View From The Top Traditional Cache
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Not your typical P&G.
This cache will bring you to the top of Oiseau Rock.
For centuries, travellers going up the Kichi Sibi (meaning Great River in Algonquin) stopped by the magnificent Pinesîe Asin to admire the ancient native pictograms painted on the rock surface with a mixture of red ochre and fish oil. A discerning eye will recognize the shape of a canoe, a bear, a fish, a man, a Jesuit missionary, and even the figure of the Manitou Nanabijou. Some believe the drawings to be metaphorical interpretations of spiritual events, others, secret messages left for their allies. Regardless, archaeologists have thus far inventoried over 60 of these pictograms, making Oiseau Rock one of the most important rock-art sites in North America.
From the annals of several historical figures, dating as far back as 1615, we learn that Oiseau Rock is a spiritual place for the Algonquin. According to legend, the cliff was once a man who rose out of the river with his arms extended to the sky, unifying earth, water and air, three sacred elements for the Algonquin who also believed that Oiseau Rock was a portal through which the spirits of the departed could ascend to the Spirit World.
The rock is said to have been named for the peregrine falcons that once nested there in droves. In First Nations cosmology, the peregrine falcon is a protector against evil spirits; the Algonquin would make gifts of tobacco to the rock in return for a safe passage.
Centuries after the explorers, the missionaries and the fur traders traveled past Oiseau Rock, contemporary man arrived, eager to leave his mark. Today, most of the pictograms that were still visible to the naked eye despite the ravages of time and nature are partially hidden under layers of graffiti.
An interpretive trail, which was officially opened to the public last summer, is one of a series of actions undertaken by concerned citizens and local government to educate the public, and make visitors from both sides of the river agents of conservation.
The Oiseau Rock hiking trail is four kilometres long (one way). It is classified ‘beginner level’, but hikers who don’t mind adding a challenging 1.5 kilometres to their trek have the option of climbing down to Oiseau Point where they can enjoy the beach and closer views of the cliff. It is important to note that we must get close to the rock face by water to see the pictograms.
Along the trail, interpretation panels tell the history of Oiseau Rock, from its formation after the last ice age, to the Algonquin who inhabited the area in the 1600s, their spiritual beliefs, and the many people who stopped by Oiseau Rock over the centuries. Natural look-outs along the trail also invite a pause to admire some of the most spectacular views on the Ottawa River. Finally, at the very top, there’s a small lake where the water is always crystal clear. And as we look up to the sky, we can sometimes spy a peregrine falcon, the Thunder Bird, venerated for thousands of years by the First Nations of Québec.
Pîjâshig. Pinesîe Asin Mîkânsing. Welcome to Oiseau Rock Trail.
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