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PaddleFoot Voyageurs II - 2001
The Coulonge River with cross over to the Noire River
The Crew:
Jesse - Satan
Chris - Quiffer
Fran - Franimal
Trevor - Shredder
James - The Foot
Will - Billy
Marc-Henri - Marky-H
Chesser - Soldier
Irene - Come on Irene!
Maya - Maya Papaya
Day 1
The Arrival!!!
The first of many pita lunches
The icebreaker, "Who am I?" game.
Made some journals - or pretended to…
Canoeing lesson - "Canoeing is STUPID" Will…
Marc finally arrives
Look over maps
Ate AWFUL spaghetti (roasted red pepper soup?)
First of many bowdrill fires on the island with marshmallows
Objections and Expectations: Be one with nature
Fear of Holes
Desire to jump from high places
Learn crazy things
Day 2
Early morning with cereal and milk for breakie
Pack up and ship out
Sleep on van ride while listening to… peaceful?…EUROSTAR!!
Last minute stops where the guys attempt to get their junk food fix
Van gets stuck… HEAVE!
Marc stabs Chesser
Short Paddle on Lac Grand to our Island campsite
Terrible wood run across the water
Cheesers for dinner
Irene and Chesser head out paddling
Jumping rock - first mini vertical experience
Will and Trevor go 'swimming' in their dry clothes
Day 3
French toast for breakfast with blueberries and jam
Jesse feels ill and takes the morning off
First Bear spotting, Maya, Jesse, Will and Fran
Hard paddle in the wind on Lac Nichotea
Stop for lunch - first of many roasted red pepper meals
End up staying the night on Lac Desty
Finish the last of the real bread
Begin bowdrill lessons
Slicey Toilet
Day 4
Take off for Pork Rapids
More into the wind paddling
Riddles, will they never end!?
First few portages including the frog infested portage around pork rapids
Arrive at campsite in time for lunch (sammies, the nutella fiasco begins)
Drumming circle to urge Jesse's bowdrill courage
Queso's and Soup for dinner
Day 5
Keefer gets his spider bite
Spend the morning at Porc with hydrology talk and fun in the water
James and Irene flip
Will and Trevor flip BELOW the rapid
Synchronized canoeing
Camp on Lac Ward
Canoe games, Fran and Keefer get attacked!
Irene, Marc and Chesser attempt to swim back with swamped boat
Prank in the baker, ewww James!
Mac n' cheese for dinner
Beautiful Toilet!
Day 6
1 K rapids leaving lac Ward
Paddle Lac Pomponne, will the wind ever be at our backs!?
Shoot Double trouble: some swamping, some flipping (Will smacks lip)
Trevor and Marc prevail
Meet up with the kayaking group and show them what we can do at Bridge
rapids
Gorp lunch while Jesse buys some more toilet paper
First cabin campsite, with the LONG walk to the water
Lazy peroguies for dinner
Crazy stories in the baker, Keefer gets his nickname
Day 7
Fresh raspberries with granola breakfast
Short paddle to fun CIII
Swimming in the CIII, swiftwater rescue technicians come to light
Rescue Kandalore from the bottom on Tall Pine Rapids where we camp for
the night
Yummy Chili
Day 8
25 km preconfluence
"KILL! Crossbow!" - Keefer
Jesse and Keefer choose their preferred moose parts
Camp down road of a clear cut, nice fire wood!
More fresh raspberries
The girls break out the arts and crafts
Delicious Mac Salad for dinner
Day 9
Crack of dawn start to beat the crowds to the confluence site
Keefer and Fran's away mission
No breaks through the meanders, except for one Nutri grain
Arrive at site before lunch and before the other groups
FASTEST 40 km day ever!
Maya finally gets coffee
Everyone takes a nap
Hemp necklaces
Invented May-yoga
Day 10
DUFF DAY!!
Marc is a reading machine
Coiffing, hair wraps!
