Tag: Exploring new areas

Morning Fogs and Sunset at ZEC Dumoine

We invite you to explore nature in early fall at the Dumoine River, the last wild river in Ottawa Valley. Early October is the time when it is still warm and sunny during the day; however, it is already cold at night, and in the morning a milky impenetrable fog covers all the surroundings. This is still a time of late songbird migration and other forest dwellers preparing for the long winter. This is also a period when moisture and morning fogs wake up the mycelium that has been sleeping all summer and many types of mushrooms appear on the surface, surprising forest visitors with various shapes, colors, and abundance.

We are organizing a trip for naturalists, photographers, and nature lovers to explore the magic of first fall colors, silent mornings, and a farewell variety of wildlife. We plan to organize guided hikes near the cabin, located close to the Lac Penniseault for mushroom lovers. It should be many mushroom varieties in this area in fall. We will visit the Grande Chute trail to Robinson Lake. We will have also a canoe trip on Robinson Lake to the Red Pine waterfall. We will stay in the morning on the shelter platform near Steven’s Pond expecting to see moose and other animals. We will have a campfire and we hope to have good company near the cabin in the evening. We have two canoes in the area, which we can share to explore the environment. We also provide simple food and utensils. If you plan to cook some specific things, you can bring them also.

We will have two options to come to the camping site: one by Friday evening (before 5:00 pm) to register at ZEC Dumoine and stay in the area for two nights, and another by early morning Saturday, October 08, to stay in the area for one night. Carpooling is welcomed. If you are interested in traveling to Dumoine with us, please, contact us, regarding preferred options and the time of your arrival so that we could meet you near the ZEC Dumoine office. The address for contact is eakreuzberg@gmail.com

How to dress?

It is damp and cool in the forest now, so take care of clothes and shoes that are most comfortable for moving through ravines and inconveniences. Please, take your tents, sleeping bags, and matrasses in according to the weather forecast.

What else might be needed?

You will need lights for the evening, personal items, and light snacks for hikes. Do not forget small baskets and knives for picking mushrooms, as well as personal protection against insects. We have three safety vests in the area, but it is better to take your own safety vest if you plan to use a canoe. Please, let us know also if you have any food preferences.

Travel to Quebec-City and Tadoussac in September

We are inviting a few people to join us for a trip to Quebec City and Tadoussac in early September this year. The trip is scheduled from  September 2 to September 5 with a 1-night stay in Quebec City and 2-nights in the Tadoussac area. This is a tour to explore nature and to know more about the history and nature of Quebec.

On the first day (September 2), we plan to arrive in Quebec City in the afternoon to explore the historic centre of Old Quebec and walk along its fortified walls. We’ll visit the Dufferin Terrace, Château Frontenac, Place Royal, and other historic sites in the area recognized as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll stay for the night in the area with a waterfront view of the St. Lawrence River.

By the morning of September 3rd, we plan to visit the Montmorency Falls following the path that runs along the cliff’s edge to the suspension bridge at the top of the bridge. After the visit to the falls, we’ll head up to the Tadoussac area (about two hours driving). We’ll stay there for two nights in the small village nearby the Saguenay River and the Park National Fjord-du-Saguenay. We’ll explore this area after arrival and walk in the evening along the shores of the Saguenay Fjord, one of the longest and most southerly fjords in the world.

On September 4th, we plan to make a Zodiac Whale Watching tour. The first whale-watching tour was organized in Tadoussac in 1979. At present, whale-watching tours have been organized from spring to autumn. Only one species – the Beluga whale – lives in the St. Lawrence year round. Other whale species such as humpbacks and fin whales, minke whales and blue whales come to St. Lawrence to feed in summer from May to October. We expect to see some other marine mammals and bird species both from boats and on land.

After whale watching, we’ll have a chance to visit one of the parks in the area including Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park with two land-based observation sites: Islet Point and Rouge Point. We hope to see marine mammals, birds, plants and even fish. We’ll be able also to visit the Pointe-Nore Interpretation and Observation Center to observe confluence phenomena where two rivers meet. We also can walk on one of the trails such as one the Le Fjord Trail, De La Plage Trail, and De L’Estuaire trail with panoramic views of dunes and good places for bird observation. If we’ll have time, we’ll try to visit Parc national des Monts-Valin, which is located not far from Tadoussac. There are many hiking trails in the Park. The trails vary in length and range in difficulty level from easy to difficult.

On September 5th, we’ll have several options from the morning until noon and we’ll decide about the specific site to visit after our whale watching tour and exploring areas around Tadoussac. We are coming back to Ottawa on September 5th afternoon.

What do we need to bring planning a whale watching tour?

For the whale-watching tour we need to have very warm clothes, do not forget to take with you the following items:

  • Warm sweater
  • Warm socks, gloves, scarf
  • Raincoat or warm jacket
  • Pants
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses (ideally polarized for better vision)
  • Binoculars
  • Camera (protected from water)