Blue Sea Lake
November 11, 2020
Photographer: Daniel Leclerc
Summary Author: Daniel Leclerc
Probably every lake has its own story, some of them may even have several stories. The Canadian Shield dates back to the Precambrian. It is therefore one of the oldest rocky surfaces on the planet. Almost half of all of Canada's land area is covered by this rocky shield, which is characterized by thousands of small lakes, shallow soil, and rolling hills. Ten thousand years ago, the great glaciers began to melt and the retreating ice created deep furrows and produced a multitude of lakes and rivers. These lakes are therefore mainly the result of glacial erosion which has shaped the landscape. For example, the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau has more than 3,200 lakes on its territory and the Blue Sea Lake, which is more than 6 miles (10 km) long is one of them. The waters of this lake have a particular clarity.
Legends tell of the existence of sea monsters in certain lakes. The old Native Canadian legend of Misiganebic speaks of a monstrous serpent-like animal with a horse's head that is said to inhabit Blue Sea Lake. Presumably seen by several people between 1913 and 1930, this exceptionally long, large and fast seahorse, baptized Misiganebic or Large Serpent, takes care of the purity of the waters of the lake. Even today, Native Canadians would deposit provisions in the proximity of the lake and thank the Creator for the work done by Misiganebic.
Sea monsters are, first and foremost, part of the collective imagination and many are imaginary. Historically, beliefs in the existence of sea monsters are in part linked to the emergence of marine biology that studies marine organisms, and whose progress has made it possible to separate real species from fictitious species such as sea snakes and mermaids.
Our photo was taken from Mont Morissette, where a network of trails provides access to the summit and to a tower that once allowed the detection of wildfires which are much more dangerous than imaginary monsters... but this is another story!. Photo taken August 20, 2020.
Photo Details: Camera Alcatel GO FLIP; Software Adobe Photoshop Elements 9.0 Windows; Exposure Time 0.0007s (1/1431); ISO equivalent 100; Aperture ƒ/2.6; Focal Length 2.9mm