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Episode Description
This episode was created and recorded by Sophie Gareau-Brennan in ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 territory.
Have you ever looked into the puddle outside your front door and seen a glacier? This playful bilingual wander flows from the Montagnes Rocheuses to Hudson’s Bay, from memory to discovery, asking: where does our river go? And how many things can we touch along the way?
00:32 There’s no need to go far. Promis.
01:19 The origin of the North Saskatchewan river
02:47 When you are near the river…
05:23 Fingertips in the “great” outdoors
07:47 Where does the water in the North Saskatchewan River go?
Want the transcript, more info about what you heard, or a way to connect with other wanderers? Check out our website or connect with us on Instagram. If you have an idea, feedback, or story you’d like to share, give us a shout at wouldyouwander@gmail.com.
Edited by Sam Jeffery in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 territory.
Meet the Storyteller: Sophie Gareau-Brennan (she/her)
Where did you grow up?
Edmonton!
What's your favourite plant?
There are so many to choose from and I fall in love with a new one everyday… Flowers like dandelions and forget-me-nots have a super special place in my heart. But my most consistent favourite is moss!
Favourite random nature fact?
I just love that plants communicate with each other! I often wonder what they discuss.
What's something nature has taught you that's stuck with you?
I am a very small part of the world. And that’s ok.
IG: @sophiegareaubrennan (if you like nature & textures, this account is for you!)
This is a photo of happy little forget me nots popping out in the early spring because I just love them so much and I loooove the texture.
-Sophie
Resources and Further Reading
North Saskatchewan River:
Foraging and spruce tips:
Raspberries in Alberta:
TRANSCRIPT - Wander 5: Where does l'eau in the North Saskatchewan go?
Note: Transcripts may contain errors. If you wish to re-use all, or part of, a transcript, please contact Would You Wander for permission.
Sam: Welcome to Would You Wander, the storytelling nature podcast. Whether you're in a city, the wilds, or anywhere in between, nature is always beside you. You've come to the right place - exactly where you are. So come on - would you wander with us? This wander is by Sophie Gareau-Brenna. It's called "Where does l'eau in the North Saskatchewan go?".
Sophie: If you go outside, even just for a moment, you’ll find a piece of nature. Even if it’s just a mauvais herbe. Or a flac d’eau. Or a nuage. Whatever.
There’s no need to go far. Promis.
When I think about nature, I have trouble knowing where to begin or where to stop. Is the water flowing out of my robinet and into my bubble bath part of nature? I don’t know. Peut-être.
And what about the flac d’eau in my back alley? A muddy puddle the size of my bath. Probably. I guess.
The water in the North Saskatchewan river, though… That’s so clearly obviously nature. No questions asked. This flowing muddy-looking artery running through a rough and deep valley; but it didn’t start here. It travelled all the way from a glacier in the Rocky Mountains and Columbia icefield here to Edmonton. And this rivière picks up little pieces, little stories from wherever it travels. When it leaves our city with our stories, it goes all the way to Saskatchewan and joins with its Southern twin where I imagine they trade secrets. Then, it leads all the way east to the Hudson’s Bay which opens up to the ocean and into the world. I wonder about the stories this rivière carries in its current and buried in its sediment rich riverbeds. I wonder how far or how deep these stories will go. And I know our rivière looks muddy. Nothing like a clear blue mountain stream or pristine glacier where it started. But it’s not mud. It’s nutrient rich sediment that’s been eroded from the riverbed. Floating and flowing and changing throughout its journey across mountains and valleys and prairies.
When you are near the river, gently drop your fingers into the freezing flowing waters. What do you feel?
Do you feel those suspended sediments coursing between your outstretched fingertips?
In Edmonton, we are never far away from nature. There’s this assumption that we need to go find it. We need to seek it out. Like go visit the Montagnes Rocheuses and admire its grandeur and take a photo in exactly the same spot in front of Lac Louise as millions of others or go down to the badlands and find hoodoos and imagine the dinosaurs or go to Elk Island Park and count all the bison and try to wait for the Aurores Boréales. And truly, those places and experiences are beautiful. Magical really. But nature is not just there.
It’s here.
Growing up through the cracks of the sidewalk and in the air around us. It’s the smell of la pluie on a gloomy samedi matin and the sound of magpies on a mardi après-midi. These chatty little birds that thrive in our river valley city. I say hello to every magpie I see. Even the one who stole the perogies and hid them in the blue spruce tree in our front yard. I say hello to every magpie I see because my father taught me how.
One for sorrow.
Two for joy.
And as much as I love our pristine mountain lakes with their eaux claires and fresh air, I have always had a soft spot for the muddy puddle in my back alley that never seems to disappear. This flac d’eau that exists even on the driest and hottest of summer days. I like to look at it like I would look at a glorious mountain lake after a sweaty hike. See the sun reflecting off this cool quiet surface. Admire the surrounding landscape. Not statuesque mountains and thick trees but cracked concrete and yellow dandelions.
I know we aren’t supposed to touch anything right now. But I miss it so much.
I miss gently touching my friends’ cheeks and softly caressing peaches in the grocery store to find the perfect one and I miss feeling the rigidity of spines of books in my library. So I guess I’ve channeled all of my touching energy into the great outdoors. Or not even the GREAT outdoors. Just. the outdoors. Dehors.
Find a place where you can close your eyes for a moment.
Extend the tips of your fingers. What do you feel? What stories do those tactile textures tell?
My fingers relish the feel of soft baby spruce tips. I love playing with them and thinking about all of the possibilities they hold. Sweet spruce sugar cookies. A syrup full of their bright citrusy flavour. Something délicieux.
My curious fingers have come to recognize the distinct feel of forget-me-nots better than my eyes ever could. Fragile little explosions of bleu and mauve with soft velvet leaves that demand we remember them. That we remember their stories. These forget-me-nots arrived as a surprise gift with our raspberries. Our framboises.These strong old raspberry canes that hold generations of stories. Generations of curious little fingers looking for soft red fruit. We took them from my maman’s secluded backyard jardin. And she took them from her papa’s bountiful jardin. And he took them… Well. I don’t know where he got them. But every time I eat a framboise, a little pop of sweetness and summer, I am connected to these generations that beg me to remember them. Un souvenir.
When I think about nature, I have trouble knowing where to begin or where to stop. And my questions are neverending like the pesky little weeds growing up through cracks in the sidewalk.
Where does the water in the North Saskatchewan River go?
Does it ever form the stubborn puddle in my back alley?
Is it in my bubble bath?
Obviously I know that the water flowing out of my robinet and into my bubble bath isn’t actually nature. It’s not a lac or rivière or étang or even a flac d’eau.
But in Edmonton, we are never far from nature.
And the North Saskatchewan River flows through our city and into pipes deep in the riverbed that lead to treatment plants. This silty sediment rich water spends hours being clarified, filtered, and disinfected. The stories it holds are washed away and refreshed so it can hold new ones. The water is tested, and adjusted, and monitored.
It flows into all of our water tanks and into our pipes and through our faucets and into our water glasses and into our baths.
So maybe the water flowing out of my robinet and into my bubble bath is a little piece of nature. And even though I can’t touch my friends’ cheeks, or grocery store peaches, or library books, I am cradled by this water that holds so much. I am surrounded by nature. Because there’s no need to go far to find it. Promis.
Sam: If you'd like to keep wandering, head to another episode now. If not, thanks so much for coming with us. Check out our website for transcripts, resources, and connection with fellow wanderers. Are you a storyteller yourself? I would love to hear from you. The website, email, and more are all in the episode description. We can't wait to wander with you again soon.