And so the summer of 2021 has come to a close. As the temperature begins to drop and the days grow shorter, we pay our final tribute to the lazy (or in some cases, not so lazy) days of summer.
As with last year, COVID-19 meant most of the submissions we received were very local. We explored Montreal, Quebec and the rest of Canada. A few of our contributors sent pictures from destinations further afield, such as Berlin, Greece and China.
As the photo gallery below will attest to, we are an active lot. We climbed mountains, we swam lakes and rivers, we biked, we waterskied and we kayaked. Boy, did we kayak.
We received submissions from students, staff, faculty and administrators, who provided the captions. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to include all the photos (some were too small and vertical pictures don’t work for our photo gallery).
Thank you to everyone who participated!
Image 1 of 59
"Walking around Chaozhou, China. Guangji Gate"
Image 2 of 59
"I traveled up to northern Québec to go camping with my roommates. I had no idea that you could see dolphins, whales, sharks and seals in Québec. This trip was also a great opportunity to use the language skills I learnt from the McGill-UQAC French Immersion program earlier in the summer.
Just before we snapped this photo, a huge humpback whale breached the surface of the water"
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"The first Ottawa Atlético soccer game in the summer!"
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"The boy contemplates his next paddle."
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Gesgapegiag, Gaspesie
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"Coucher de soleil sur le Saint-Laurent, Anse-au-Persil - Sunset on the St. Lawrence River"
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"My brother Barry and I at Réserve faunique Rouge-Matawin"
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"Weekend ride on an empty train to Station Vendome"
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"Charles Montgomery and Prof. Chris Barrington-Leigh search for pots of gold form their alpine camp above the Hurley River in BC."
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"Boats in Port Lympia (Nice)"
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"Greece"
Image 12 of 59
"Ma fille Frédérique en kayak sur le Saint-Laurent, Anse-au-Persil – Daughter Frédérique kayaking on the St. Lawrence River"
Image 13 of 59
"The summer of 2021 really means a lot to me. I finally had the chance to go back to my hometown (Yushan County, Jiangxi Province, China) and spend time with my family. One day, my parents, my niece, nephew, and I had a short road trip to Mount Sanqing, where I had been to when I was a kid. It just reminded me of the good old days -- I felt like I returned to my childhood with a time machine… Time flies and I had to go to Canada before the Dragon Boat Festival, so my grandma made Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) just for me :'-( I love them!"
Image 14 of 59
"Kayak trip to the Loc’h Island in the Glénan archipelago, France (August 11, 2021)"
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"Heading to La Ronde with my friend for the first time since the pandemic. A great experience with multiple roller coaster rides!"
Image 16 of 59
"In early August, we went on a kayak and camping expedition on the Saguenay River. Leaving from Anse-St-Jean, we crossed paths with seals, sighted belugas, braved high winds and arrived 4 days later in Tadoussac. Here are some of the kayaks on the beach at Tadoussac."
Image 17 of 59
Brother, son, and son’s girlfriend at Rivière Matawin
Image 18 of 59
"The summer of 2021 really means a lot to me. I finally had the chance to go back to my hometown (Yushan County, Jiangxi Province, China) and spend time with my family. One day, my parents, my niece, nephew, and I had a short road trip to Mount Sanqing, where I had been to when I was a kid. It just reminded me of the good old days -- I felt like I returned to my childhood with a time machine… Time flies and I had to go to Canada before the Dragon Boat Festival, so my grandma made Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) just for me :'-( I love them!"
Image 19 of 59
"Taken in Bic National Park while enjoying salty air and views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence."
Image 20 of 59
"Solar-powered ecolodge with indoor compost toilet in Saint- Étienne-de-Bolton in the Eastern Townships. We loved glamping!"
Image 21 of 59
"Splendid isolation! On the way to Parlee Beach, New Brunswick at end of August"
Image 22 of 59
"Prof. Chris Barrington-Leigh takes a nap on a pinnacle near Downton Lake, BC."
Image 23 of 59
"Sunset over Lac du Poisson Blanc"
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"Berlin"
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"Darshan Daryanani, President of the Students' Society of McGill University - SSMU, biking at Yamaska National Park on a summery and sunny Sunday morning"
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Sand dunes of Tadoussac
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"Looking up at the medieval village of Eze from Nietzche's trail"
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"French River"
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"Fossil hunting in Forillon National Park, August 2021."
