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The Gaspésie on Foot

A forest landscape crossed by a river. At the bottom of the photograph, two native men are handling a canoe with poles. On the bank of the river we can see a teepee and, in the distance, some rustic houses at the foot of two hills.

Photograph

La Fourche, 1872-1875

Henderson, Alexander

Library and Archives Canada

PA-022479

Travelling to the Gaspésie often meant doing it the old-fashioned way – on foot. A handful of travellers have left written accounts of their experiences, providing a record of the extraordinary hardships endured by travellers, particularly in the winter months.

When painter William Berczy walked on snowshoes from Paspédiac to Rimouski in February, 1802, he chewed on frozen soup as his food source. His trip had every kind of weather and a few accidents. The native guide fell through the ice on the Matapédia River, was pulled out and dried off, but still led the group on their journey until nightfall.

Most who visited the region employed native guides to navigate through the forest and find the portages around lakes and rivers. Travellers had to make their own accommodation. Berczy called his temporary homes “cabins”, but they were really just lean-tos in the woods, offering modest protection from the snow and the wind.