Carpe Le Pause!
Oh, mid-semester break: 48 sweet extra hours tacked onto the third weekend in October, granted to us by the almighty academic calendar-makers, that we St. Lawrence University students all use in diverse and creative ways. For some, it’s a time to see family, relax and recharge, and eat all the food we can find in our childhood homes. For others, it’s a great opportunity to catch up on midterms, experience campus life without all the hustle and bustle, or spend quality time with friends outside of just staring at your individual laptops together in the library.
For the very bold few, mid-semester break serves as a calling for grand adventure: four perfect days to conquer that Adirondack range you’ve always dreamed of climbing, or make that trip to the big city. While in the past I’ve played it safe and always done something I thought would be more low-effort and relaxing, this time I was inspired to go all out. I decided to hop on a trip to Saguenay Fjord National Park in Quebec with two of my housemates in the Outing Club—Emerson Brott ’25 and Charlie Porter ’23, along with five awesome participants. I didn’t know much about the area at all, only that we had a plan to go sea kayaking on Friday and were likely going to see whales (yes, whales!) swimming at the mouth of the fjord as it enters the St. Lawrence Seaway.
We arrived at our geodesic dome Airbnb in the tiny town of Baie Sainte Catherine in the dark on Thursday, so we didn’t really get a sense of what the area really looked like. We had made a stop in old Quebec City on our drive up, and to see the immaculate preservation of one of the oldest European settlements in North America was incredible. It easily could have been a whole weekend trip on its own.
That night, we jumped on a quick—and somewhat accidental—ferry ride across the fjord to the larger town of Tadoussac for groceries (fun fact: the village was settled just a few years before Quebec City), cooked dinner, huddled around a fire and went to bed. When we awoke the next day, the sun was shining, the leaves were glowing, and we could see the ocean waves lapping at the base of cliff beneath us. We spent the morning riding the ferry, exploring the town, and playing frisbee golf at the local course. I could not get over how quaint and vaguely Scandinavian all the buildings looked (lots of white houses with red trim), and how clear, blue and cold the water was.
In the afternoon, we drove through beautiful mountains and rolling farming valleys up to the town of Sainte-Fiacre, which sits further inland on the fjord. We were there for one thing and one thing only: sea kayaking. As we paddled through the glassy water, listening to our super cool guide, Anthony, tell us about the geological history of the fjord, and stopping every 20 minutes or so to admire the rock formations and feel the warm sun on our faces, I started to feel a sense of peace and rejuvenation I haven’t felt since before school started in August. Maybe an epic adventure can be just as relaxing as loafing around after all?
Saturday morning consisted of a beautiful ferry ride—during which we saw a minke whale diving through the water off the left side of the boat—and an absolutely meditative few hours spent lounging by the water outside of Tadoussac. We then went further up the coast to a “guaranteed” whale spotting point—as recommended to us by a local—and saw, you guessed it, more whales. We also saw a few seals! We spent the evening drinking local brews in Tadoussac, eating poutine and cheese fondue, watching the Montréal Canadiens play the New York Rangers at the pub, and practicing our French, which proved to be a challenge for someone who’s taken Spanish her whole life.
On Sunday morning, we parted ways with our dome home, the kind people and unique Québécois culture we encountered along the way, and the breathtaking coastline of the province, but knew that we would cherish our photos, our memories, and the quiet sense of peace we all found on that one fateful mid-semester break. The moral of the story? Next mid-semester, I highly encourage you to explore somewhere new, to get out of your comfort zone, and join those thrill-seekers in the Outing Club or the Outdoor Program on their adventures. Or plan one of your own! Seize the break! Or rather, carpe le pause!