilr,,as n,ell as the t h e o f fi c i a lh i s t o r rr rr : u e r e ,b y t h i st i m e , originalworkir.rgeclr,riltnrent thev usecl. gettinguseclto lteoltlt'rr ith strongviews T h e a r e aa r o u n dt h e l a k e ,u , i t h i t s t h r i r a n d a w i l l i n g n e st so c r l t r c s st h e n r ) . ing dairy farms, is horre to clozensoi There is little eviclenccof it today, local cheeseproducers.Sonreof thcnr ,':i@-+ will just opcn thc c1r,, k r u r ( t i n r e p c r n r r l lr * w e s t o l t l t c r l\ r r , i , , . . t e l l u s a b o L rrt r l r , r '' ' l-tow n'rr-rch Ilrr,'. f e w c x r t ' 1 t l r , , r '' r w a s s L r l ) ( ' T r\) t a s t c ci ln : i ' , Perron. I l - . 1\ o r . ' , ' .rncl \ _( r- " L.:' i,. i\. ij.:- ('\ l. ' _! g r ec , i c c i r r i i r t ,',,r' F,t'.tr.lll I t Ia I I a a Tren.rblay, who It's a 265-l<ilometre and her hr-rsband, sunrrer attracrtions. Jacques the l.runclrecls padclIers pavecl ror-rte that circunrnavigates welconre of c;,cIists, bike p e d all a k e . W h o l e f a m i l i e s c a n b e s e c n and snorvt't.toltilers ever;';,ear.Fronrthe p a t h , t h rcladthe Ar,rberge is ratherr.ron-clescript, l i n gh a p p i l ya l o n gt h e enjoving e viervs Iake ancl tl.re gorgeous of the b u t o n c ey o r - r ' ricn s i d ea n c ln r e e tM i r e i l l e great yor-r're t . r r n r l . r rtrlcr .l rst r r r r o r r n di ts. yor-r'llknorv in the and Jacc;r-rcs, rightplace.The food is first ratc and tlre Hugueswas not entirelysurc wl.tatto v i e w o f t h c r i v c rf r o r r rt h e c l i n i n gr o o n ri s nrakeof r-rs.Not k)o lrany peoplewar.rt l<avak laf. to clo rrrulti-day tripson Lac Saintsl)ect.rcLr lf vou getanywherecloseto tl'revill.rge Jean,partlybecauseof the r.rnprcclictabil.ind partlybecause of Saint-Fe<licicn, you shor-rlcl absolr-rtely ity o|-the conclitions, (short poir.rt-to-point paclclling on a large lake gct kr Microbr;rsserie La Chor-rape ior Ashr-rapnrr-rshr-ran), rvhich is ;r rlicrocan be krts of work withclutchanging Iharr The lakeitsell'is v.rst(r'rrore brewcry with a rostcr of or-rtstancling s(,encry. .15l<ilorretres acrross) anclyet cxtraordib c e r s ,i n c l u d i n gb l a c ko a t b e e rt h a t l v i l l n a r i l ys h a l k r wl .t ' ss o s h a l l o wi,n f a c t ,t h a t r.rigl.rt, t:hange1,or,rr at least. The rrext nrorningwe w.rndcrc(lout to thc parl<ing i t c a ng e tw h i p p e cul p i n r . t ot i n r ew i t h j u s t rvincl.And thc u,aves a nroclest1O-l<nrit lot, wherc Huguesr,r,.rs n.riling lvith the can !l,etso big sclfastthat krcalswon't go boatsall loaclccl up. l-lugr-rcs hastl.relean o u t i n p o w e rb o a t si f t h ew i n d i s b l o w i n g . athletickrok of a guy who's uscclkr cloW t ' t ' r p l , t i r t e cl llt . t l o u r n t i s s i o t\tv . t sl ( ) i n gt h i n g si o r n i n ep e o p l enrr t h c rt l ' r a nj u s t olro or t',vo.He'sgoorl-naturcrl sce as nrr:chof thc arcaas possiblcancl anclcasv t r - rtrh i n g .A n c l g,oing,which are esserntial is t h a tc y c l i n gr e a l l yw a s l r ' o tor a g,uicler, horv nruchclrccse the presiclcrrt of Ecluinox, anclhasstrong, rvhenhe hearclabor-rt clayshc just we'cleatenin tl.reprecccling viervsabor,rthow to grorvtourisn.r in the' l.rughecl,r-rnclerslancling that we cor-rlcl rrt-Jea rr region. L.rc-Sai the exercise. "The rcalclbstaclc to gettingnroretoLrr- r-rse Thc r,verather haclbeengreatfor nrostof i s t sh e r ci s t h c c l i s l a n c cb;u l o n c eP c o p l c see what .lwaitsthcnr herc the