Experience Québec
Adventure
Coffins of the giants
Straddling the St. Lawrence lowlands and the Appalachian mountains, Kamouraska is one of the oldest and most beautiful regions in French North America. The monadnocks - those strange-looking glacial rock formations, are an ideal vantage point from which to contemplate the magic of the countryside, whether you’re hiking or rock climbing.
The doorwway to the Bas Saint-Lautent (Lower St. Lawrence), Kamouraska is an immense belvedere overlooking the river and the "blue" mountains of Charlevoix, which boasts some of the most splendid sunsets in the world. And although there are plenty of great places from which to admire nature’s spectacle, the monadnocks can’t be beat.What are the monadnocks?
This is the name given to the rocky peaks (also called isolated mountains) that jut upwards from land and water into the horizon. Their unusually solid quartzite formation explains how they withstood glacial erosion, which itself explains the concentration of alluvium in the plains. The du Collège mountain at La Pocatière is one of the first giants who will encounter. Indeed, the monadnocks are often called "coffins of the giants."Giants and hermits
Time shapes mountains and forges legends. The highest of the mountains, montagne à Coton (150 m) in Saint-Pascal, is well-known for the history behind it. A New Brunswick hermit named Johnny Laine set up a personal retreat there around 1845. Because he always wore white clothing, he was nicknamed "Father Cotton." Some say he was an angel, living off the charity of villagers during the day but becoming a "devil" who spent what he collected in town at night. Who knows, you just might catch a glimpse of his ghost... Between ocean and mountain
The landscape of hills, plains, and valleys extends at last to Saint-André. There, the hills share the scenery with the river, which explains the wide variety of plants (185) and birds (77) that thrive among the rocky crests. The Société d’écologie de la batture du Kamouraska (in french only) suggests you contemplate the views from hiking trails, observation decks, campgrounds and picnic sites.
The best way to conquer the monadnocks is to climb them. The cliffs at Saint-André, including the imposing Portes de l’enfer ("hell’s gates") are very popular with rock climbers for the quality of the stone (ortoquartzite). This exceptional site has 100 climbing routes for all levels, some of them among the highest in Quebec. Kamouraska, "the gentle country"? We’d say solid... as rock!Guillaume Rivard
Photos: Guillaume Rivard
2007-11-20
