A few weeks ago, Joe and I took a week off to visit my family in Magog, Quebec. Although I miss my family and friends dearly, a whole week sans work presented an ideal opportunity to do some hard-core, unadulterated caching. Seven whole days of exploring the beautiful, raw wilderness of rural Quebec, was far too enticing to pass up!
We began our journey on a rainy Sunday morning. Joe started off as driver, I was the sleepy co-pilot, and Tumbler was the amazing little trooper snoozing in the backseat.
The scene from our car
Our first cache was named “K3: Joe Canuck”, and was situated off highway 401 outside of Kingston, Ontario. We had to make a pit stop, so we also took the opportunity to take Tumbler for a walk and to find the first geocache of our vacation. Joe sprinted across a very busy road to retrieve it, as Tumbler and I found a safe patch of grass to wait for his return. Within minutes we were back on the road to Quebec with our first cache logged.
Record Breaking First Day
The drive to Magog was rather uneventful, with the exception of the $232 speeding ticket I received 20 minutes from my parent’s house. The rain persisted all night and into the next day, but regardless we decided to try some light caching with my folks. We set our sights on a recreational trail, with an abundance of ripe caches. Our first find of the day was called “La Descente”. My parents joyfully searched the banks of the river as Joe mulled over the limited online description, however, I managed to find it hanging in the coniferous tree I was standing beside. We left a breast cancer awareness pin in the geocache, but took nothing.
My parents enjoying the joy of caching
After we were able to break the ice, we proceeded to a more remote section of the trail that cut through a gorgeous rolling pasture. It was starting to rain a bit harder now, but we were determined to get the multiple caches in close proximity to our location. My Dad was very excited to find his first cache in a small tree, and I knew by the look on his face that he was hooked!
My dad finding his first geocache
We trudged along the trail collecting caches as we went, until my father exclaimed, “I’m hungry!” He noticed a patch of blackberries growing on the opposite side of a five-foot wire fence, hopped it like a gazelle and began harvesting the sweet fruit! This seemed to satiate my father for the time being, as we were able to continue on our journey.
The rain was really starting to pound down at this point, but Joe and I had our sights set on a large geocache hiding beneath a small bridge. We had brought a trackable geocoin all the way from Mississauga, and desperately needed to find a large enough cache to deposit it in. The cache’s name was, “Piste – ou est le heron”, it provided no hints but proved to be an easy find regardless. We dropped off the coin, logged it online and discovered that we had moved it 391.8 miles! Not too shabby! Five days later it was picked up by a cacher named TopCoucou. Hopefully it is already on its way to its next destination!
All in all, we were able to find ten caches that day! Making it, one of the most fruitful geocaching days ever! We fully indoctrinated my parents into the wonderful world of caching and survived a very rainy excursion!
Come to the Dark Side… you know you want to!
The next day we ventured to Waterville; a town that is famous for its one religious building and its bridge… yup, that’s it. Oh, and it’s where my best friend Kelley, has currently taken up residence.
Joe and I had a lovely visit with Kelley, her boyfriend Stephane, and their two gorgeous babies, Nayeli and Sukee. But of course, our obsession started to take control as Joe noticed that there seemed to be a geocache in the cemetery across the street. So, we grabbed the kids by the hands and dragged them across the street, telling them that we were going treasure hunting. Within minutes, Stephane had discovered the small container in a clump of trees in the centre of the cemetery. I took nothing, but thought it very appropriate to deposit a Jesus fish that I had picked up in a previous cache.
Stephane was very interested in the idea of caching. He asked us a bunch of questions, which I did my best to answer despite the fact that my French has become quite deplorable since moving to Ontario 12 years ago. After dropping the kids off at daycare/nightcare, we went out for dinner at a local pub, then retrieved an additional two caches in Sherbrooke, with our new caching buddy Stephane. Kelley had to run off to get a massage, boy did she miss out! ;)
Boating, hiking and Mountaineering
The next day, my mom packed a delicious picnic lunch and we headed out to a picturesque park on the shore of Lake Lyster. Lake Lyster is situated in a small town called Baldwin Mills, near the US border and in the shadow of the beautiful Pinacle Mountain. We ate lunch, then found a small unassuming boat rental, where we rented a row boat for two hours. After about an hour, we returned to shore with shore shoulders and extremely sore bottoms.
Pinacle Mountain
Despite the excessive exercise, we decided to tackle the primary trail on the Pinacle. My mom, feeling a little sea sick from the row boat stayed behind in the van while my Dad, Joe and I headed out onto the trail. Our goal was the one cache on the mountain, entitled, “Pinacle: jonction piste 2 et 3”.
The description suggested that it was close to the intersection of trails 2 and 3, and the only clue was that it was in a tree stump. Considering that we were in a dense forested area, the clue did very little to aid in our search; and the heavy tree cover reaped havoc on our GPS. Joe and I fine-tooth-combed the area, but alas it was my father who emerged victorious!