clistanccr the trip. We'clbecn raineclon brieflyorr Fjorcl,llLrtsincethen we'cl the Sagr-renay clocsn'tst:cnrso grcat."Hugueshasorg;rn i z e cbl i k e t o u r sf o r l ) c o l l l ct r a v e l l i n ag l l seen nothing br-rtblr-rcsl<iesand warnr We departcclfronr Pointe the way tronr Califorrri.r-LaVéloroutcr tenrlle.ratLrres. anclheadccirvcst,across is one of thc .rrca'sr.nair.t Saint-Méthocle cles Bler,rcts the mouth of the MistassiniRiver,and toward the north shoreof the lake.The was approaching30'C. We temperature saw no other kayaksand vcry few boats of any kind ior n'rostof thc rrrorning.11 took us r.r.rost of the day to paddlc to Vauvert,whiclr is a wcll-developeddesfor tinationfor families,with greatcabir.rs r e n ta n d a s p e c t a c u l awrh i t es a n db e a c h for l<ilonretres. thatstretches At Var-rvertwe iound the food t<.lbe priced. very,very good-and reasonably Marion had nothing but praisefor thc fish(doré)and the nrelon, freshpan-friecl and feta salad.After dinner blr-reberry we sat, satecl,arouncla roaringfire that lookeddircctlyout acrossLacSaint-Jean. A perfectday. In the r.rrorningwc starteclthe long a nationalparl< paclclle kr Poirrtc-Taillorr, or.rthe lake'seasternshore. The park i t s e l li's c o n n e c t c cklr t h e V é l o r o u t ca n c l i n c l u d e sg r e a t c a m l ) s i t c sc, a s y b e a c h a c c e s sa n d a l l t h e a n r e n i t i eyso u c c l u l c l We staycd neecl(showcrs,a restaur;rnt). in two Huttopia tents, wl.richwere a r e v c l a t i o nA. l t h o u g hs t a y i r r ign t h e t e n t s ,,, { tl i s p r i c e y( a b o u t$ 1 7 0p e r n i g h t )r h e yd o boats. Hugucs \\/(lskccltinga closc l i r r r ll L r s tt n o l r o L r r isr o n t Q u e l t e cC i t r ' . slecpfour comfortably,and you can get watclr or-rcv('r\ionc,.rncl lte|.orelong B u t l r v t h i st i n r r , l,r v . r se c t t i r r gu s e ctl o p e o p l e t o g o w i t h y o u w h o o r c l i n . r r i l y e a c h w , a v c l o o l i t ' c ln r c l r cl i k e a c h . r l b e i n gs u r l t r i s c r l . w o u l d n ' tl r e i r r t e r e s t ei n d c.trrrltirrg. l e n g e a n c l l c ' s sl i k e a t h r e a t .S o o n u , c \ \ r e h a c l a r c n r , r r k , r b lnei n e d a y s i n W h e n w c w o k e o n t h e l a s t r t r r l r n i n g r v e r eb e v o n c tl l r c l r c a c hl t r c a ka n c lo u t t h e a r c a , a n c l h . r r l o n l v s c r a t c h e dt h e o f o u r t r i p , t h c w i n d w a s s t i l lr v h i l t l t i n g i n t h e o p c r r r r ' . r t e rt:h e r v i c l e[ t l r - r e skv s u r f a c eA . s I u ' a t c l r r ctlh e s c c n e r vc l r i f t t h e l a k ei n t oa f r e n z y I. h a c fl a l l c n. r s l e e l t , t r t c tl l r e r r r orrr i r r ql i u l r lr r e r e s l u l t r r i r r g , b y i t o c c u r r e ct lo n r c t h a t I r e a l l vs h o L r l c l (l learneclin thc exh.rr,rstecl, ltr-rtHr-rgues a n c lt h c . t l r s r , rcr ro i , r r r vl t o a tt r a f f i cg a v e : g e t b a c k h e r e s o o n . r n c lh i k c 'l h e n o r t h m o r n i n g )h a c ls t a y e du p l i s t e n i n gt o t h c . u s t h c l c t ' l i n go l ' l t a d d l i n gi n a r e a l l y shore of the fjorclouI tct Tacloussac, or w i n d b c n c i i n gt h e t o p s o f t r c e r sa t r i g h t r e n r o l Cl ) r a (( ' . n r a y b ee x p l o r et h c a r e ai n t h e r v i n t c ro n angles.Eventually he got r-r1t to go chccl< T h e l t . t c l r l l ct 'k t w nt o A l m a w a s l o n g snowshoes, or