February 18, 2010Winter, Snow, Québec, Gaspésie, and the Chic-Choc Mountains – Second Part

Winter, Snow, Québec, Gaspésie, the Chic-Choc Mountains: the Good Life, the continuation

To read the first part, click here

The Chic-Chocs. Lac aux Américains. Roselin Refuge. 28 of December. 8 AM.

The first morning we woke up in the heart of the Chic-Choc mountains, all bundled up in our sleeping bags, we finally had the chance to take in the magical winter wonderland that surrounded us. After those few hours of well-deserved sleep and a good hearty breakfast, we carefully planned out the unforgettable week ahead. Our daily strategy was simple: Carpe Diem. Having reserved the same refuge for three nights, we had a lot of time to explore our surroundings, with respect to the unpredictable spirit of Mother Nature, of course.

Did I mention it was winter?

Because we had limited amount of daylight, we had to plan our days carefully. By 4 PM it was dark and seven hyperactive people crowded into a small dimly-lit refuge needed a minimum of planned activities to pass the time. We had brought along a few carefully selected games, which would prove to be essential items :

- Settlers of Catan (renamed Settlers of Matane for the occasion)
- Junglespeed (a must)
- Dice (it passed the time, but not everyone likes to add.)

After our first three days of hard work (life is tough, I know), we made our way to the second refuge at Mines Madeleine, where we would spend four nights. I’m not kidding, it was total luxury: there was electricty and a shower! We could cook our New Year’s Eve tourtière and a huge dinner worthy of the last day of the year and a night in the woods. The real challenge was to try to stay up until midnight: the blackness was bewitching, the sky was star-laden and the fatigue from a day of snowshoeing was heavy in our bodies. Happy New Year!

Fom the Mines Madeleine you can see Mount Albert

We left early the next morning, January 1st, heading towards Mount Jacques Cartier, the second highest summit in Québec.

Walking towards Mount Jacques Cartier

However, we didn’t have crampons and couldn’t go all the way to the top, which was covered in ice. All the same, we were at least 100 m from the summit.

The view of Mount Jacques Cartier that we visited earlier in the hike.

Our voyage was finished at last after nine days of clear air, snow, good food, hiking, mountains. What can I say? The return to the city was hard.

Oh how it snowed and snowed ! When are we leaving again ?

Translation by Judy Murphy

Cet article est disponible en français ici