The last mini-trip while in Montréal was to Yamaska National Park. I’d never heard of this place before, but it was cute and quaint. The weather was moody and cloudy, but the UV was strong. Julia, Thomas, and I had decided to go kayaking again since we had so much fun at Mauricie.
I didn’t like these kayaks much at all. They moved fast but were also very wobbly and were sit-top (I prefer the covered ones). Mine also was full of water all the time, I think I let in a lot of water when I paddle.
I don’t have a lot of photos from this trip because I actually dropped my phone in the reservoir and got scared because the kayak was so wobbly. The little alcoves and marshes that we could creep into were filled with lush vegetation and fauna. I saw plenty of bird species I don’t know how to name and a frog.
The end of the reservoir obviously led to a dam, which I thought was interesting to have in a National Park. However, it made me think of my job and of hydroelectricity. Quebec has a huge amount of dams and 99% of Canadian dam projects disproportionately impact Indigenous communities. Now I’m just pulling facts out of my head for kicks, but this dam in the National Park made me think about how “protected” these protected areas really are. What next? Irving clear cutting sections of Fundy?