ntaybctry the Véloroute. o n t h e c c i n c l i t i oonf t h e k a y a k so, n l y t o .rnclpc.rrcl.rrl,.urclwe took advarrtage of A n d I r e a l i z e ci lt ' s n o t a b o u t f i n d i n ga fincl four-lit<ttwilves crashing on lhe t h e t i n r ct o . r s kH u g u e se v e r y t h i n a g l t r t r - r t reason to go tc) Sagucnay/Lac-Saintbeach ancl too close to tl're lto.rts ior t l r e l . r k c - t h c 1 t i : o p l ew h o l i v e a r o u n c l l e , t n - i t ' s a l l o u lt l t o r r s i n tgf o n ls o m c t n y c o m f o r l . W l . r e nI g o t u p i n t h t ' n t o r n i t , i t s l L r t u f c L. i k e ar l o t o f p e o l t l ew h o good ones. i ing I'rew.rs contentplatingwhc.therthc l i v eh e r e rH, L i e L t el isv e di n M o n t r e a fl o r a c o n d i t i o n so r . rt h e l a k e w o u l c l l t e t < t o tinrelrr,rtcantc'ltacl<Itecausehe wantc.cl r o u g h t < t l t a d d l e( n o t f o r h i m , l o r u s ) . nrore of what he likes-kayaking, cryAfter breakl'ast we walked rjown kr thc c l i n g ,s l < i i n gt r, t ' l < l < i n g - a nlde s so f w h ; r t b e a c ha n d h a d a l o o k :t h e w i n d w a s s t i l l h e c l o c s n 'lti l < ct:r . r f f i ca n d c o n g e s t i o n . strong,,and whitecaltsancl sltrayc'<tr-rlcl Ir.rr.rotinre',wc were paddlingthrcluglr be seen on the water's sr-rrfac:c. The. t h c C r a r r r JD é c h . r r g cl,) a s t c a l ) i n sa n d waveswere stillthree-and four-iecthigh s u n b a t h c r sa n < l l o t s o f n r o t o r l t o a t s . and just pr-rtting the ltoats ir.rwor-rlrllrc E x h a u s t c tllt u t h a 1 t 1 t vw, e p u l l e c lt h e a n a d v e n t u r cI. t h o u g h to f t h e s c ; r - r i r r e l b o a t so r - rot l . t h e w a t c r n e a rA l m a , t h e . r r a n d h i s w i l c l ,s t a r i n ge y e s :i s t h a t w h . r t thar.rkccl Hugucsl<lr ktol<ingout for us, the day had in storefor me? a n d f o r a f a n t a s l i cp 'a c l c l l e . Aftcr sontc tlror-rght, Huguesclcciclccl A i t c r s l t e n < l i r rt h g e r r i g h ti n A l m a w e that oncc we got ltast tl.relteach ltrc.tk wol<erup .lncl startccltlre drive south t h c p a d d l i n gw o u l c ll t e O K , s o o i f w c towarcl Qire'ltcc City, via Route ,l69. w e n l . W c s t a r t e ctlh e t r i ; l l o r v a r cAl l n r a Thc roarl rvor-rnclthrough lteautiful Paul Auerbach isourpostt b y p a r l d l i n gs t r a i g h ti n t o l a r g c ,s t r o n g n r o u n t a i n sa n r l v a l l c y s ,r r u c h s t e e p e r Gear Editor,and long-time kayakand s w e l l s , t h e w a t c r c r a s h i n go v e r o L r r a n c l m o r e c l r a n r a l i tch a n I t h o u g h t l ' c l outdoor enthusiast. :r.:j.-i::: i ': .l.:".- skills!The easiestway to get around is ;) T h e c l i m a t ei n t h e S a g u e n a y / L a c - S a i n t by - road, though rentinga car will cost you region of is what might you Jean $40 to $70 a day.Forthe adventure Quebec expect in Canada'srugged wilderness: traveller,the area is also accessibleby soft snowy winters;and sunny,breezy bicycleand hometo severalscenictrails. b u t s o m e t i m e rsa i n ys u m m e r sT. h e a r e a plays host to many festivalsthroughout t h e y e a r , i n c l u d i n ga b e e r f e s t i v a li n is a veritable Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean t h e P o r t o f C h i c o u t i m i n J u l y ,a m u s i c o a s i s o f a d v e n t u r eo p t i o n s :k a y a k i n g , festivalin Tadoussac in June,snow drag r a f t i n g h, i