The colours of Gaspésie

On the trail to Mont Olivine

The Appalachian mountain range is not only found in parts of the States where people play banjos on their porch. It stretches right from Florida up to the Gaspé in Quebec. Then on into Ireland and Scandinavia. Here in the Gaspé it forms the wonderfully named Chic-Choc and McGerrigle mountains - also known as the Gaspésie Massif.

Beautiful shrooms

Today we took a five hour hike up Mont Olivine in Parc National de la Gaspésie and around the western side of Lac du Diable or Devil's Lake. Early on we spot moose poo and hope to see its producer later in our journey. The hike was steep but enjoyable and we marvelled at the diversity of the plant life on the trail - possibly helped by the readily available moose fertiliser.

The view in Parc Nationale de la Gaspésie

There were mushrooms of yellow, orange, red and brown. Pale lemon and gold coloured lichens formed soft carpets of colour at the side of the trail. Blueberry bushes and Labrador tea plants had tips of red on their green leaves and the mountains around us created a backdrop of blues.

Made it

The hike is strenuous but a joy and lunch at the top, with a 360 degree view of wooded peaks, felt like a victory. From the breezy summit we could see the horseshoe shaped Mont Albert before our descent to the lakeshore where we hiked on boardwalks and said bonjour to lots of fellow walkers.

Lac du Diable

Past Lac du Diable and the Riviere du Diable (I'm beginning to notice a theme) and on to the rest hut where tired walkers take a break. The day was misty but no less beautiful up here in the hills for all that.

Our guide suddenly stops in front of us and points. We creep up to him slowly and see this beautiful bird in the brush. He watches us with his red beady eyes. We watch him in complete silence apart from the sound of a camera shutter. It is a partridge (Tetras de Savane in French) and today is the first day of the hunting season. We feel rather sad at learning this.

Partridge poses

We finish our walk in a fierce thunder storm with hail lashing down and we feel we have achieved something. On our drive to our hotel we pass this green river with a lone fisherman. Despite the lack of sun it feels like it has been a day of spectacular colour. For more on this beautiful part of Quebec check out Quebec Maritime, Parc National de la Gaspésie and Gaspesie Tourism.
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