Now that we’re safely out of reach, we can tell you. This is not really an outdoor expedition; it is a gourmet expedition. Quietly camped under the spruce of Île Verte, we decided to open a five-course menu restaurant. Only those customers coming by voyageur canoe, canoe, kayak, will be accepted… no motorboats allowed. We raised the dome that will welcome our prestigious guests around the fire. And we carefully distributed the tasks among ourselves. Alexia and Etienne will do the dishes; William will chop wood for the fire; Robin will install the pickets; Alexandre and Layla will to the service; Catherine and Marc-André will provide the musical background; Mario and Charles-Édouard will tend the stoves, what else! As for the others, let’s say they are the tasters.
Well, it’s almost true. Imagine. On the menu tonight: Cream of Mushrooms, Tortillas, and Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows. And at noon, after getting ready in the voyageur canoe signing authentic voyageur songs, after a full hour of paddling, we landed on a deserted island. Are we the first humans here? Not really. Mario is here already and greets us with a smile behind a superb table with a gingham tablecloth. Pasta soup, cold couscous, date squares, pitas and tzatziki… To complete the menu, we are told we have landed on Potato Island! Hopefully it was not named for us!
We left the island around a quarter to. In reality at the Poisson Blanc, it is ALWAYS a quarter to, according to Marc-André. We can’t make sure as we had to leave our watches and telephones back at the base camp.
We left under full sunshine. That’s what’s nice about July expeditions. Oh, what do you mean end of September? As I was saying we’re on our way with Catherine keeping time on her ukulele. Quite efficient; as time passes our paddling becomes more and more synchronized. We even try the Canadian technique of leaving our paddles in the water at all times. Not easy. We come to a new section of the reservoir. It is full of islands, large one, small ones, flat ones, and mountainous ones. The water level is rather low this year. Usually, the smaller ones are under water and so are their spruce trees!
Food is on our minds even as we paddle. Earlier, as we paused in the middle of the lake, Alexia told us she had to cut sugar during her treatment. In Alexandre’s case, it was salt. To celebrate the end of a treatment cycle, Alexia would devour a Big Mac; for Robin it was a Subway. Suddenly, lost in a voyageur canoe in the middle of a grandiose blue reservoir, each person shared memories of their treatment, and everyone was curious about their neighbour’s ailment. We had to continue on, of course, we couldn’t stay in the middle of the lake; we had to head for our next destination, the elephant wall.
We landed on the rocky shore, tied up our craft, and started climbing for a short half-hour trek. The trail is narrow, full of rocks, roots and spruce needles. Not easy to climb wearing rubber boots, but once at the top… We are treated to a breathtaking view of the islands down below. And, in the distance, Mystery Island. Tomorrow we’ll go there, for sure. Catherine promised we would even though she swore she would not set foot on it. We’re on top of the elephant wall. They say that from afar you can see a pachyderm drawn on the rock face.
A final effort, another short half-hour on the water and we reached Île Verte, our home for the night. After a short swim, we set up camp in a large clearing a few meters from the beach. Our tent is a dome. A huge dome, designed for the Himalaya swears Mario. As with the voyageur canoe, setting up the tent is a group effort. We won’t succeed unless everyone pitches is.
I write this from this center of this huge cabin. I can hear the fire cracking and the people laughing outside.
Sorry, I’m off to join them!