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fishing wood carvings pure woollen blankets oldfashioned quilts hand crafted jewelry a treasure chest of collectors items are awaiting you it is advisable to reserve in au ance if you wish to rent one of the cabins in the vicinity there are local camping sites and charming seaside hotelsmotels providing a marvellous view of perce rock again reserva tions required if time is not a prob lem your vacation plans could include a tour of montreal or quebec city as well as the gaspe contact a local travel agent before leaving home for details on economical package tours d a canoeists park by tony sloan finding la mauncie national park about 64 km 40 miles north of trois rivieres quebec may in volve a verbal inquiry or two but the reward is worth the effort whether you speak french or english you will find the residents of trois rivieres or shawinigan ready to aid and direct you la mauncie is a relatively new 1970 park its rapid development has coincided with the rebirth of the very interest that for nomadic in dians made the mattawin and st maurice rivers the natural water highway between the st lawrence valley and the interior la mauricic is a canoeists park park naturalist bernard jolicocur obtained a line quality canoe from the rental service located on lake wapizagonkc and we paddled off in the warm morning sun our first stop was at the ancient indian pictographs on the high cliffs across the narrow lake where we shot a few pictures after wetting the pictographs down to bring the colors out the ochre designs arc very old and their origin is uncertain la mauricic has an impressive ar ray of heavily forested mountains rolling back from river valleys and lakes the park marks the transi tional zone between the southern deciduous forests and the boreal conifers extending to the north the resulting intermix includes 36 species of trees and corresponding assortment of fauna the initial on slaught of timber cutters stripped the area of the white pine climax forest they were followed by the fir har vesters for pulp and paper the re gion then became the vast private preserve of a hunting and fishing club which accounts for the almost total recovery and rcgrowth of the existing mixed forest today we paddled by small sandy beaches and the civilucd facilities of the narrow lakes and entered the narrow and meandering shawinigan river we viewed an active beaver house and pulled in at the weathered wood and timbered spillway of an old log ging dam the ancient structure still helps to maintain water levels and remains an important artifact de picting the human history of the river below the dam the shawin igan narrows to a turbulent ribbon of white water sparkling between walls of green forest a contem plative spot particularly suited for fly fishing towards days end we retraced our route and shore- cruised by rocky clifts naturalist jolicocur commented on the geology and identified shoreline vegetation much of the park flora may bloom and fade in a relatively short cycle so park naturalists are sometimes hard pressed to keep abreast of whats on show from one week to the next we eventually left the lake and canoed up a winding narrow stream until we encountered a small falls here we beached our canoe and switched to a hiking trail the trail paralleled the mountain stream and eventually veered off through heavy forest and ascended a high ridge overlooking the valley the trail ends at a lofty view point overlooking a beautiful island- studded lake sheltered by forested mountains we lunched at the mod ern and well equipped picnic grounds we relied on the snack bar for our vittlts and beverage but each picnic table is equipped with a metal hiba- chi for preparing hot food campsites within the park no other accommodation arc laid out in treeshaded grounds and arc equipped with fireplace and picnic table graded tent site and with easy access to a communal water supply and modern well maintained public washrooms the park visitor may well begin his stay by touring the nature interpretive building where tcrranums aquariums and photo ex hibits present a concise overview of the park ecology and interpretive activities a guided nature tour by canoes may be scheduled followed by a lecture and slide presentation at the communal tent theater at night or perhaps a hike under the stars for a talk on astronomy further details and informative literature can be obtained on la mauricic and other national parks in canada by contacting parks canada ottawa ontario k1a 0h6o 19