We arrived at the port at 7am and were given a very entertaining welcome to Saguenay by a group of circus entertainers on stilts. We spent the first hour trying to decide what to do as we had not planned any tours. Finally we decided to hire a car and drive ourselves out to Saguenay Fjord National Park.
The Saguenay River is a fjord. This majestic fjord has been carved out by ancient glaciers and ranks as the most southerly fjord in the northern hemisphere. Saguenay Fjord is just over 100 kilometres long and over 3 kilometres wide and it is the only fjord in North America that is navigable by cruise ships. Its waters are home to four species of whales, 54 species of fish and other marine animals.
Fishing its waters, taking a launch cruise around parts of the fjord, sailing or canoeing are great pastimes that people enjoy in this beautiful area. The drive out to Saguenay Fjord National Park took about an hour from the port. We drove through little hamlets, over mountains with huge pine forests and villages with shops and parklands and a church. Ken handled driving on the right-hand side of the road, very well and I managed to read the map and guide our direction better than I thought I would. The National Park covers a huge area and when we arrived two of the three car parks were almost full of hikers and canoeists. We decided to do a 3-4 hour hike that headed up the mountain and overlooked the fjord.
The hike began with a walk through beech and pine trees along the edge of the waters of the fjord. Then we began a steady climb up the mountain on a zig-zag trail. edge of the fjordIt It was a really sunny day with temperatures of about 30C but it was also very humid so it wasn't long before we found the uphill climb hot but challenging. However, the views were amazing and provided the rest and distraction needed because of the humidity. This weather is extreme for Saguenay where summer temperatures are usually sunny and a warm 22C at the most. The park guide told us that yesterday the temperature was a massive 40C - again our comment: another example of climate change being a reality! As we climber higher we had beautiful views of the river below and we could hear some unusual bird sounds. Try as we did we could not locate the birds since they were high up in the pine forest branches and so we were not able to identify them, but we enjoyed their melodious sounds as we climbed the steeper tracks.
There were quite a few people climbing the mountain and others walking back down. We would greet them with "Bonjour!" Many times these people were fellow Aussies from the ship and they would reply with, " Bonjour" too, assuming that we were French speaking locals. Then when Ken added, " G'day!" To his greeting they would laugh knowing that Ken had tricked them. Ken tried this all the way up the mountain and I guess this made the difficulty of hike more bearable. After about an hour and a half, I was sweating profusely so I suggested that Ken go ahead up the track because I needed to slow down and climb at my own pace. Ken went on ahead and I plodded on for the next half hour before resting on a boulder on the side of the track. I looked down at the view below and realised just how far and high I'd come from the spot by the Visitors Centre below. The breeze was cooling and I continued to climb up but it wasn't easy.
Ken went a lot higher than I did but I did enjoy the sights and meeting people on the track. The sheer cliff face with pine trees on the top looked daunting and I decided to rest and wait for Ken to return. I was a bit disappointed that I'd not reached the summit but Ken said the views at the top were similar to the level where I had ended my hike so I didn't!t feel like I'd missed anything except the extra ' blood, sweat and tears. We walked back down the mountain track together and I appreciated Ken's strong hands on the streper down hill steps and uneven ground surfaces. Towards the lower part of the track we stopped to rest on picnic tables set up in a natural amphitheatre under a massive rocKy overhang. There, over a cool drink and a pastry, Ken shared the photographs he'd taken from the top of the mountain. We ended our hike beside the fjord where we relaxed as we watched families canoeing across the waters.
It was still quite humid and very sunny as we drove out of Saguenay Fjord National Park , over the mountains and to our next venue. We drove back towards Saguenay and into the into the delta area where the Chicoutimi River flows joins the wide Saguenay fiord River . In 1996 these rivers broke their banks and caused devastating flooding all over the town. The force of water that flowed was equal to that of Niagara Falls and many homes and businesses were totally destroyed by the flooding. One little house that was built on solid rock , withstood the raging waters, even though the river ran through the tiny building. The lady occupant refused to leave her house and had to be rescued the following day as hers was the only house still standing. Today the Little White House is a tourist attraction, with water still running through it as a testimony to building your house on solid rock. ( as recorded in the Bible) Tourists can walk through the house and experience the sound of rushing waters under the floor boards. We took a photograph of a photograph showing the house during the rampaging flood waters and of the lady being rescued in 1996.
On the way back to the ship we made a quick visit to another unusual building- a 21 metre high aluminium pyramid structure which was built to commemorate the spirit of comradeship, bravery and heroism of the people in the area who lost homes and loved ones during the 1996 floods. There are over 100 steps to climb within this structure but the view from the top is worth the climb. Dusting summer concerts are held on the lawns below the red pyramid house.
