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| The gentle rhythmic pounding of the ship’s engine became so soothing that when it slowed down to a soft purr, it startled me out of a deep sleep. | ||||
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story Alex Eberspaecher photographs Judy Eberspaecher Icebergs came to my mind along with memories of the Titanic! When I saw the light coming through our cabin window, I jumped out of my berth, quickly ripped open the curtain and stared into the face of an immense rock face, so close that I could see the lichen slowly glide past us not more than three metres away. It was close to midnight. By the time I reached the upper deck of the Nordik Express, I feared that we would run aground or hit the rock face. The rock mass appeared even larger up there, illuminated by an immense spotlight manned by one of the deckhands. “Did we run aground?” I asked him. “I don’t think so,” he said, “the water here is over a hundred metres deep.” “So why are we going so slowly?” I enquired. “Well,” he said, “a few years ago one of our ships hit that rock and sank but we were able to get all the passengers off by helicopter.” I had never realised how dangerous those fjords could be at night, after all this wasn’t somewhere in Scandinavia but on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec within a seal’s whisker of the Labrador border. The Quebec that most of us know, ends somewhere just beyond Quebec City or Riviere du Loupe. But more adventurous tourists will continue driving along the only road that runs alongside the mighty St. Lawrence, over the rolling countryside with its picturesque old world villages, until the wilderness encroaches again with the beautiful, mountainous terrain of the Charlevoix region before reaching the hundred-kilometre-long Fjord Saguenay and the world’s whale watching capital, Tadussac. Few stray beyond here because what could be more exciting than watching hundreds of whales in the waters off Tadussac. Nothing could be more wrong. Route 138 continues for 800 km or so right into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, past Sept Îles and beyond Mingan and the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, located just north of Anticosti Island. You might linger here for a day and take in some of the spectacular islands that are so exceptionally rich in flora and fauna including whales of course, and rare bird species that attract scientists and hikers from all around the world. This is probably Canada’s best-kept secret as many of the park’s islands are accessible only by boat taxi. Stay a few days and fill your lungs with the clean fresh air of the boreal forest. Time stands still here and distances are measured differently. When I asked him how far it would be to the next village, Denys, a National Parks officer told me “about one coffee. One coffee equals 250 km of driving distance,” he added. From here you may go further east for another 200 km, not quite a coffee, until the road finally ends abruptly at Pointe Parent. At this point tourists must turn into adventurers. We became seafaring adventurers at Sept Îles when we climbed the gangplank onto the Nordik Express. The Ralais Nordik ship is rather unique – not a cruise ship, not even a passenger ship or freighter. It pretty much takes on all three roles plying the shores to supply villages that have no road access. The bow is reserved for passengers while the stern is piled high with containers that carry anything from pick-up trucks and ATVs to food, diapers and just about anything else needed for daily life. Its cabins are basic but clean and most travel packages include the price of three full meals per day. Passengers aboard the working vessel are surprisingly treated to the best of cuisine that can usually only be found on luxury liners. From Sept Îles to Anticosti Island the voyage was rather smooth and uneventful. Except for the few whales that popped up occasionally, it was the perfect time to become acquainted with the crew and the other passengers. That proved rather timely because after we left Anticosti and headed out to the open waters of the St. Lawrence where the waves were pounding the upper decks. Besides skipping supper that night, I really was in no condition to see or meet anybody. From Havre Saint-Pierre (close to the Mingan Archipelago National Park) the trip became quite interesting and by the time the ship arrived in Natashquan we had forgotten the high seas and our spirit for adventure had once again returned. From here on, travelling in an easterly direction toward the North Atlantic, the boat serves many settlements including Kagaska, La Romaine, La Tabitiere and St. Augustine. Some villages are French, others are native settlements and others, like Harrington Harbour, are mostly English. It was midnight when we arrived at Harrington Harbour, after we made it safely past the great rock wall that awoke me so suddenly. There was a single light by the wharf and a lady in a black cloak was swinging her lantern back and forth. She was our guide. By the light of our lanterns, we wandered along the wooden boardwalks that connected each and every house and building of Harrington Harbour. This village void of cars was the inspiration for the French movie, Le Grand Seduction. This settlement built primarily on rocks and illuminated by a full moon at midnight, appeared almost dream-like. Soon it was time to re-board and get some sleep before the next settlement. When we arrived in Blanc Sablon, next to the Labrador border, the waters were rough again, not because of the wind, but because of the numerous pods of whales that welcomed us. Blanc Sablon, the most easterly village in Quebec along the North Shore of the St. Lawrence, is somewhat larger and more modern than all the others. This is also the turnaround point for the ship’s return trip to the homeport of Rimouski. Blanc Sablon might be the turning point in your voyage or it could also be the beginning of a new adventure, either to Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula by ferry or to the Labrador highway. A car can be rented here and decent and reasonably priced accommodations are available if you would like to remain until the Nordik Express returns for you. Blanc Sablon certainly warrants a few days stay if you are interested in culture, including a few abandoned native settlements. For the naturalist, besides the ever-present whales, there is a colony of 65,000 puffins just offshore that can be visited in season. Lourdes and Blanc Sablon are on the border with Labrador from where a picturesque road will take you to the famous Pointe Amour Lighthouse. This was one of the highpoints of our trip, featuring an isolated gravesite, and the oldest known burial site in North America belonging to a 12-year-old native girl. If you don’t have time to make the return trip on the Nordik Express, you can travel by Air Labrador and see the villages from the sky on your way to Sept Îles. If you do have the time, your return trip will leave in a few hours and you can experience one of Canada’s natural wonders all over again. Best of all, Côte Nord, an area of outstanding natural beauty is within our home and native land in our neighbouring province of Quebec. GL |
 Alex learns the history of the Mingan flora and fauna from Denys Theriault, park officer at Mingan Archipelago National Park.  Unique houses on Anticosti Island, QC.  Almost all of Canada’s monoliths are found at Mingan Archipelago National Park.  A humpback whale breaching in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
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