John Macoun described an assignment in the Gaspé, during his first year with the Geological Survey of Canada, in 1882:

"When we reached the river Ste. Anne des Monts, the parties separated and Dr. Ells and his party went up the coast with the exception of Mr. A.P. Low and myself. We went up the river in two canoes, with French boatmen for the purpose of climbing the Shick-Shock mountains. We went up the river for over thirty miles and then climbed from the river up to the summit of the mountain which overlooked the St. Lawrence and all the country for a long distance. My purpose in going up was to study the flora at the summit as I had never seen a species growing which we called Arctic. Hitherto I had never climbed a mountain, except one in 1875, and knew nothing of the plants to be collected. On reaching the summit, we found an extensive plateau and came on fine specimens of cariboo which gazed at us for a time and then ran off. We spent three days on the summit and I collected a large number of Arctic plants … While on the summit, I was attacked by black flies and I was semi-delirious on account of the pain for almost all the time I was there. … The remainder of the season, I collected around Gaspé and there I obtained many sea-weeds …."

(John Macoun, 1882)