Swimming
Relaxation time for all
Mad wrestling, Keefer's scratch wounds
Star gazing
Great Rose for dinner
Day 11
Slow start
Ninja meeting to discuss the trips turning point
Decided on the crossover and take off upstream
More upstream trekking to Lake Bryson
James and Marc flip!
Portage around the dam
First encounter with the crew from Pathfinder
More into the wind paddling, ocean sized swells
Second cabin site
Trevor and Keefer take off to check out the jumping rock, no go
Ketchup explodes, terribly sad day for Will and Fran
Polish off the marshmallows for dessert
Day 12
Crossover
Very long day
Crazy long portages, 1.3 km
Raspberry picking on the way back
Trevor and Keefer flip in the flats
We all get a taste of Whinny Will
Meet the people in the motor boat who offer to give us a tow, to everyone's
disappointment Jesse declines
Another cabin campsite!
Day 13
Slow morning, bowdrill won't get going
Keefer and Jesse use the love seat toilet
Finish the flat water! About time
Hit Forant River and…
The Tarzan rope! Will just can't get the flip twice
Keefer and James break the branch
Keefer and Maya finally get the flip
Will attacks James and flips the boat - don't get on his bad side!
Arrive on the Noire
Camp at the Wall with the friendly couple
Day 14
We shoot the Wall with no casualties, NICE!
Short paddle to Targie where we hop out to scout.
James and Irene wrap their canoe on a log
Jesse and Keefer start chopping the log while the rest of the crew eats
lunch
Some surfing, some wrapping, some surfing, some wrapping…
More star gazing
Amazing brownies with dinner, yummy!
Day 15
Early morning, Fran's pitiful wakeup (the sun was shining)
Peanut butter, chocolate gorp for breakfast
Portage Canyon Staircase and pause underneath for the amazing jumping
rock
Trevor tries to teach the flying squirrel
Guides line Mountain Chutes and get attacked by leeches
Keefer wraps in a CI, leaving Trevor, Chesser, Irene and Maya to rescue
the gear
Camp at Rapide Islet
Trevor, James, Chesser and Will run the CIII
Rose for dinner on James' bowdrill fire
Play games, "I accept these sticks crossed and pass them on uncrossed"
Day 16
Oatmeal with chocolate milk powder, Trevor eats 3 bowls
Spend sometime playing in the CIII
The battle over who won't take the garbage begins
Will paddles like a maniac and breaks his paddle
Paddle to Hunt Club rapids
Camp in front of the cabin
James lights the fire again
Sit around the fire and give one word to describe each person on trip
Day 17
Early morning
Hot chocolate and oatmeal for breakfast
Find the second jumping rock
People try dives and flips and all sorts of crazy stuff (James' padded
jump)
Pass the kids on solo, BUSTED
Arrive at 50-50 rapids
Paddle and play in the rapid
Pizza for dinner followed by an awesome sauna
INTENSE heat in the sauna
Christened with ninja names
Buddha position swimming
More pizza for those who can stay awake
Day 18
SLOW morning, we're all a little tired
Simple nutri grain breakfast with crazy hot chocolate
Kicked out of our site by the solo crew
Paddle Tight Right rapid and see the group ahead of us picking up their
gear
Some more rapids before we stop for mayo intensive pasta salad
Do our best to paddle the shallow swifts
Arrive at Black River Inn for pickup
SHOWERS!!!
LONG wait for pizza, but it was worth the wait!
Most people stay up all night
Day 19
RAFTING!
Trevor falls asleep during the safety talk
STOP!!! It means stop paddling guys!
Everyone rafts Dragon's tongue, the CV!
Amazing lunch
Back to base camp, exchange numbers and the crew is hustled into their
perspective shuttles
To the crew,
With its ups and downs, ins and outs the trip was in all one amazing
experience. Each member gave his or her all and it didn't go unnoticed.
Thanks to all for making the trip what it was, we wouldn't have made it
without your hard work. So give yourselves a pat on the back, you are
the first group from PaddleFoot to complete the Coulonge, Noire cross
over.
Take care guys, may our paths cross again next summer. Keep smiling.
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