Our next destination was Saguenay National Park, situated along the east end of the St. Lawrence River and encompasses the regions of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Charlevoix, Côte-Nord, and Bas-Saint-Laurent.
The fjord was carved out near the very edge of the North American continental ice sheet and lies in the interior of the land, providing a water passage into the Laurentian Highlands. From there, the Hudson Bay can be reached by an inland route, with which Aboriginal people were familiar, long before the Europeans arrived. This makes it unique because most fjords, such as those on Baffin Island in British Columbia, Scandinavia, and Chile, empty directly into the ocean. In the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, there are three geomorphological units lying at different levels at the edge of the Laurentian Highlands and the fjord empties into the St. Lawrence River.
It also has a system of faults and escarpments that are clearly visible in the landscapes and is located almost at the centre of a collapsed trough 50 kilometers wide on the edge of the Canadian Shield. This geological stuff is what makes my husband happy and excited.
And so, while I enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of the Saguenay National Park at a leisurely pace after a 45-minute drive from the ship, my husband was fully immersed in examining the area. He was especially attentive during the brief lecture provided to us at the interpretation centre about the creation and characteristics of the fjord, which owes its magnificent topography to a 15-billion meteorite that fell to earth 350 million years ago. He peppered the guide with questions and for a few minutes, they engaged in a discussion that only geologists could comprehend.
The kind guide, however, explain to the rest of us, in layman’s terms, how the fjord was shaped, why the waters of the Saguenay River are so dark and salty, what the sand dunes found in the area really are, and what species can be regularly observed in the park. He also told us about the habits of the beluga whales that inhabit the St. Lawrence River.
The lecture was followed by an easy one-hour hike along the Meandres des Falaises trail. Since it was the fall season, the path was littered by crunchy piles of leaves that had fallen from the trees from previous days. I enjoyed the relaxing stroll amidst the “crunch-crunch” sound of the leaves crushing under our feet.
After the walk, we spent some time at the interpretation centre to look at the exhibit items and get some souvenirs.
Photo Credits:
sepaq.com. viator.com
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