There was a plan A, but freezing rain fell across the province, so we switched to plan B. Plan B was to get together, get to know each other better, test each other gently and discover our equipment, all the while admiring the river.
The ice
Hey guys, I’ve got good news and bad news.
The good news is that our night’s sleep was a little longer than expected. The bad news is that we’re stuck in Baie-Comeau because Route 389, which will take us north to the Monts Groulx, is closed due to extreme icy conditions…
A bit sad, a bit disappointed? Yes, of course, but the most important thing is already happening. As Mario, the soul of the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation, likes to say: “The adventure starts when you get on the bus.” And what better way to bring a group together than to share an ordeal.
And if this group bonds very quickly, it’s also because they’ve all been through similar ordeals with the illness. As Gabrielle said over lunch: “I came here to get away from the phone and meet people who have been through the same thing as me, because there aren’t many people around me I can really talk to about it.”
Don’t sweat
At lunch, we all sat down together, facing the huge river, and between bites of sandwich, everyone shared their motivations, but also their fears about the challenges of the expedition.
How long did we sit there? We don’t know exactly because we got rid of our mobile phones yesterday and have been living without a schedule ever since. We stayed long enough for many of us to get cold. Marie-Michelle took the opportunity to remind us of a few winter outdoor tips.
We talked about it yesterday: layering is crucial. Today, for example, the icy conditions forced us to put on crampons or snowshoes instead of skis. However you choose to get around, there’s one golden rule to follow: Don’t sweat. Perspiration = water = cold, an equation to be avoided in winter… As soon as you feel your body warming up, stop, take off a layer, then set off again. Conversely, when you take a break, put on another layer.
Pay attention
It’s really quite simple. On the one hand, you have to listen to yourself and your body. On the other hand, you have to pay attention to others, for example when they need to stop. Another golden rule of hiking: We walk at the pace of the slowest.
For some, it goes a little further. Aurélie, for example, told us that she wanted to ‘give herself a gift’ with this expedition, after having been a little too hard on herself in recent years.
And one of the gifts of the day was the Pointe St-Gilles woodlands, with its little path that gently rises and falls along the river. Yes, the adventure has well and truly begun. Tomorrow, we set off at dawn for the Manicouagan reservoir. No plan A, no plan B, just life.
Valérian Mazataud, volunteer photographer-blogger for the Sur la pointe des pieds Foundation
Translated by Lorraine Gagnon
In pictures
