Canoe/camping expedition Clip of the week :
This week, meet with Michel Garceau, from Passeport Aventure.
Since we've begun our adventure expeditions,
Benoit Laporte, our «big boss», who also works for VIA, has taken a great deal of pleasure in telling all present about his talents as a canoeist: «You know guys, I've tackled the Vermillon River, he says. Yeah, there are great rapids there. Just follow me, you'll see...» Suddenly, we started being very curious about whether or not train guys had good sea legs.
Our journey to the often mentioned Vermillon River began in La Tuque; we then made our way to Rapide-Blanc-Station, far away from any civilisation, deep in the forests of Upper Saint-Maurice. Thanks to the VIA Adventures service, we were able to ask the conductor to stop just a few meters from the spot where we wanted to attack the rapids.
Long ago, Rapide-Blanc-Station was a fishing and vacation centre, but, more importantly, this was a major stopping place for the inhabitants of Rapide-Blanc. About 30 kilometers from the train station, Rapide-Blanc sits on the bank of the Saint-Maurice, right by a hydroelectric dam.
Inhabited, at the time, by about a hundred people,
this "company town" was put together by Shawinigan Water and Power. «I remember going there, back then, recalls Michel Garceau, from Passeport Aventure, a company specializing in outdoor adventure travel in the Upper Saint-Maurice region. It used to be that only the train went through this region, so people were forced to stay here. There was a small ski resort, a church, a general store; in other words, it was like any other village, only smaller.
But in the 70s, the dam had long ago been completed, and the village was shut down, the houses sold and recycled for building materials. Nowadays, seven or eight brick houses are still standing. They have been renovated and Hydro-Québec employees now hold meetings there. A ghost town, not unlike dozens of others bordering any Northern Quebec river; this one, however, has never lacked for power!
Michel Garceau stands with Benoit Laporte in front of the rapids on the Vermillon River, which is a part of the Saint-Maurice hydrographical system. As time goes by and the moment when we'll start our descent approaches, Benoit Laporte doesn't seem so sure of himself...
For Michel Garceau, the greatest excursion
one can take on the Vermillon River begins in Rapide-Blanc-Station and ends twenty kilometers away, at the Beaumont dam, on the Saint-Maurice. A very robust two day trip, during which you'll come across many patches of rapids. According to Garceau, you'll only have to carry your canoe once: «Iroquois Falls, two kilometers downstream from Rapide-Blanc-Station, is an insurmountable obstacle, but it's beauty makes it a must-see.»
Benoit Laporte looks at the rapids before him.
«Where are you going to put your camera?» he nervously asks cameraman Yanick Rose.
«Benoit, just go between two rocks and head straight for me. Action!», answers Yanick.
Benoit paddles upstream, analyzes the angle of attack,
and heads for the rapid. In fact, it's not so much a rapid as a «log slide», held over from the time of the lumberjacks. Benoit's face is tense. He successfully maneuvers the canoe between two rocks and past the camera, as expected. But then... Ha!, our train guy loses control, misses a turn and his canoe stops on a rock.
The whole crew bursts into laughter. When Benoit returns, exhausted, he says: «Hum, this isn't the ideal canoe...»
A few minutes later,
Michel Garceau easily rides the same rapid, as if it were a pleasant ballad on a quiet pond. So, is it all in the canoe, or the canoeist?
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Climate and weather
Before you set off to explore an unknown region, here's a good tip: visit our section on climate and weather in Canada's different regions!
Inhabited, at the time, by about a hundred people,
this "company town" was put together by Shawinigan Water and Power. «I remember going there, back then, recalls Michel Garceau, from Passeport Aventure, a company specializing in outdoor adventure travel in the Upper Saint-Maurice region. It used to be that only the train went through this region, so people were forced to stay here. There was a small ski resort, a church, a general store; in other words, it was like any other village, only smaller.
For Michel Garceau, the greatest excursion
one can take on the Vermillon River begins in Rapide-Blanc-Station and ends twenty kilometers away, at the Beaumont dam, on the Saint-Maurice. A very robust two day trip, during which you'll come across many patches of rapids. According to Garceau, you'll only have to carry your canoe once: «Iroquois Falls, two kilometers downstream from Rapide-Blanc-Station, is an insurmountable obstacle, but it's beauty makes it a must-see.»
Benoit paddles upstream, analyzes the angle of attack,
and heads for the rapid. In fact, it's not so much a rapid as a «log slide», held over from the time of the lumberjacks. Benoit's face is tense. He successfully maneuvers the canoe between two rocks and past the camera, as expected. But then... Ha!, our train guy loses control, misses a turn and his canoe stops on a rock.