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March 11, 2012 – Farewell Time

After travelling many kilometres to reach to beautiful wilderness of the Great North, we had to retrace our steps to come back home.
So, we rose early (around 7:30 AM), packed and sorted our bags, loaded the bus and stopped at Tim Horton’s for a take-out breakfast. Eating on the road saves a lot of time.
As […]

12 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

March 8, 2012 – The “Route du Nord”

Mother Nature is unpredictable: after a -30°C day on Monday, it rained last night.
Well protected in our prospector’s tents, with a blanket of fir branches as floor insulation, warmed by raging wood stoves, we had nothing to fear from the humidity, all this rain changed the snow to slush on the waterways. Not good for […]

11 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

March 10, 2012 – Folifrets Festival

As promised, here is more info on our closing circle.
Traditionally, near the end of each Foundation adventure, the organisers hold an open discussion session to allow the team members to reflect on their experience by choosing a single word to describe it. Each in turn, can then explain why they chose that particular word.
The words […]

11 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

March 9, 2012 – The Power Line

There’s nothing like the cold to wake you up. By now, everyone knows the drill before departure. After breakfast, it’s like a beehive: luggage, prepping the snowmobiles… and, once again, we say goodbye to our wonderful hosts. Stanley’s mother asks us to join our hands as she thanks God for our meeting and asks Him […]

11 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

March 7, 2012 – The Walkers

Another full day for our group, now a family.
Today, we travelled some twenty kilometres only to meet with The Walkers. Georges has given this name to a group of some twenty people who walk in the wilderness in self-support for a full month. It’s a kind of mystical journey for natives with difficulties. Let’s say […]

08 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

March 6, 2012 – The Morning After the Night Before

About yesterday…
I wrote it was -20°C… we found out this morning that it was rather -30°C. Jean-Charles, our guide, said that it was the most demanding day of his 15-year career as a snowmobile guide (a combination of duration, difficulty and cold…) and that he was quite proud of the youths. “95% of Quebec snowmobilers […]

07 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

March 5, 2012 – First Day Out

Last preparations: early morning, the team got a practical course on snowmobiling: how to start, accelerate, brake, turn using the body as a counterweight, etc.… the machines are in good shape as are the drivers.
Nice weather: rather cold (-12°C), but no wind and a clear blue sky, not a cloud to be seen. And this […]

06 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

March 4, 2012 – From Roberval to Mistissini

The second day promised to be as busy as the first. Up around 6:30 AM, the group rapidly congregated to the motel bar for a continental breakfast.
Then, still in the bar, those who did not have a driver’s permit got their snowmobiles training. This short training session allowed those who are at least 16 years […]

05 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

March 3, 2012 – Leave Montreal for Roberval

Early afternoon, the On The Tip of the Toes group met at Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau Airport in Montreal. Each on of them arrived with luggage, parents, friends, personal history, personality and language, as some participants are from as far as Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax..
Eleven youths and 7 team members are about to embark in a superb adventure […]

04 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

March 3rd, 2012: Youths Leave on an Expedition with the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation

Twelve youths from across Canada, two of them from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean area, will take part in an expedition from March 3 to 11, with the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation.
With a Cree guide, the twelve youths will travel more than 600 kilometres on snowmobiles to the mythical Rupert River in Northern Quebec, […]

03 March 2012 § Expédition Baie James 2012 James Bay expedition ‡ Comments (0)

Monday, July 18 – The End of an Epic …

Wow… What a night! The warm, humid weather of Sunday generated a memorable, epic, raging and particularly violent storm. Here’s what happened.
For the very first time this week, the clouds appeared late Sunday night. The mosquitoes were out earlier signalling the barometric pressure was much lower than normal. By 3 AM the wind started blowing, […]

19 July 2011 § Expédition Baie Georgienne 2011 ‡ Comments (0)

Sunday, July 17 –

As planned, we just finished circumnavigating Franklin Island – again under the scorching sun! Slowly but surely, we started our return trip to Killbear Park. We stopped on Pancake Island for lunch, we explored Bateau Island and its small rocky islets Whale Back, and we finally set up camp at Pleasant Island to end a […]

18 July 2011 § Expédition Baie Georgienne 2011 ‡ Comments (0)

Saturday, July 16 – It Was A Lie

I lied to you. Last Tuesday, I wrote we had a wonderful day and that it would be difficult to top it. Well, I was wrong. It was not difficult at all.
I still can’t believe that the last few hours were real… That it was not a dream… That I did not imagine this trip. […]

18 July 2011 § Expédition Baie Georgienne 2011 ‡ Comments (0)

Friday, July 15 – A No Kayak Day

Thursday having been a rather long day, we decided to leave the kayaks aside on Friday, our 5th day of expedition.
The day off started well. First, a deer dropped in for a visit at our campsite. Then, Mario caught a good-sized bass that was a welcome side dish at supper. Despite having slept in late, […]

16 July 2011 § Expédition Baie Georgienne 2011 ‡ Comments (0)

Thursday, July 14– A FULL Day!

We were hoping to start the day with fresh trout for breakfast. Mario (Bilodeau, co-founder of the Foundation), Sébastien, Jerry and Patrick went fishing in the early hours of the day. Unfortunately, for them and for us, we had to limit ourselves to quinoa and wild blueberries. Not a bad alternative…
We then headed off to […]

15 July 2011 § Expédition Baie Georgienne 2011 ‡ Comments (1)

Wednesday, July 13 – Stepping Up the Challenge…

Many cottages on Georgian Bay have windmills. Now we know why.
The wind has been blowing nonstop for two days and we have to revise our plans. Will our participants be able to paddle the whole way as planned? Will they have enough energy to face this challenge? There is a team meeting.
So, we go back […]

14 July 2011 § Expédition Baie Georgienne 2011 ‡ Comments (0)

Tuesday, July 12 – It Doesn’t Come Any Better…

We had anticipated a windy night. It was. The tents held up, the walls were shaking furiously, but everything remained in its place: tents, kayaks, tarps, and… we nearly stayed there ourselves!
In the early morning, 15-18 knot winds were sweeping Georgian Bay. It was as if a whole herd of sheep was prancing around our […]

14 July 2011 § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (0)

Monday, July 11 – A Smooth Transition

Wow! A Beautiful Day, Indeed!
Monday morning, and our expedition gets underway. Au-revoir Blind Bay. We leave you to launch from Kilcoursie beach as we head to Pancake Island, some 6 kilometres away.
Before leaving, some last minute precautions: beware of poison ivy and the improbable presence of rattlesnakes. The park Rangers tell us there are […]

13 July 2011 § Expédition Baie Georgienne 2011 ‡ Comments (0)

Sunday, July 10 – Slowly Settling In

Surprising, or rather impressive. This is what comes to mind when I see how fast the group is bonding, how participants open up to each other, how they share, how profound they can be.
The day started with a circle of discussion. The youths were asked to share their fears but most of all their […]

13 July 2011 § Expédition Baie Georgienne 2011 ‡ Comments (0)

Saturday, July 9 – Once upon a time, an adventure…

The sun was shining when we got underway on this Saturday, July 9. Our group was just about complete, Patrick Sauvé, from Drummondville, had caught up with us early in the morning. We left for Ottawa where we picked up Fareed Ali and Ashley Blackstrom who were waiting for us. Much to our pleasure, we […]

13 July 2011 § Expédition Baie Georgienne 2011 ‡ Comments (0)