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Our expedition itinerary is always subject to change due to weather and sea conditions. It is rare that we ever follow an itinerary exactly as planned. One of the mottos of expedition travel is Flexibility is the Key. We will take advantage of all our opportunities, while at the same time respecting the power of Mother Nature. With that in mind, here is an outline of our exciting itinerary:
August 18
Group meets in Quebec City, Canada. We would like everyone to arrive between 10:00am and 2:00pm if possible. An SOI representative will meet you at the airport. Those of us driving from Ottawa will rendezvous with the group at the airport around noon. This afternoon around 2:30pm we will begin our journey by bus to the Mingan Islands. This is about a 14-hour drive, so we'll stop tonight to camp along the shore of the St. Lawrence River at Le Paradis Marin aux Escoumins. You can actually see and hear whales from your tent at this scenic campsite! Tonight we will have an introductory expedition briefing and dinner, before getting some well-deserved rest.
August 19
After breakfast and a short hike by the beach, we'll hit the road towards the Mingan Islands National Park. We should arrive to the Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan in the late afternoon and we'll set up camp. It is here that we'll meet up with Richard Sears our lead whale researcher for the expedition, and have a chance to visit the Mingan Islands Cetacean Study's (MICS) field centre (see brochure in your binder), which Richard created some 20 years ago.
 August 20
Spend the morning visiting Longue Point and MICS. After lunch we'll board our expedition sailboat SEDNA IV, which will be arriving to pick us up from the Magdalene Islands. Once we're all aboard our new floating home, we'll have a safety briefing and then set sail!
August 21-22
We'll spend these days around the spectacular Mingan Islands! We'll kick off the expedition's education program, as well as our vigilant whale watch. If weather conditions permit, we will also get out to explore in the Zodiacs and Kayaks.
About 40 islands lie within the reserve, part of the Eastern St. Lawrence Lowlands natural region. With the islands and smaller islets paralleling the mainland, at an average distance of about 3.5 kilometres, the archipelago stretches some 150 kilometres along the north shore of the St. Lawrence. The grottoes, fossils, cliffs and monoliths are all part of the island's unique landscape, this diverse environment providing habitats for a wide variety of plant life and wildlife both on land and in the sea. The archipelago is a wildlife sanctuary for seabirds, seals and whales. Nine species of whales are attracted by the abundance of plankton and fish in the island waters. Minke whales travel in groups of two to five close to the shore where they can be observed, while farther out, common porpoise, the blue whale, humpback whale, and the fin whale feed at greater depths.
The most extraordinary feature of the islands is their dramatic topography. Limestone- based, unlike the exposed Canadian Shield of the mainland, the bedrock has undergone repeated cycles of lifting and submersion, with the latest rising-up occurring at the end of the last glaciation. During the last major ice age, 20,000 years ago, the Mingan Archipelago was covered by 2.5 kilometres of ice. As the glaciers began to melt, the ocean level rose covering the islands with 85 metres of water. Very slowly the islands lifted until about 7,000 years ago when they broke the surface. With the shifting of the earth's crust, the limestone bedrock which came to the surface as a huge plateau soon eroded to form splits and cracks. Further water erosion split up these rocks to form the archipelago. On the south side of the islands is a complex network of arches and grottoes that contain a rare collection of fossil remains of over 200 marine organisms, a treasure trove of major scientific significance. Here is also found the largest concentration of monoliths, or sea stacks, in Canada. Created from friable rock more than 450 million years old, they are still being eroded by waves, changing sea level, wind and severe weather.
August 23
Today we hope to visit Anticosti Island. Lying at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in south-eastern Quebec, the island it is 140 mi (225 km) long and its greatest width is 35 mi (56 km). Visited by Jacques Cartier in 1534, Anticosti Island remained wild and virtually uninhabited until a wealthy French businessman, Henri Menier, acquired it in 1895. Menier is, without a doubt, the man who had the most influence on the destiny of Anticosti Island. Indeed, his first goal was to make it a hunting and fishing paradise. This is why he tried to bring in several species of game, including the white-tailed deer, the only species to enjoy outstanding growth. Menier brought in about 220 deer in 1896 and 1897. Among the introductions that failed, there was the bison (Bison bison) and the wapiti (Cervus elaphus). As a legacy, this colourful character gave his name to Anticosti Island 's only village, Port-Menier, located in the western part of the island. In the 20th century Anticosti Island belonged to many different timber companies. In 1974, the island was purchased by the Quebec government. It is now primarily a recreation area.
August 24-29
The next week will be filled with exploring the St. Lawrence River looking for Blue Whales! Our zigzag route will take us east along the mighty river and we'll have opportunities for kayaking, wildlife sightings, education program activities, science activities, learning about the history of the St. Lawrence, learning to sail, and much more. We also will visit a few small Gaspé communities along the river for a chance to stretch our legs on a hike and experience some local culture. Everyday will be filled with adventure and learning!
The St-Lawrence River is one of the most important rivers in North America. The course of the mighty St. Lawrence River is also the course of Canadian history. Avenue of exploration, corridor of commerce, cradle of New France and Upper Canada, the great inland waterway of the northeast was destined to lead not to the spices and silks of China, but to the even greater bounty of forests, furs and raw materials. Carved between the Laurentians to the north and the Appalachians to the south, and forming a natural pathway to the Great Lakes, the river seems almost purposefully designed for navigation. It takes its source in the Great lakes, draining a million square kilometres, beginning in the freshwater bays of eastern Ontario's Thousand Islands, and running nearly 1,200 kilometres, to the saltwater shores of Anticosti Island and the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula to finally empty itself into the Atlantic. The river is the frontier between Canada and the USA for approximately 200 kilometers. On St. Lawrence's Day in 1535, Jacques Cartier gave the saint's name to one small bay near the river's mouth, but by 1600, it was used to describe the entire river.
The blue whale, the most imposing animal on Earth, lives in the waters of the St. Lawrence. The second-largest cetacean, the fin whale, can also be found here. Numerous species of rorqual can also be seen in the river, including the humpback whale, known for its exuberant leaps through the air. In addition to these giants, we might see porpoises and dolphins and if we a really lucky we might catch a flash of white floating on the waves: these are belugas, the small arctic whales that live in the St. Lawrence year-round. About 1,000 belugas inhabit the river. The more eyes and binoculars we have on deck the better our chances for whale encounters will be!
August 30
Depending on where we've been finding the most whale activity, we will end our journey in Forestville or Tadoussac, Quebec. After saying farewell to the SEDNA and her crew, we'll travel back to Quebec City by bus. We'll overnight in Quebec City tonight and have a chance to visit this beautiful historic city!
August 31
Travel home from Quebec City… |
