Midwinter Fun And Salmon Harvesting !!

 

The Rivière Montmorency flows through Saint-Brigitte-de-Laval  , a small municipality not far from where we live , and cascades into the Saint Lawrence River just East of Québec City......a truly marvellous sight to behold ........its mighty waters crashing onto the bedrock below.........In Summer folks come here to picnic , frolic or simply enjoy the scenery and sounds. In Winter they come here to take in the metamorphic transformation of the Falls into a solid wall of ice , literally thousands of giant icicles frozen together into one humungous bluish - white rampart. Some even come equipped with special boots and icepicks , etc ready to climb the massive bulwark as captured in January photo of Falls. These daring climbers are not only reaping  physical benefits from this activity but also material and nutritive ones. The following paragraph will explain.

Many salmon making their way upstream through rapids , over cascades and falls to their spawning grounds are late..... and last-minute stragglers are part and parcel of all societies whether men or fish......and while hurdling themselves upwards  during the Big Freeze become instantaneously immobilized in midair  and immediately  embedded in the fast-forming ice at whatever level or height they reach in their frantic leap. The climber uses his icepick or pickaxe to extract the salmon from their icy tomb and drop them to friends eagerly awaiting below. And a fun-packed afternoon followed by a copious meal make for a rewarding day indeed for all participants !!    

P.S. Please enlarge for better viewing !