Today we leave the woods with heavy hearts to escape the storm. We are welcomed into the home of our guide Simon and explore L’Anse-Saint-Jean on skis as the world slowly turns white.
State of alert
As I write these lines, all of Québec is on high alert: a winter storm is sweeping across the entire province, bringing with it up to 30 mm of freezing rain and/or snow. Yet for days we had been celebrating the arrival of this fresh snow that would finally allow us to test our skis in complete freedom. However, last night, after another delicious dinner (butternut squash soup, butter chicken, apple crisp), Catherine, ukulele in hand to give herself courage, announced with a heavy heart that we had to leave camp and retreat to shelter. No question of getting stuck in the forest under freezing rain. “I stopped counting which version of our plan we had reached!”
So our last evening in the Portage Valley was spent singing: from Cat Stevens to Richard Desjardins, with Bob Marley in between.
Breaking the ice
This morning we were up at dawn, even before the sun. We now had to leave the forest before the storm reached us. Camp sprang into action as if we were all one single unit. First, gearing up to withstand the biting cold, packing our bags, putting out the stove, emptying the tents, and stacking everything onto snowmobiles and sleds along with all the equipment: pots, food crates, generator, shovels, satellite antenna, a huge first aid kit, and more.
Then came the main challenge: digging out the “deadmen” that hold the tent ropes in place. A bit of vocabulary is needed here, since the term actually refers to… pieces of wood buried in the snow. That very snow had turned to ice, and we had to break it apart with axes! Then we also had to scrape away the thick icy layer that had frozen the tent fabric to the ground. Suffice it to say that by the time we left camp after several hours of work, we were thoroughly warmed up.
As we make our way into the forest one last time, the snow begins to fall, gently at first, then in large flakes. We take one final pause before leaving the valley. Standing in a circle facing the white landscape, we sing the “foundation’s anthem,” an anthem without words that has existed since the year 2000 and an expedition to Ellesmere Island. Finally, we leave the woods and return to Octave’s farm, with its dogs and horses.
The world has turned white by the time we arrive at Simon’s chalet in L’Anse Saint Jean. Our guide, and co owner of Saguenay Aventure, has decided to welcome our modest group of 20 people into his home! Still, it would not be said that we would not enjoy the snow. We put our skis back on to explore a trail that follows the Saint Jean River. We ski straight out of the house. A surreal scene unfolds at the foot of the church, briefly transformed into a downhill ski slope where Camille practices her telemark turns and Max imagines himself in Whistler…
Valérian
In pictures
