Monday 8 June 2026--"The Magdalens are an archipelago of about a dozen islands, seven of which are inhabited. Six of these are connected by long strands of beach and dune, causeways, and bridges." So I wrote in the entry for 1 September 2012, followed by several paragraphs on history and general background. I will refer you to that page, if you want a refresher.

Last night was cold and rainy, a good night to stay in the hotel. This morning is cool and clear, a most inviting welcome for the roving photographer. I booked two nights at Château Madelinot so that I could spend the day in the northern half of the archipelago. But first, caffeine. L'Îlot Café-Buvette, just outside Cap-aux-Meules, does the trick, serving me a Canadiano (as many Canadian cafés call Americanos these days) and pastry.

Then away to the north. I drive 35 miles nonstop, through Île du Havre-aux-Maisons, Pointe aux Loups, and Grosse-Île, to the terminus of route 199 in Grande-Entrée. The port there, said to be the lobster capital of the isles, seems less charming to me than it did fourteen years ago, although I'm sure it has changed little. I duck down side roads to see Plage (beach) de La Pointe and Plage du Bassin Ouest. Then I walk out onto Île Boudreau, which hangs off the end of Plage du Bassin Ouest--islands here are the knobs of red sandstone solid enough to be considered permanent, unlike the beaches and dunes. The trail passes through a scruffy bit of woods before emerging at the top of a slope looking down on the tip of the island, which defines the entrance to the Bassin aux Huîtres (Oyster Basin). Here, it is clear that permanence is relative; three small mounds are all that is left of the ridge of sandstone I saw in 2012, and which the trail traversed not too long before that.

Erosion is a fact of life here. The peculiar pillars and arches I saw in the islands' characteristic soft sandstone cliffs in 1994 were gone by 2012, replaced by some other peculiar pillars and arches a bit farther back, which in turn will have been worn away by now. A road along the cliffs at Havre-Aubert has disappeared, and every now and then a Madelinot is obliged to literally move house. The locals have learned not to build in vulnerable places, but incomers occasionally put up vacation homes in unwise spots. Sea rise is, of course, making things worse. The narrow beaches at the base of the cliffs help to dissipate wave energy; even incremental rise accelerates the undercutting of cliffs. As well, ocean warming is shortening the period of ice cover year after year, making the islands more and nore vulnerable to winter storms. It might seem odd, but the fact that the tide in the middle of the Gulf is less than a meter is not helpful. The worst damage is done by storms that coincide with high tide. In a place with extreme tides, like the Bay of Fundy, the period of highest tide is quite brief. Here in the Gulf, the tide is never far from high.

Despite all this, the islands themselves are in no danger of disappearing anytime soon. The long strands of dune connecting them are another matter. Studies show that some stretches are within a few decades of being breached. Loss of the road links would be the least of the consequences. The ecology of the lagoons would disappear, and, of more import to any humans who may still be around, groundwater reserves would be threatened by increasing salinity. Madelinots are working on a number of mitigation techniques. Something as simple as a strategically-placed snow fence can help to fortify the dunes.

[A story in Hakai Magazine in 2022 gives more detail on the ongoing efforts.]

I retrace my steps to the car, then go for a look at Plage du Bassin Est, then the broad, magnificent crescent of Plage de la Grande Échouerie. Échouerie translates as "haulout"--this was a favored spot for the vast walrus herd that once inhabited the Magdalens to come ashore. Walrus were hunted out of existence here, and the tourist literature tends to blame the Basques who fished the waters of the Gulf long before French settlement. The fact that the haulout has a French name suggests otherwise, and in fact 1799 is the date usually given for extirpation. The beach is a four-mile stretch of the ten miles of sand that rims the Pointe-de-l'Est, a peninsula that sits atop the Magdalens like a gnome's hat. Much of it is taken up by the Réserve nationale de faune de la Pointe-de-l'Est. This is the largest expanse of wild land in the Magdalens. I think I could spend days here...or could have, back when I could spend all day on my feet. I manage about an hour on the beach today.

I drive down to Grosse-Île's harbor to see if Cap Dauphin's Fish Shack is really still closed for the season, as Google claims. It is. Scots settled here in the late 18th century; they included Harry Clarke, for whom the hamlet of Old Harry is named. After the province of Québec amalgamated the Magdalens into a single municipality in 2002, the 500 English-speaking residents of Grosse-Île opted out. The dwindling population of Entry Island, the only other anglophone community in the isles, now sends their school-age children to board here during the school week.

Back south I go. I think it would be worthwhile to spend a few days up north, but there aren't a lot of options for lodgings. The one hotel, Auberge la Salicorne, is a bit pricey, and emphasizes activity-oriented packages.

On Île du Havre-aux-Maisons, I visit Le Fumoir d'Antan. Here, a restored smokehouse smokes salmon, mackerel, cheese, and whatever else needs smoking. I pick up a few things, then visit the Fromagerie du Pied-De-Vent, which produces the islands' domestic cheese. Back in my room, I nosh on smoked mackerel, and feed a bit to a friendly orange cat who shows up sniffing outside my door. Then I'm down for a nap.

It's late when I get up again. I haven't made any plans for dinner...don't want to drop another hundred dollars or so in the hotel restaurant, but I know a lot of restaurants in Cap-aux-Meules will be closed on a Monday. All of them, in fact, I find on a drive-through. Drive to the IGA up the road in Havre-aux-Maisons, but I'm too late. The Dépanneur de la Plage, a convenience store, is open, and there I find a packaged cold cut sub, which will have to do. I guess I should have planned better.