Parc Jacques-Cartier

So I have wanted to go the Parc National de la Jacques Cartier for a really, really long time. On the 25^th I finally got to go!

As per usual, a quick bit of background information for you guys- hello Wikipedia. This is an incredibly vast provincial park just 31 miles North of Quebec City, so not too far of a journey. Naturally, the park is an exceptionally popular location amongst tourists due to its breath-taking scenery, not to mention the various hiking routes offered. There’s pretty much a hike for everyone, an easy, medium and difficult; it’s just down to what you prefer. My buddies and I chose the difficult one named Les Loup… (The wolves) A rather encouraging name for a hike (!)

We left the university campus at 9:15AM and arrived around 10:00AM; the weather didn’t seem to be on our side, so I was slightly worried it would rain, thankfully it didn’t. We got on the bus, which dropped us off in the surroundings of the relevant area, and we were ready to face Les Loups. Believe it or not, the hike was surprisingly easy! I mean, maybe I’ve just been scarred with the trek I had to go through at the Fôret Montmorency, I definitely felt, and still feel invincible after that torturous experience (as well as rewarding of course). Anyway, without a doubt this was a much easier workout. I especially loved it since I was able to meet so many wonderful people from around the globe. It was so easy to talk to one another; everywhere I turned somebody new was ready to share their story with me, no matter how short or how long. Being here does not only give me the opportunity to learn about the culture of Quebec, but I continuously learn about various other cultures, I am forever grateful for this enriching opportunity.

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It probably took us about 2 hours to get to the peak- a view beyond words, honestly. The best part was digging into our lunch on the edge of the summit, literally. At this point the clear blue sky had replaced the clouded grey sky that I am awfully familiar with (Oh, thank you London) and suddenly the sun was beaming away.

Simplement magestueux.

Lunching the Canadian way!

Unfortunately, like all good things, it was time to leave. We made it back in a relatively quick amount of time, just a little over one hour. Whilst on the bus making our way back to the main area, we stumbled across a moose casually taking a stroll, not in the slightest concerned by our presence. My first ever encounter with a moose!

Once we arrived at the main part of the park, we were all exhausted and decided to chill beneath the sun, by this time it was almost time to go back home. Let’s just say I got a good night’s sleep later that evening.

I cannot wait to go back, but this time when the snow begins to fall. I’ve been told these locations change in their entirety during the winter season. Hopefully, the extreme cold will not scare me away.