As they say, today was a good one! No doubt about it, our team is now very familiar with our new way of life. This was our first morning in a natural environment. The fears of some were rapidly appeased as most of us found the tents to be very warm and had a good night’s sleep. Some were disturbed by Andrew’s snoring, reminiscent of a tractor running! To accommodate us, he will sleep outdoors tonight!
Our breakfast menu this morning? Homemade pancakes with sausages and maple syrup! What a way to start the day!
We had a busy day and our young friends worked very hard. You can be assured that those who didn’t sleep too well last night will have a good sleep tonight.
After our meal, we harnessed our sleds and formed the teams before going off. We travelled some 35 kilometres under light snow and in -15C weather. Beautiful! Not too hot, not too cold! The trail was rather difficult with lots of climbing. To help the dogs, we had to get off the sled and run behind to reduce the load for the dogs and increase our speed. Our dog teams could manage the climbs, but they found it more difficult.
The trail varied as we advanced. Sometimes, there were flat expanses, sometimes we skirted a lake or had to navigate narrow passages in the forest.
Back at camp at the end of the afternoon, the team still needed to do their daily chores. The first thing we do on arrival is to tie down the dogs for the night. They must be given food, drink and congratulated for their good performance.
There are three tents on our campsite. The largest, housing the boys, has a small kitchenette. Every day, a team of four participants is assigned to cooking the meal and doing the dishes. They used propane stoves to cook the chicken and veggies for our evening meal. The food is good and the servings generous!
To feed the wood stoves in our tents, part of the team is assigned to providing the firewood to heat up our living quarters. Participants, accompanied by a guide, go off into to forest to chop down some trees. This ensures an adequate supply of firewood for the guides to keep the stoves going overnight.
Tomorrow, we leave this campground for another destination. The day should be less exhausting that today. Let’s hope we will enjoy a good and restful night!