Mother Nature is unpredictable: after a -30°C day on Monday, it rained last night. Well protected in our prospector’s tents, with a blanket of fir branches as floor insulation, warmed by raging wood stoves, we had nothing to fear from the humidity, all this rain changed the snow to slush on the waterways. Not good for snowmobiling Maureen, Georges’ sister, led us in the voyageur’s prayer, before we left. Our main objective today was to reach Georges’ main house in Troilus, which we did without major problems.
Yet, as the lakes were too difficult to travel on, the organizers had to consider other options. Finally, as the “Route du Nord” was closed to traffic because of the heavy precipitation, our convoy used it to travel to Stanley’s place (Stanley is our other native guide). This required we beat our travel distance record (more than 100 km), but the level surface of the road allowed us to get there in reasonable time.
In the meantime, Ian left the group for a short visit at the Chibougamau hospital, to increase his chances of completing the trip with us on his snowmobile.
After we got to our host’s place, we settled in in full comfort with the girls in one cabin and the boys in another. After chopping enough wood for the night, freshening up and a game of cards, it was suppertime. What a feast: vegetable soup, moose meat, beaver meat, turkey and lake trout… not to mention the unique Cree welcome. What better way to boost our energy before another day of adventure and discovery on their wonderful territory!