Snowmobile expedition
From a bird's-eye view, the Saguenay Lac-St-Jean region looks like it goes on forever. Vegetation gets scarcer and scarcer the further north you get, and the panorama just gets larger and larger. It's as if the region were some sort of starting point for the Great Unknown. A feeling that is only compounded by the fact that population thins out after Lac-St-Jean. Here, snowmobiles take the place of cars and trails replace highways. The scattered villages, game preserves, old hunting camps and native communities serve as rest stops. It's almost as if we were in the far west.
This part of the country is seen as a huge playground by stressed-out city dwellers, whose lives are saturated with asphalt, as well as by those who simply love nature, and by the most demanding sports enthusiasts. Québec Hors-Circuit's specialized guides know this territory like the back of their hand and take you through it by your chosen mode of transportation, be it snowmobile, cross-country skis or dog sled. Off-track snowmobile expeditions are particularly recommended for those who want to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and smells of the Quebec tundra. "When we say off-track," specifies our guide Gilles, "we mean everything that is outside the provincial tracks. We mostly travel on frozen waterways and old forest trails. The great advantage of the snowmobile," he continues "is that you can cover more ground in less time. It allows you to take in more scenery and get away from the cities and towns." Gilles's eyebrows seem to be telling me that he feels much more comfortable in these great outdoors than he does standing in front of the camera to answer my questions about outdoor adventures, even though, right this instant, we are very far from adventurous, discussing his work over a hot meal. In fact, during the meal, I think I spied many faraway sceneries in his light-blue eyes. I couldn't even hear his words anymore; all I could hear was the wind whistling over the vast expanses of the tundra.
Experienced adventurers can travel in complete autonomy, which means that, like turtles all over the world, they'll be carrying their house on their back. Since the snowmobile can carry a fairly large amount of weight, it's possible for travellers to take a whole camp with them, including tents and an easy-to-assemble small tin stove. "Clients can help with setting up camp, which leads to a particularly dynamic atmosphere. You start from nothing and one hour later you have a comfortable shelter," says Gilles. You therefore get a very strong feeling that you are in the midst of an exciting adventure, even though you're comfortable in your tent once the sun goes down.
At Lake Peribonka, near the 50th parallel, a herd of cariboo often roams around the area. According to Gilles, the observation of wildlife gets easier the further north you get. This is because, strangely, the animals here are not as wild as those who live closer to civilization, in the sense that they are not as afraid of humans. They simply observe the strange visitors dressed in bizarre colours, whizzing by on their screaming machines
A day filled with effort and wonderful scenery usually ends in front of a hot meal under the tent or in an old hunting lodge. At that point, all inhibitions disappear and the nervous reflexes of the modern urban resident go out the window. It doesn't matter what your job is, where you come from, who you know: All are now equal. Everyone played their part in the adventure and you can feel the growing sense of solidarity in the kindred rapports that develop among members of the team. It reminds me of the title of that movie: We are far away, yet we are so much closer.
