Autumn colors in the Laurentians. El otoño en el bosque laurenciano.
This last autumn we went paddling in an area north of Montreal known as Laurentides. Specifically in Lake Ouareau. I spend a weekend doing a paddle clinic for the Spicer family and friends. Marian Spicer who is a photographer as well as a paddler did a great job capturing the moment: right place at the right time, the leaves had been changing colors for a few weeks and they were showing the full spectrum of fall colors, sub zero tempratures had throw at us one of the first snow precipitations and all the ingredients were right for this splendid landscape.
The amazing colors didn't stop the temperature from droping. We went out in -2 Celsius and some wind. Mittens, a thermos of tea and lots of snack helped us to face the conditions. After practicing some rescues (yes! rescues) and strokes we made it back to the Spicer's home where we had a great dinner together, some mezcal artesanal (a small scale production liquor made in Oaxaca, Mexico from wild agave) and wine.
Once Marian showed us the pictures we were even more satisfied of our adventure......sure the mezcal helped with the good feelin!
A special thanks goes to Marian Spicer for the pictures and to Michel Malo for organizing this paddling weekend and -despite the cold- choosing the right date for experiencing this.
El otoño pasado fuimos a remar al lago Ouareau en una zona al norte de Montreal conocida como Laurentides o bosque laurenciano, nombre proveniente del rio San Lorenzo. Durante el fin de semana di una clase de kayak a la familia Spicer y algunos amigos. Marian Spicer que ademas de kayakera es fotógrafa y que hizo una excelente labor capturando el momento, estando en el lugar preciso y a la hora precisa intemporalizó con su lente el paisaje: las hojas tenían un par de semanas cayendo por lo que habían alcanzado todo su esplendor en la paleta de colores. A su vez, nos había caído una de las primeras nevadas del año con lo que se dieron las condiciones perfectas para apreciar el fenomenó natural.
Un agradecimiento especial para Marian Spicer por las fotos y a Michel Malo por organizar el fin de semana.
