Getting away from it all
Whenever we go to the Lower North Shore in the summer, we always try to make it down to “the cabin” for a day or two. For people unfamiliar with The Coast, many people have small cabins on the islands in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence which they visit most summer week-ends. As you can see in the photograph below, this are pretty basic accomodations, with no electricity or running water - except for the advanced aqueduct below : ) I think thie Coaster tradition of going to “The Cabin” started with the original settlers having fishing camps on the islands near where they fishing during the summer. Since people would have to row or sail to their fishing grounds, it made sense to live on the islands where they were fishing. These days, almost all of the cabins are recreational, and with power boats, they are only about one hour away from the village.
The islands are mostly hard rock, and the hills are covered with a thin layer of bouncy moss. It makes the hiking very easy, and if you trip and fall, the moss USUALLY cushions your fall. A hike to the top of one of the hills will usually reward you with a nice view of the ocean, and other islands. Our kids also like to roll down the moss covered hills on the way back.
This would definitely not be considered an adventure vacation, but it is just really nice to go to an island where there are no other people, and no distractions, and relax. It is hard to describe, but it is really nice when there are no phones, cars, T.V., or any of our modern “conveniences”. I am not a Luddite, and we have our cell phones, Black Berries, Ipods etc, but not having any of these items around really does force you to relax. For example, a typical day at the cabin will involve a hike over the island, collecting mussels at low tide for lunch, drift wood for a fire, and maybe picking some berries for dessert.
Another advantage of the islands in the summer, is that lack of many trees, and the breeze from the ocean, means that there are not as many flies as there are on the mainland. This is a big advantage in the North, and probably also helps to explain the popularity of a cabin on an island in the summer.
In any case, there is getting away from it all, but going to the cabin is really getting away from it all.
