On the long weekend of March 4th – 6th, I took a quick trip to Quebec City to hike at the Sentier des Caps, La Faille trail. Accompanying me was my trusty side-kick, who took all the photos that I’m in.
Upon arrival Friday night, we checked ourselves into a self-check-in “loft” called Les Lofts du Théâtre. It provided a comfortable and clean room, large shower, and an extremely comfy bed. For my back pains, I either need to be sleeping on a concrete couch, or a cotton-candy mattress – anything in between completely throws my back off in the morning.
The door to the room requires “pulling” the door handle while simultaneously typing the door-code on a digital touchpad. Much more difficult than expected; one of the few times where the interface between mechanical and digital will leave you saying “will you fuck-off already” as you attempt the maneuver for the 5th time with a full bladder. This loft is located very close to a parking lot that charges a measly $18 per day (don’t listen to the cocks on Google Reviews telling you the prices are outrageous), and you can purchase for as many days as you wish. It has ample space.
Bati Bassac serves Cambodian cuisine and was the first night’s dinner destination. We ate the “Rouleau Pailin” as an entrée which looks like a fully transparent condom sized to fit an Arctic diver, stuffed with vegetables and pork. As well we shared two main-course dishes; one called “Terre et mer Kompong Cham” – we just said “Terre et mer” when we ordered it. It consists of lamb chops, scallops, mushrooms and a zucchini filled with goodies (photo blelow). The “Pad Thai street style” comes highly recommended by the cock-heads at Google Reviews. Well, they were right!
The next morning, after breakfast at Cochon Dingue, we headed to the Sentier des Caps check-in to commence our hike. Here we received the parking-barrier code for parking location P1. When travelling with a hungry companion, much of the organization is centered around three facets of existence: A) eating B) shitting C) napping. The three feed off each other in a cycle that one can only break by not eating (good luck).
The check-in and parking are close by (map below). One can also rent snowshoes before embarking on the hike at the check-in. This is also a great time to consider taking a much needed cleansing of the bowels; better now than four kilometers down the trail when negotiations between your will to press forward and your bowels will take place.
The trail we had chosen to hike goes by the name “La Faille”, and extends into a trail named “Anse de la Montée du Lac (Tour d’observation)”. The AllTrails map for this specific hike can be found here. It has an elevation gain of roughly 315 meters.
The trail took us to two observation points. The first opens up onto a view of the St. Lawrence. At this point, the St. Lawrence is moving with a steady flow, guiding floating ice on its surface along with it. It parallels a similar phenomenon one may notice about our own existence – so many events and occurrences force us towards a destination we could never guide ourselves to willingly. Luckily the ice and water below it are of the same material substance. In a sense they trust each other; they will integrate within each other as the days warm. In life, the force that pulls you forward is completely dissociated from the being it drives (yourself) yet the source of the former is impossible to identify… impossible to integrate ourselves into with time. Arguably full integration will be met upon our final hour.
Following the first lookout, we arrived at an area called “Refuge la Faille”, which is essentially just a frigid outhouse. Following ahead we reach the second lookout. This one was much more difficult to reach, and at this point the snowshoes came in handy: steeper landscape, heavier winds, snowier trail. As one reaches the peak of the mountain where the observatory awaits, an interesting phenomenon occurs. Like the sudden onset of a storm, the winds gust violently and the trees dance in response. The entire environment becomes alive, and for a person like myself who is terrified of heights and elevated lookouts, it unapologetically taunted me. This three-story lookout tested my fears, though for most would be embarrassingly simple to face.
As I reached the second story and took in the vastness of the land and the clear sky above, my existential fears regarding my finite time on this earth, as well as the impossible-to-grasp majestic weight of this planet’s creations suddenly hit. I climbed the final staircase on my knees, and remained in that position for a few minutes as heavy gusts of wind simulated a forceful push. Coupled with my fear of heights, this felt like an attempt to push me off the observatory (this, I know, could never happen). The photos below show the dizzying view. I did manage to get myself on my feet for a few photos.
Coming down from the observatory I was invigorated by my conquered fears (though they are not completely resolved). With a new sense of accomplishment and energy, we finished the remaining 5 km of the hike. Towards the end of the hike, we came to the realization that snowshoes should not be used in all occasions where snow is present. Primarily it should be used when snow levels are high, not when traversing flat and compacted snow. The weight of the snowshoes – which may seem inconsequential at the start of the hike – takes its toll over a 3-4 hour hike. My recommendation (not researched) is to keep snowshoes in a backpack until one reaches steep terrain (incline or decline), or if snow levels are uncomfortably high. Thus they should be used based on the nature of the obstacle and terrain ahead, and not just because one is traversing atop a snowy surface. To further complicate matters, some snowshoes are made for flat terrain, and others are meant for heavy snow-covered terrain. See this guide for more information.
The next morning we packed our luggage and left. We visited Cochon Dingue one last time, but at an alternate location east of the first. Again, eating an unhealthy portion of breakfast (warm apple & cinnamon french toast), my stomach was bloated and it was time for a walk. In these moments I ask myself if my destiny is really to spend my valuable time stuffing my face two hours after rising only to feel the onset of fatigue an hour later because of this poor decision making. It has the effect of completely sapping the life out of me, and I get the sense of completely wasting precious life away. There are many things which I complain about not having the time to accomplish – yet at the first sight of a vacation I take every liberty to drown it down with unproportioned quantities of food.
We finished the trip kicking around the sloped streets of ice and snow, saw Chateau Frontenac for the dozenth time and once the freezing rain began we knew it was time to head home.
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