Things I never want to forget about A6 2000
Brynn (Taylor) Pewtherer
December 15, 2017
The first summer I worked for TMW, I somehow found myself headed for Quebec on the first Fjord du Saguenay A6 with John Gibson. Janie did an amazing job – as always – of organizing a trip in lands far to the north from our home base in CT. We were in good company as almost all of the kids had been raised in the AA programs so they knew the drill. After all these years, and through all the places I’ve visited, that place and that group has stuck with me like few others.
We drove to Quebec City and stayed in a hostile with the kids – roaming the city for hours at a time. We drove north to the Fjord and started our backpack along the north shore. We slept in tents and some nights, cabins along the cliffs of the Fjord (you all should go there!).
Far up in the Fjord, we were picked up in zodiacs and taken to our kayaks and paddled our way back to our starting location. It was truly epic. The tides of the Fjord are no joke. Often we felt like we would paddle 3 strokes forward to go 4 lengths back. It felt like the open ocean. We camped along the edge on tent platforms. We ate blueberries by the handful. We hiked up high to watch for the elusive beluga whales who call the Saguenay home.
One night, the guides said the tide would be extra big that night—and if I’m remembering correctly, there was rain too. John and I looked out at the sea of tents on platforms along the fjord that night and took a deep breath. Not sure I ever went to sleep. In the middle of the night, we were up. Waves were splashing over the tent platforms and the kids were basically each on their own island. Pretty sure that memory has served as fodder for my anxiety dreams for the past 17 years. But we made it. The kids were wet but fine.
When I got home, I wrote down the things I never wanted to forget about that trip and it has somehow has remained in my files all these years. Especially for you, John:
Listening to the loon, hearing and seeing the line of waves across the Saguenay. Hearing the waves coming closer.
Sitting on the hill above camp, looking over the fjord, eating blueberries and watching for belugas with Christine and Pascal.
Wondering if you would all be there on the platforms when we woke in the morning. My nightmares about not being able to get to you.
Dave and Brian’s quick u-turn as a cute paddler moved by
A mud fight that we can all be proud of
That field on the last day of backpacking that smelled like dried raspberries and we could never figure out where it was coming from…
In the rough water, the feeling of not being able to rest for fear of being blown backward.
Seeing familiar places up high from our backpack as we moved along the fjord in kayaks
Mary Ellen and Erika in their kayak singing songs they made up about the group
Everything was so wet that night and mother nature smiled on us again and gave us a day to dry off
Zach and Chris constantly moving in behind me and flipping my rudder up. Grrrr…
Paddling silently along the steep rock cliff with laughs and singing echoing back from the other kayaks
Huge El Capitan-esque rocks that towered above us as we started out from Bay Eternite
Understanding the power of the tides and those weird white lines in the water we later saw from above
The range of ecosystems from rocky high barren lands to pine to wet forests to beach – all of it right here
Visualizing 900+ feet below me as we paddle
How good it felt to NOT be in that cruise ship when we came back to civilization
A wild, beautiful, warm motorcycle ride with Alain to get necessary (feminine hygiene) supplies and chatting with 5 men in a remote market about why I was there.
Show me the way to go home, I’m tired and I want to go…
Minker covered in mud and unable to find water to rinse off because her eyes are covered in mud as well.
Anik’s laugh
The lichen and glacier skid marks all over the rocks
The sound of water; the salt on my skin
Kayaking for 40 minutes and not having any idea what I was thinking about the whole time
The park service visitors dropping in and …
Brynn: You guys, all the stuff outside of your tents on these platforms might be gone in the morning when the tide comes in…
The look on John’s face after he’s been paddling.
The night paddle with John and the not-knowing where the beluga would pop up again and John, did you see that – I could barely speak.
The huge wave/tide down the middle of the fjord as the water rushes out.
The mountains through the fog on the last day
Kayaks disappearing into the fog bank
That feeling upon leaving the group in the East Ridge parking lot that felt just like homesickness…
John, you were the perfect partner in crime and, I believe, about a month away from getting married. It was a big summer. Thank you for sharing that with me. Thanks to Cork, Sue and Janie for trusting us with it. I obviously will never forget it. Those “kids” probably now have kids of their own. [gulp
Thanks for all the adventures.
Much love and happy holidays,
Brynn (Taylor) Pewtherer