k i n g ,c a m p i n g c, y c l i n g c, l i m b r a c i n g i n R o b e r v a li n M a r c h , a n d a i n g , c r o s sc o u n t r ys k i i n g ,d o g s l e d d i n g , b l u e b e r r yf e s t i v ailn D o l b e a u - M i s t a s s i n i s n o w b o a r d i n g i, c e f i s h i n g a n d e v e n in August. ATV|ngare all on offer. The tourist centre of Tadoussac, situatedat the mouth of the Saguenay T h e r e g i o n i s e a s i l ya c c e s s i b lvei a t h e River,is one of Canada'soldestvillages. S a g u e n a y - B a g o t v iAl lier p o r t , w h i c h i s Hereyou can easilywhalewatch,or use a c t u a l l ya C a n a d i a r F . ro r c e sB a s et h a t t h e v i l l a g ea s a n e x p l o r a t i o nI a u n c h i n g s h a r e si t s f a c i l i t i e sw i t h t l r e p u b l i c .Y o u p o i n t . H i k i n g , c a n o e i n g ,s n o w s h o e i n g can fly to Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean from a n d c y c l i n ga r e a l l d o a b l e ,a n d t h e r e ' s Toronto or Vancouver regularlyvia a a fantastic 42-l<ilometre-long trek to stopoverin Morrtrealor Quebec City. S a i n t e - M a r g u e rB i ta e ya l o n gt h e r i v e r . B y c a r , i t i s a p p r o x i m a t e l2y1 0 k i l o m e The river itself,which runs eastfrom tres from Quebec City, 460 kilor.r.retres Lac Saint-Jean and flows into the mighty irom Montreal, and abr-ruta thousand St.LawrenceRiver,is approximately 165 from Toronto. kilometresin lerrgth.Kayakingis a popr"rlar choice-you can explore beaclres, c a v e sa n d w i l d l i f ea s w e l l a s c a m pa l o n g The region does lrave a public transit the way. Accessingthe river via kayak n e t w o r k j;u s t k e e pi n m i n d t h a t i t i s p r e i s e a s i l yd o a b l e a t f o u r c o m m u n i t i e s : d o m i n a t e l yF r e n c hs p e a k i n g - s ob r i n ga L a B a i e ,S a i n t e - R o s e - d u - N oR r di v, i è r e dictionaryand be preparedto test your Éternitéand LAnseSaint-Jean. The water 4I,>gûffiD ("n:> 58 can be dangerous,so if inexperienced takea guidedtour. Along the top half of the riverand a r o u n dL a c S a i n t - J e ai n s a 256-kilomet r e c y c l i n gc i r c u i tc a l l e dV é l o r o u t ed e s Bleuets.You can bike the path yourself or again take a guided tour. The path crosses Pointe-TaillonNational Park, w h e r e y o u c a n h i k e ,s w i m a n d c a n o e . In fact, there are four nationalparks in Pointe-Tai llon Saguenay/Lac-Saint-jean: and Monts-Valin,as well as Saguenay Fjord National Park and Saguenay-St. LawrenceMarine Park. T h e r e i s a l s o g r e a t r o c k c l i m b i n gt o b e h a d h e r e ,i n c l u d i n ga 1 O O - f o octr a g n e a rC l . r i c o u t i m on i t h e n o r t l rs i d eo f t h e wall at Tableau;and tlre river;a 5OO-foot 1 , 0 0 0 - f o oC t a p eT r i n i t yw a l l a t E t e r r r i t y Bay (what Paul Auerbach referredto , h i c h h a sf r e e a s " b i g w a l l c l i m b i n g " )w c a m p i n ga t i t s b a s e . Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean has a strong First Nations history-a visit to the reserveof Mashteuiatsh, on the western of the lake, is reconrmended. The edge Native Museum of Mashteuiatshhosts e x h i b i t sw, o r k s h o p sc,u l t u r ael v e n t sa n d t h e o p p o r t u n i t yt o m e e t l o c a l l l n u a t s h l ith a a r t i s t sl.n J u l y ,i t h o s t sa f e s t i v aw c a n o e i n ga n d p o r t a g i n gc o m p e t i t i o n , triathlonand Powwow ceremony.