Image 30 of 59
"This summer I did some bike touring, and managed some solo overnight trips to some beautiful locations, including one along the St Lawrence river towards Cornwall. There’s a small park (Glengarry Campground) nestled between the 401 and the river, so when sleeping in a tent you hear a cacophony of sounds all night, from the trains and trucks, but also the giant cargo ships moving down the fleuve. I also did a trip up to L’Orignal, on the Ottawa River. That trip allowed me to stop at one of my favourite breweries en route – Beau’s, in Vankleek Hill. A cold beer is a pretty great thing after many miles on two wheels. Time on a bike is meditative, and solo camping allows time for quiet reflection and rejuvenation. It’s time well spent."
Image 31 of 59
"Some of the best social distancing was walking one of the many lovely ravines in the GTA in July."
Image 32 of 59
"The best time to board has to be at sunset - I was stoked about this glassy ride and my friend snapped this photo of me as I was cheering and pointing to the sky. One of the best feelings in the world!
Location: Lake Sybill (Vergas, Minnesota)"
Image 33 of 59
"Stavroula in the Classical Period exhibit"
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Sunrise at Rocher Percé
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"Watching the Habs fight in the Playoffs at the Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal."
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"Sharing Lac Clermoustier with the otters."
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"Baie Georgienne"
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"Centre de la Nature in Laval"
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"Sunset in Greece"
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"French River"
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"A self-evident photo (view of Nice in background)"
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"Since travelling to the Greek islands by ferry was not an option this summer, we tried one of the boat rides down the St. Lawrence offered at the Old Port."
Image 43 of 59
"Lachine Rapids as seen from Parc des Rapides"
Image 44 of 59
"This summer I did some bike touring, and managed some solo overnight trips to some beautiful locations, including one along the St Lawrence river towards Cornwall. There’s a small park (Glengarry Campground) nestled between the 401 and the river, so when sleeping in a tent you hear a cacophony of sounds all night, from the trains and trucks, but also the giant cargo ships moving down the fleuve. I also did a trip up to L’Orignal, on the Ottawa River. That trip allowed me to stop at one of my favourite breweries en route – Beau’s, in Vankleek Hill. A cold beer is a pretty great thing after many miles on two wheels. Time on a bike is meditative, and solo camping allows time for quiet reflection and rejuvenation. It’s time well spent."
Image 45 of 59
"A trip to Calgary, some beautiful views"
Image 46 of 59
"Prof. Chris Barrington-Leigh mid-way up the endless NE Ridge of Mt Sloan, BC."
Image 47 of 59
"Due to the pandemic, we cannot travel abroad, so instead, I went to explore a little island in southern China, Weizhou Island. As a person who lives most of her life in mountain areas, it is so fascinating to see the ocean, endless skyline and lovely sunset!"
Image 48 of 59
"The summer of 2021 really means a lot to me. I finally had the chance to go back to my hometown (Yushan County, Jiangxi Province, China) and spend time with my family. One day, my parents, my niece, nephew, and I had a short road trip to Mount Sanqing, where I had been to when I was a kid. It just reminded me of the good old days -- I felt like I returned to my childhood with a time machine… Time flies and I had to go to Canada before the Dragon Boat Festival, so my grandma made Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) just for me :'-( I love them!"
Image 49 of 59
"Cheered on our beloved Montreal Canadiens as they made an extraordinary run to the finals for the first time in my life. While they did not capture the Stanley Cup, they did capture the hearts of all Montrealers and fans across Canada. Maybe next year! #GoHabsGo #OuiTheNorth" - Bell Centre, Montreal.
Image 50 of 59
"View of the sea on a cloudy day. Hólmavík, Iceland"
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"Baie-des-Dix-Milles, Réserve faunique Rouge-Matawin"
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"We have liftoff!"
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"Lookout Point, Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec"
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Sunset at L'Anse-Saint-Jean
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"La Poutinefest, nice to have yummy poutine in the afternoon and enjoy the view of old port!"
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"Sheep at Parc Maisonneuve"
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"Prof. Chris Barrington-Leigh and wife Aleksandra share a romantic moment above the clouds on the West Lion, BC."
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"The beautiful sights of Domaine Forget de Charlevoix in St. Irénée, Quebec."
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"Nipissing Lake"
Beautiful views, original perspectives, and great family shots! Loved the captions too.
So beautiful! I felt like I’d traveled to these places myself.
It really is a beautiful world we live in; it’s a treasure to have been reminded through the collection.
Amazing views and experience shared!