Prologue
My excitement for this expedition started a bit earlier this week, Tuesday to be exact, when my colleagues and boss asked me if I wanted to/could join this expedition due to a last-minute adjustment, i.e., our scheduled blogger was sick. All they needed was one quick look at me to get their answer. Two minutes later, I already felt like a kid on Christmas morning, E.X.C.I.T.E.D!
A whopper of a surprise!
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Friday, we head out from Saguenay to Montreal to pick up eight participants from Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. We make a startling observation on the way: where is the snow in Montreall? We have dinner together at the hotel, where Jesse, the social worker for the expedition, joins us. We enjoy our meal, listen to the instructions for the next morning, and then some of us head off to bed justifiably tired from several hours of travel, while others—after having talked about it so much—head to the pool. An effortless moment of connection ensues.
It’s Saturday morning at 6 a.m. and the facilitators and volunteers are busy gathering all the expedition gear in the lobby. At 6:30 a.m., we dig into a magnificent continental breakfast that offers a little something for everyone. It’s now 7:45 a.m. and we’re off for a good eight-hour drive from Montreal to Algonquin Provincial Park.
We stop in Ottawa to welcome the last member of the group, then in Pembroke for lunch. With our bellies full, we hit the road for another two and a half hours. The facilitators take advantage of this time to teach the participants some skills that will come in handy over the next few days, such as the bowline knot and trucker’s hitch for setting up prospector-style tents or tarps.
We finally arrive at our destination at 3:45 p.m. We walk a short distance to Voyager Quest’s main lodge. Mauricio and Chloé, our designated guides, go over the basic rules and safety regulations at the lodge—a magnificent, incredibly charming log building. We then head over to the kitchen to listen to our chef Nikoline and her assistant Baris go over the kitchen’s rules. John, the lodge owner, drops by to welcome us to his little piece of heaven.
Then it’s time to present the equipment that is being loaned to the participants for the course of the expedition, after which the whole gang is sent off to settle into their rooms.
The pleasant aroma wafting around since our arrival makes its debut: a flavourful starter of chestnuts, baked brie with toasted almonds, apricots and crackers is served . . . and disappears in the blink of an eye (I didn’t even see it go by!). This initial treat gives way to free time and organic laughter and discussions. The youngsters talk about the careers they’d like to have, the instruments they play, and then, accompanied by Eve Marie on the guitar, they all start singing Riptide. A moment that’s both sweet and beautiful.
Warning: the next few lines may make you hungry . . . We’re served a proper feast. Balsamic-cranberry-maple chicken thighs with a cauliflower and green bean gratin with toasted almonds and a dill-Dijon sauce. And that’s not all! An applewood-smoked cheddar salad with a curry vinaigrette accompanies the meal. The last course is a date pudding with a salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. “Ça goûte le ciel!” (It tastes like heaven). I even take the time to explain and teach this French expression to Nikoline. It was delicious!
We finish off the evening with our first discussion circle. The participants are invited to share why they came on the expedition. They talk about wanting to meet other young people who really understand them, without having to explain themselves. Young people with the same scars, visible or not. They talk about a thirst to escape, to discover, to get away, to put things back into perspective.
We also pick up on some of their fears, such as meeting new people, the fatigue such an expedition could cause, and being away from their loved ones, the ones they’ve entrusted everything to so far.
It takes courage to step out of one’s routine, to travel hundreds of kilometres in the hopes of experiencing something unique with complete strangers.
Would you be up to it?
The lights are out now, but we can still hear a few adventurers whispering and giggling in the dark as they wait for the Sandman to come.
See you tomorrow 😉
Laurence Yelle, Volunteer photographer-blogger for the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation
Translated by Anna Tomczyk
In pictures
