Îles-de-la-Madeleine
near Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec (Canada)
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Trail photos
Itinerary description
Îles de la Madeleine form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of 205.53 square kilometres (79.36 sq mi). Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec. The islands form the territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census division (CD) of Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Its geographical code is 01. The islands also form the urban agglomeration of Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, divided into two municipalities. These are Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine (2006 census pop. 12,560), the central municipality, and Grosse-Île (pop. 531). The mayors are Joêl Arseneau and Rose Elmonde Clarke.
Jacques Cartier was the first European to visit the islands, in 1534. However, Mi'kmaq Indians had been visiting the islands for hundreds of years as part of a seasonal subsistence round probably to harvest the abundant walrus population. A number of archaeological sites have been excavated on the archipelago.
It was named in 1663 by the seigneur of the island, François Doublet, after his wife, Madeleine Fontaine. In 1755, the islands were inhabited by French-speaking Acadians. When the British expelled the Acadians from the rest of what are now the Maritime Provinces of Canada, they did not come as far as the Magdalen Islands. To this day, many inhabitants of the Magdalen Islands (Madelinots) fly the Acadian flag and think of themselves as both Acadians and Québécois. The islands were administered as part of the Colony of Newfoundland from 1763 until 1774, when they were joined to Quebec by the Quebec Act.
Until the 20th century, the islands were completely isolated during the winter, since the pack ice made the trip to the mainland impassable by boat. The inhabitants of the island could not even communicate with the mainland. In the winter of 1910, they sent an urgent request for help to the mainland by writing many letters and sealing them up inside a molasses barrel (or puncheon), which they set adrift. When this reached the shore, on Cape Breton Island, the government sent out an icebreaker to bring aid. Within a few years, the Magdalens were given one of the new wireless telegraph stations so that the inhabitants could at least have some communication in the winter. The puncheon is now famous, and every tourist shop sells replicas.
At one time, large walrus herds were found near the islands but they had been eliminated due to overhunting by the end of the 18th century. The islands' beaches provide habitat for the endangered Piping Plover and the Roseate Tern.
Jacques Cartier was the first European to visit the islands, in 1534. However, Mi'kmaq Indians had been visiting the islands for hundreds of years as part of a seasonal subsistence round probably to harvest the abundant walrus population. A number of archaeological sites have been excavated on the archipelago.
It was named in 1663 by the seigneur of the island, François Doublet, after his wife, Madeleine Fontaine. In 1755, the islands were inhabited by French-speaking Acadians. When the British expelled the Acadians from the rest of what are now the Maritime Provinces of Canada, they did not come as far as the Magdalen Islands. To this day, many inhabitants of the Magdalen Islands (Madelinots) fly the Acadian flag and think of themselves as both Acadians and Québécois. The islands were administered as part of the Colony of Newfoundland from 1763 until 1774, when they were joined to Quebec by the Quebec Act.
Until the 20th century, the islands were completely isolated during the winter, since the pack ice made the trip to the mainland impassable by boat. The inhabitants of the island could not even communicate with the mainland. In the winter of 1910, they sent an urgent request for help to the mainland by writing many letters and sealing them up inside a molasses barrel (or puncheon), which they set adrift. When this reached the shore, on Cape Breton Island, the government sent out an icebreaker to bring aid. Within a few years, the Magdalens were given one of the new wireless telegraph stations so that the inhabitants could at least have some communication in the winter. The puncheon is now famous, and every tourist shop sells replicas.
At one time, large walrus herds were found near the islands but they had been eliminated due to overhunting by the end of the 18th century. The islands' beaches provide habitat for the endangered Piping Plover and the Roseate Tern.
Waypoints
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10 ft
Point 1
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-3 ft
Point 2
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10 ft
Point 3
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26 ft
Point 4
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20 ft
Point 5
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0 ft
Point 6
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0 ft
Point 7
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0 ft
Point 8
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7 ft
Point 9
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20 ft
Point 10
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0 ft
Point 11
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3 ft
Point 12
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0 ft
Point 13
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0 ft
Point 14
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0 ft
Point 15
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Point 16
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46 ft
Point 17
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Point 18
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Point 19
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0 ft
Point 20
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13 ft
Point 21
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16 ft
Point 22
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Point 23
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Point 24
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7 ft
Point 25
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0 ft
Point 26
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0 ft
Point 27
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26 ft
Point 28
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33 ft
Point 29
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3 ft
Point 30
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0 ft
Point 31
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Point 32
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Point 33
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0 ft
Point 34
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Point 37
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Point 39
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Point 40
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Point 41
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3 ft
Point 42
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30 ft
Point 43
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33 ft
Point 44
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0 ft
Point 45
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20 ft
Point 46
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7 ft
Point 47
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0 ft
Point 48
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This one was difficult for me, just because of the extreme distance involved... The gradients was negligible though.