Not Rain Nor Sleet…
Our next day of caching proved to be quite the visual spectacle of nature’s raw power! We set out rather late in the day with my parents, with the intention of taking Tumbler for a walk along the shore of the beautiful Lake Memphrémagog. It had been quite a warm day, but the afternoon sky was starting to look dark and inhospitable. We walked at a quickened pace and found our first cache with little difficulty… then, the heavens opened up and it began to pour!
The four and a half of us, darted back to my parent’s van and watched the gorgeous light show with bated breaths. The lightening danced off the shimmering lake and the thunder rumbled through our small metallic safe haven. I was convinced the storm was going to be short and spectacular. Sure enough, it cleared briefly and we were able to find our second geocache of the evening. Shortly after retrieving it, the torrential rain commenced once more. We decided to call it a night, and wait for nicer, cache conducive weather.
North Hatley Bound
North Hatley is a small, primarily English settled town in the Eastern Townships. It is well known for its scenic, old fashioned ambiance and its lovely Lake Massawippi, inhabited by its very own Lake monster, Wippi. Magog also has a world famous lake monster called Memphré. There is a theory, however, that the two creatures are one and the same. An interesting concept considering the lakes are not visably connected.
A slab of granite with a map of Lake Massawippi, and its lake monster!
The gazebo jutting out into the water in North Hatley
Apparently a long time ago during the winter, there was a large horse drawn sleigh that was traversing the ice on Lake Memphrémagog. The sleigh hit a very unfortunate patch of thin ice, broke through and disappeared beneath the dark waters. The local authorities did a moderate search, but were unable to find any remnants of the vehicle or its passengers. Months later however, various parts of the sleigh began to wash up on the shore of Lake Massawippi! After much investigation, they discovered a series of underground tunnels connecting the two bodies of water. So of course, the elusive lake creature or creatures use these tunnels to travel between lakes. At least that’s the tale I’ve heard… I have no idea if there’s any truth to it, but it makes an interesting story regardless.
We only found two geocaches in North Hatley, however the stunning scenery was well worth the trip. Tumbler in particular had a brilliant time running around in the local parks.
Joe finding a cache in North Hatley
Tumbler taking a much needed break
That evening, we headed to my brother Andy’s house, for dinner. We introduced my three adorable nieces to caching by telling them that we were treasure hunting. I think that the idea of treasures hiding all around you at any given time is an incredibly enticing concept to a child. My niece Melia, was so excited to find her first cache! I can’t wait to do more with them the next time we visit!
Melia finding her first cache ever!
Joe and Bethany
Charlotte
Orford Mountain, our Final Destination
The last day of our week long caching frenzy, brought us to Orford Mountain. Orford is a massive peak in Magog, renown for its amazing skiing, and various hiking trails. Joe and I had done some previous reconnaissance and knew that there were approximately fifteen caches on the mountain, ripe for the picking.
Orford Mountain
My parents, Tumbler, Joe and I set out early in the afternoon. We fought our way through the insane summer traffic in Magog, all the way up to the ski resort on Orford Mountain. Much to our chagrin, however, upon entering the parking lot we noticed a rather alarming, NO DOGS PERMITTED sign! Quebec, unlike Ontario isn’t as progressive when it comes to K9 rights. So, we headed back home, dropped off my Mom and Tumbler, then headed back up the mountain.
Our first attempt of the afternoon, was a terrible failure, so I won’t bore you with those details. We retrieved the next cache however, about 300 feet up the mountain, in the dense forest. It was called “La Foudroyée” and the only clue was that it was inserted in something… not a very helpful hint when you’re battling difficult terrain and thick foliage on the side of a mountain. Never the less, I was able to spot it hidden in a knot in a tree. One down, 14 to go!
Caching on a mountain made me acknowledge two very significant things. First, I am not in as good a shape as I thought I was, and second, my 65 year old father is in incredible physical condition, as he more than kept pace with me. Joe however schooled us both. He effortlessly climbed the rocky terrain, leaving us in his dust!
The second cache we found was another 300 or so feet up the mountain. It was named “La Vieille Souche” (The Old Stump) and the clue insinuated that it was in something that resembled hands. After a few minutes of searching Joe found the cache in a gnarled looking tree stump.
Joe logging the cache
Our third and final cache of the day, that’s right we didn’t get all 15 caches, was another several hundred feet up the mountain’s face. It was named “La 14” and had a photo clue of a tree with a sign on it that said 14. Sure enough we easily found said tree, and my dad was able to retrieve the small container hanging from behind it. Considering that each of us had found one geocache each, and considering I was on the verge of vomiting from overexertion, we decided to head back down the mountain.
My Dad the mountaineer
Joe, Tumbler and I had a wonderfully adventurous time in Quebec. All in all we collected 23 geocaches, bringing our total up to 209! Not only were we able to surpass a significant milestone, we were able to explore the beautiful Eastern Townships, get some much needed rest and relaxation as well as some exercise and we got my parents into Geocaching. It was a GREAT vacation!
