IN THIS EMAIL:
- Robin Esrock recounts what it's like to spend a night in North America's only ice hotel - Meet Francine McCarthy, the geology professor behind this summer’s landmark Anthropocene announcement - Recognizing 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Canadian who helped make it possible
- Ready for your next adventure? Take a look at Adventure Canada's journey around the stunning coast of Labrador
- Canadian Geographic's Canadian Photos of the Year Competition is back! |
| Spending the night in North America’s only ice hotel An unforgettable Nordic-inspired experience where ice and snow are transformed into an enchanting overnight stay
By Robin Esrock
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Hôtel de Glace (ice hotel), offers guests a one-of-a-kind winter experience just outside of Québec City. (Photo: Étienne Dionne)
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| When dealing with more than 30,000 tons of ice, you need to know your way around snow. Thankfully, the talented team that designs and builds North America’s only ice hotel knows how to do just that.
Located in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, QC, Hôtel de Glace is a winter wonderland that has cozied its way onto many Canadian bucket lists. Consisting of 23,000 ice blocks, this frozen masterpiece includes non-heat-emitting fireplaces, fur-lined benches in a gorgeous chapel, unique carvings in each of the 30 rooms, and LED lighting throughout. Each year, the ice hotel is built from scratch at Valcartier, a resort complex located about a 40-minute drive from Quebec City. Beyond the hotel and chapel, you’ll also find an ice bar serving drinks in ice glasses, an ice slide and a Sugar Shack (a small wooden cabin built in the middle of maple forests where collected sap is used to make syrup). But don’t expect an ensuite bathroom at Hôtel de Glace – all this ice and snow is problematic for plumbing. This is how I come to be cocooned inside a thick sleeping bag, embroiled in a battle between brain and bladder. |
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Although Crawford Lake looks like an average lake, geologist Francine McCarthy knows the mud at its bottom holds the secrets of Earth’s history. (Photo: Colin Boyd Shafer)
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Francine McCarthy toast of the world’s geologists, is sitting on a bench beside the lake that made her famous, talking about how she never wanted to be a geologist.
Face shaded by a wide-brimmed hat, sapphire-blue-polished toenails peeking out from workaday sandals, she’s already had one major press interview this morning and has to grab lunch before a third. But you can tell she’s relishing telling the tale.
It was art school that called to her, she says. She wanted to study environmental design. But then, with marks so high they were “off the charts,” she got a generous entrance scholarship to Dalhousie University in Halifax. So she decided to take it, but to enrol in credits she could transfer back to the art college after that first year. One of those credits was a geology class.
“And I’m thinking to myself,” she says, “geology is the science that in my high school the stupid kids took because they couldn’t pass any other of the sciences, right?”
Her sister (who was not stupid) took geology in high school, she recounts, warming to her story. “And she said to me, the teacher gave a hands-on quiz — you know, what’s this rock? And there was one sample that was a Timbit, literally a Timbit, and a lot of people thought it was a rock!” |
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| | At portion of table during the first meeting of the Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations Economic and Social Council are: left to right: Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States, chairman; Prof. John P. Humphrey, Canada, Director of the Division of Human Rights of the UN Department of Social Affairs and Secretary of the Commission; Dr. Charles Malik, Lebanon, Rapporteur; Charles Dukes, United Kingdom; Valentin F. Topliakov, USSR, and General Carlos P. Romulo, Philippine Republic. (Photo: UN Photo)
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John Humphrey had once been a child who had played with fire.
He had been burned — his left arm amputated as a result.
Born in Hampton, N.B., in 1905, Humphreys lost both his parents to cancer by age 11. Tragedy would follow him into his school years, too, where he became the victim of bullying. “It’s a matter of psychological speculation to connect his early experiences with his adult accomplishments,” explains Dr. Clint Curle, author of Humanité: John Humphrey’s Alternative Account of Human Rights. “Nevertheless, I suspect he would be quite strongly opposed to the suggestion that the human rights project was, and is, somehow anchored to his own personal background.”
One thing remains clear: For much of his life, John Humphrey would dedicate himself to enshrining the rights of humankind in international law, the standards of which would transcend all political and societal ideologies.
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Canadian Geographic Adventures
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| | Embark on a small-ship expedition with Adventure Canada and explore the stunning coast of Labrador. With their knowledgeable expedition team, you’ll witness some of the most breathtaking scenery and wildlife that eastern Canada has to offer. |
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Experience the rugged beauty of the Torngat Mountains. Cruise along the coast and marvel at the stunning peaks, deep fjords, and towering cliffs. Visit the historic Battle Harbour, a charming village that was once a bustling hub for the cod fishery. Discover the heart and soul of Labrador in Nain, a quaint community where you’ll be greeted with open arms by some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.
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Calling all photographers! |
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Canadian Geographic’s Canadian Photos of the Year Competition is back! From now until the end of the year, Canadian photographers are invited to submit their best images to any of the four categories listed below for a chance to win amazing cash prizes. This year we will award one grand prize, four category prizes, four runner-up prizes and four honourable mentions. With $10,000 cash to award, plus a chance to be published in Canadian Geographic, this is an opportunity not to be missed!
The competition is open to all Canadian residents, and images must have been taken in the 2023 calendar year. Winners will be selected based on skill by a panel of judges. There is no limit to the number of images you can submit, and in fact, we encourage you to submit multiple entries as the grand prize winner is selected on the basis of an outstanding body of work!
The competition closes December 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET, so get those entries in!
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