Winter, Snow, Québec, Gaspésie, and the Chic-Choc Mountains - First Part

January 26, 2010Winter, Snow, Québec, Gaspésie, and the Chic-Choc Mountains – First Part

The first snowfall of winter covers the sidewalks of the big city. Children run, throwing snowballs at each other. The first day of this season is a shared experience and stirs up different emotions for everyone: lovers of the cold rejoice, while others plan their annual vacation down south.

But this winter, why not go to a far-off corner of Québec where there’s lots of snow? One of the best ways to spend this season is to do outdoor sports in one of Sépaq’s biggest parks, where you’ll find yourself among some of the highest mountains in Québec. A slight change in routine will help you enjoy this snowy time and pull yourself out of annual urban hibernation.

Winter, Snow, Québec, Gaspésie, and the Chic Choc Mountains First Part

Chics Chic-Choc

It was in this mindset that we left last year to spend the first week of the New Year in the heart of Québec’s Appalachian mountains. We had concocted the perfect recipe for seven nights in backcountry shelters: friends, good food, and a few bottles of the good stuff (a total must).

We left Montreal very early on the Saturday for Gaspésie, planning to sleep at the first shelter, about three hours from the trailhead. Because of a snowstorm, we arrived at our starting point a little later than expected; it was almost dark. By the time we finished preparing all our belongings, the sun had already left the horizon.

Wearing snowshoes and our huge packs filled to the brim with supplies for 8 days of isolation, we left in the darkness with only our headlamps to guide us. Maybe we had underestimated the difficulty of the trail, but it was more challenging than we had expected. After 9 hours in the car and a snowstorm, we were walking in inky blackness with only the small map as a guide (of course none of us had hiked this trail before); it was – 20 degrees Celsius, snow was falling steadily, our packs weighed 70 pounds or more, and we were starving, having planned to eat upon arriving. What can I say? We had tried everything to make sure the experience would be an unforgettable one.

Winter, Snow, Québec, Gaspésie, and the Chic Choc Mountains First Part
We found the way to our shelter, nevertheless, rosy-cheeked and tired, our lungs filled with fresh air. After a good meal and a long night’s sleep, we woke up to a winter wonderland. It was the beginning of a wonderful week that passed by with the rhythm of nature.