Reevaluating my Twitter tongue experiment. I need to readjust. I am not getting much feedback, I think in part because my waypoints are too specific. First of all, how many people have been to these actual waterways and lakes? Second, how many of these people actually use Twitter? Is there an online community interested in toponymy — the study of placenames?
For my next batch of tweets, I will concentrate my efforts on online communities who share interests in specialized areas like mountain climbing, fishing, topography, etc. I may, however, do quite the opposite. While visiting the National Resources of Canada website, it came to me. If I cannot always gather information on the specific, would it not be better to focus on the general? For instance, what is the most common placename in Canada? Turns out it is "Mount Pleasant" with 16 instances.
Bellevue / Bauerman
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Have you hiked Mount Bauerman?
Do you know this waypoint by another name? Do you know of the history of the area? Tweet your story @tonguerug or fill out a short form.
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In 6th position was "Bellevue" (10), the only French placename on the list of 10. Bellevue has special significance to me during my Tongue Rug field trips in Waterton Lakes National Park. Bellevue was a substitute. I was not able to properly situate Mount Bauerman while hiking: once because of the weather, and another time because I was ill prepared to go out hiking on my own. Waterton Park covers a large territory. I was confident to follow known trails on my own, but did not want to venture off the path for fear of encountering grizzlies or cougars. Out of all the waypoints I visited, this was the only time I felt afraid, out of my element.
I told myself it wasn’t just cowardice that influenced my decision to substitute the more accessible Bellevue for Bauerman. It was also an inability to discern one mountain from the other. I could not match the abstract patterns on the topographical map, taken from a top-down vantage point, with the reality of being at ground level, within the landscape. All the peaks blended together into one long mountain range. I was simply disoriented.
The name Bellevue Hill is taken from the French, “Quelle une belle vue,” which means “What a beautiful view”. (Dave Birrell, 50 Roadside Panoramas in the Canadian Rockies, 2000, p. 156).
Though the translation is a little off — it should be “Quelle belle vue” — it is fitting. It is not the view of Bellevue Mountain (often called hill) that is striking, it is the view from Bellevue where one can admire an impressive chain of mountains: Mount Galwey (2377 m), Avion Ridge (2437 m), Mont Anderson, 2652 m), Lost Mountain (2512 m), Mount Blakiston (2910 m), Mount Crandell, (2381 m), Buchanan Ridge (2530 m), Mount Carthew (2636 m), Bertha Peak (2454 m), Mount Alderson (2692 m), and finally, Vimy Peak (2385 m).
Lac Perdu / Lost Lake
The most common topographical feature name in Canada was “Long Lake” (203) with “Lac Long” (164) in 3rd position. Other French placenames included “Lac Rond” (145) in fifth position and “Lac à la Truite” (113) in tenth. I was not surprised to see “Lac Perdu” (101) at number 14, certain that I was not the only hiker to ever have gotten lost on a trip. I had my own memories of a Lost Lake at Waterton Lakes National Park in Southern Alberta.
Summer 2003. I had hiked the Carthew-Alderson-Summit Lakes Trail (19 km) the day before, an exhilarating hike with its pristine air, varied terrain and breathtaking views. For the next day, I chose the Lost Lake via Snowshoe Trail (18 km) because I wanted to photograph two of my waypoints: Bauerman Creek (A-2) and Mount Bauerman (A-3). Mount Bauerman (2377 m) is part of a continuous chain of mountains (Mounts Kootenai Brown, Lost and Anderson) in the Red Rock Canyon area of Waterton Lakes National Park.
I had not planned on visiting Lost Lake; on a whim, I followed a side trail, intrigued by the name. It was a steady climb up before I reached the foot of the lake. A serene place, otherworldly. This kidney-shaped lake was perhaps named because of its isolated, almost protected location nestled below a steep ridge. The name could also have been an association with Lost Peak, a mountain that rises prominently on the far side of the Bauerman Valley along with Mount Bauerman.
At the time, it seemed like an impossible feat to hike Mount Bauerman alone because I did not find much documentation about hiking trails to the summit. Now, I can read hundreds of blog posts that detail and map out that very trip. I am truly amazed by the recent advances in mapping technologies and the proliferation of online community-driven databases like Trailpeak and Protected Planet to mention just a few. Someday I may return to attempt the hike. Or not. For now, I am content exploring these online maps and living vicariously through the feats of other more experienced hikers. I had decided long ago that cycling would be my main means of transportation for the Tongue Rug project.
Otter Lake / Lac-aux-Loutres
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Have you visited a Otter Lake in Canada?
Do you know this waypoint by another name? Do you know of the history of the area? Tweet your story @tonguerug or fill out a short form. |
Otter Lake was 12th (108) on the list as the most common topographical feature name in Canada. I currently live near the Turcot Yards, where the ancient Otter Lake used to be situated. It was known as “Lac-aux-Loutres” under the French regime: it is mentioned in The Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours (Tanguay, 1871) as well as depicted on The Plan of Montreal, with a Map of the Islands & adjoining Country (John Melish, 1815). Considering the fact that First Nations people long used these reed-filled marshlands to hunt for otter, there was no doubt an aboriginal name for this very body of water. I will need to do more reading on the subject.
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