How could we match the pleasure we had experienced during those trips while discovering new horizons? All through Winter I kept looking at my Atlas of Canada. Every so often, I would open it and let my fingers trace the fine line defining the edge of land and sea, occasionally closing my eyes to visualize a particular stretch of coastline that I had visited, or to imagine the infinitely more numerous places that I had yet to discover.  Practical considerations were imposing a few constraints. We had to be able to reach our departure point fairly quickly (we only had three weeks of holidays) and stay within a reasonable budget. We needed enough sheltered navigation to avoid lengthy weather delays. Finally, we wanted to get out of the beaten path (or the crowded waters).

More and more often, I found my Atlas opening itself on the page where Quebec meets Labrador and Newfoundland..

Route 138 starts in Montreal and meanders along the North shore of the Saint Lawrence River in a general North East direction. Until Quebec City, it is hidden in the shadow of the much faster Autoroute 40 (as freeways are called here). Beyond that point, it really comes into its own and becomes the major land link to beautiful and artistic Charlevoix, crosses the Saguenay at Tadoussac, reaching Baie Comeau and Sept-Iles (Seven Islands), the two main cities of the North Shore region. It comes to an end just beyond the tiny village of Natashquan, whose name all Quebeckers recognize as the birth place of singer and national icon, Gilles Vigneault, at Pointe Parent, a growing Innu community.

Beyond that point, road maps become vague, with uselessly large scales making distances hard to gauge...

Route 138 eventually reappears, albeit briefly, before becoming Route 510 just beyond Blanc-Sablon, at the Newfoundland and Labrador border.

As Summer approached, we purchased topographical maps and nautical charts, we searched the Internet... Bit by bit, our project took shape. But the Lower North Shore was not letting itself be so easily discovered. Wherever our travels had taken us previously, we had been able to learn from other kayakers' experiences by reading books, studying trip descriptions, talking to knowledgeable outfitters or simply meeting locals. In this case, nothing - or just about. We found the story of one abridged trip on the Internet: Michel Vachon's "La Terre de Caïn" (Cain's Land, May 1998), whose trip was dogged by bad weather resulting in only three days of actual paddling. In the Lower North Shore Tourist Guide, we found some useful local information and a brief description of each village...

It was only by chance that we got some more specific last minute information. Driving through Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan and Havre-St-Pierre, we connected with Mathieu Bourdon of Kayak OPS, Sylvain Roy who owns the Chicoutai Bed and Breakfast and Pierre St-Hilaire of Agaguk Expeditions. We thank them for their hospitality and for sharing their experience and knowledge of local conditions with us.

Our trip actually started as we left our home, North of Montreal, on Sunday, July 15th. We stopped on the way to enjoy a brief paddle near Tadoussac at the Paradis Marin (Marine Paradise) Camping in Grandes Bergeronnes and again in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan (La Minganie Camping). It was noon Wednesday when we arrived in Natashquan. As if we needed confirmation that this was it, we saw Gilles Vigneault (we learned that he was singing that night at the local priest's 20th anniversary - a cousin of his).

After a quick tour of the village, we found the public wharf and prepared our gear and the kayaks for the trip. Early the next morning we were scheduled to catch the Nordik Express and everything had to be ready the night before. We camped behind the wharf on a flat rock, with black flies and a few fellow passengers as company.
Let the adventure start!