BACK-ROAD ADVENTURES

Capturing the history and beauty of Quebec’s Eastern Townships in winter

- Russ Hayes

First, let me say that I am not really a “winter” person—I would rather be on a beach somewhere warm. Even though I was brought up in Calgary, close to the Rocky Mountains, I wasn’t even a skier. Winter was just something we had to endure until spring and summer arrived.

Now retired and living in Quebec, where each season is distinctly defined, you learn to live with the coldness of winter—but it helps to have a hobby or an activity to do.

As an amateur photographer, I eagerly await the different seasons here: the beautiful new growth of spring, the macro photos of insects and flowers in summer, and the magnificent colours of a Quebec autumn.

There is a somewhat colourless period between autumn and winter that is pretty bleak for photographers, but once the snow arrives, the landscape is transformed into a clean white backdrop. These days, I can’t wait for the arrival of the grand “whiteness” of the Quebec countryside in winter.

When that first sunny day arrives, on a cold, crisp winter morning, I head out for another photographic adventure along the backcountry roads here in the Eastern Townships. The Townships are made up of a large collection of small cities, towns and villages, all nestled in nature in the southeastern part of the province.