Endlessly White

7:30 a.m. is the time at which the participants of the Double Défi des Deux Mario had to meet to set off for the first leg of the expedition. The dedicated volunteers were ready to welcome the group of adventurers. Not too warm, not too cold. We had the ideal weather for the kilometres to cover today.

Here, people were preparing and installing on their sleds the equipment necessary for the next 3 days. There, people were taking the time to fill their water bottles with hot water and collecting their bag filled with snacks (incredible snacks prepared by volunteers and trainees: Nanaimo bars, nuts, all sorts of cereal bars, dried meat like “jerky” and so on).

As soon as the last preparations were completed, we headed for the starting line, where the two co-founders welcomed us. Both were very happy to see so many participants for the 3rd crossing of Lac Saint-Jean in the 2020 edition of the Double Défi des Deux Mario. So, there were about 40 of us crossing the lake to Roberval.

Throughout our journey, the landscape was endlessly white. It looked like an amazingly huge white sheet on which we could have written or drawn whatever we wanted. The participants had no hesitation about saying what they imagined through this 360 degree “white-out”. You could hardly separate ground from sky. Landscape wise, there wasn’t much to see. We took the opportunity to meditate and share with our adventure comrades.

À mi-chemin, nous étions attendus par l’équipe de bénévoles pour dîner. Une tente chauffée était à notre disposition pour s’y réchauffer et manger, avant de reprendre la route. Nos vives de course étaient les bienvenues.

Halfway into the journey, the team of volunteers was waiting for us with lunch. A heated tent was at our disposal to warm up and eat, before hitting the road. We appreciated the snacks we had brought.

Then, we continued to cover the last kilometres of the day. The wind picked up. Strong wind, but still not too cold. Well dressed, we were warm, and we were only thinking about putting one foot in front of the other. Because yes, facing a big blizzard, we were thinking about that to make sure we were remaining in a group. We gave the lead to the two Mario for whom the compass was the main reference to get to the destination.

Finally, we ended up seeing the camp where we were going to spend our first winter camping night. We were welcomed by volunteers with enthusiasm. Clapping and cheers all over. Upon arrival, each participant went to their respective tent to install their equipment for the night: sleeping bags and mattresses. All that was left to do was to enjoy a good supper prepared by the “kitchen” team of the event.

This is how our first day of expedition went. We are all looking forward to tomorrow.

Before departure, Mario Cantin told us to “take the time to think about yourself. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Let’s sleep on it tonight and talk about it together tomorrow.”