Rivers and lakes have been a large part of our summer as we’ve explored the big outdoors in this little corner of eastern Canada. We’ve even got on the water – only on for me, never in – a couple of times, most recently on Lake Cascapédia in the haut Gaspésie. Such fun!
Up and over the mountains, the lake is reached via a very rough washboard road. It’s worth the effort if your vehicle can take it, with spectacular views when ascending and descending. In the space of a short and bumpy drive, we experienced late summer in the valley, autumn up top, and something in between on the lake.
Dropping into the bowl of the lake, it was very overcast and a good few degrees cooler than earlier. In fact, it almost rained!
The paddling was great, with no wind outward bound, and only occasional gusts to paddle into on our return. It was fun to head into the slightly bared teeth of the wInd and put in a little extra effort to cut through some small swells and chop. Enough to feel it was almost a workout!
Moose are a feature of the park, but we didn’t catch a single glimpse all week. Maybe another time… We’d seen eagles climbing and making high turns most afternoons, but didn’t spot any near the lake. We did see one of our favourite bird sights – a few loons near the canoe, busily bobbing and diving, and they didn’t appear bothered by our loony zigzagging presence.
We beached on gravel shores a couple of times to stretch legs and eat snacks. Off the water, the day was a touch warmer, pleasant enough to sit for a short while and then stage our attempt at a Tom Thomson:
Back at base, our evenings in the Gaspésie were spent under an almost full moon. From our camping spot in the trees we could see the bright moon on the river just below us. It was so intense we didn’t need flashlights. This image of the moon on the water was the best I could get:
Did the quicksilver moon on water influence our choice of beer the following day? I’m (beer)easily led, so maybe…
A white river, majestic mountains, a quiet lake, loons on the water, two happy paddlers and a good beer back at camp to end the day? That sounds ok, so let’s do it again soon!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
OldPlaidCamper 
It all sounds pretty damn perfect to me. Those views, cue heavy sigh, are really beautiful. Have a great weekend Adam. 😊
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Thanks, Miriam! Yup, it was pretty good!
I hope all is well with you!
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I sure enjoyed this outdoor adventure, pc, thanks for taking us along. I liked your descriptions of experiencing the different seasons on the bumpy road, the interplay with water as you canoed, the moonlit nights. And your photos were a treat too, I especially liked seeing the mountain river and the different lake scenes. Ah, the tranquility, thanks for sharing it.
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Thanks, Jet! Yup, lakes and mountains are our tranquil happy places, that’s for sure.
I hope all is well with you!
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I had to look on the map to get a better idea of where you were, Adam, because you have shown how wonderful the Gaspe region is & I wanted to situate it on my radar. Thanks for passing on some of the beautiful scenery & reflections from your outing there. I’d like to learn more.
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Thanks, Walt! Definitely a region worth having on your radar – an eastern Canada mountain delight!
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Love all the beautiful photos and especially enjoyed the paddling shots and lovely reflections!! How wonderful to share all those peaceful moments with only the wildlife! Enjoy the weekend!🙂
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Thank you! We couldn’t believe how (relatively) quiet and unknown this region is, like an eastern Canada best kept mountain secret. Good thing OPC has a low traffic blog footprint – can’t have people finding out about these special places, haha.
I hope you’re well and enjoying your week!
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It definitely looks magical to be canoeing on the mountain lakes. I am jealous!
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It was wonderful to be paddling in the mountains once again – we’d missed it!
I bet you’ve some great lakes nearby where you could put a canoe in?
I hope your week and your writing are going well!
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Yes! The closest big one is 1/4mile away 🙂 Thank you!
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I have that Thompson scenic on a ceramic cup and is what I pictured when you first mentioned it. Everything looks so picturesque. I am guessing it is just cool enough to avoid going into the water? Hearing the loons would have been just reward. I am glad you got out for a good paddle and camping.
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Thanks, Jane! I love the Thomson image, it feels just right…
Yup, definitely would not have wanted to tip the canoe, very cold water up there. Made us concentrate all the more!
Seeing and hearing loons makes everything a little better!
I hope your week is going well. Goodness, it’s suddenly turning colder here…
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