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Unexplored Territory
Part two in a series on remote canoe expeditions by G.W. Martin
Part 2 - Getting There(by G.W. Martin)
This week I am going to discuss the Itinerary, the "How do you get there"? I have found that for a plan to work perfectly, one must leave
plenty of time for those things that pop up that are not in the plan. Due to this constant involvement with the unexpected, it’s smart to
plan to leave on a Monday, giving yourself five business days in a row to get everything done.
I use many different means of transportation for myself and my gear before my boats even sit in the water. For example, on
Expedition St Jean I drove north to Van Buren, Maine where I crossed the border. I then drove 2.5 hours to Riviere du Loup where I
caught the ferry. I rode the ferry for about 40 minutes across the St Lawrence to a town called Tadousac (Cost: 1 car on ferry $40). Once
I arrived, I filled up with gas on top of the hill. I then embarked on my 8-10 hour trip to Sept-iles, the last town where we’d use our
vehicles. (all driving times depend directly on the condition of the vehicle being used, so keep that in mind.) Upon arrival, on a
Wednesday, the first thing I did was put my boats on the train. The passenger train leaves for Shefferville from Sept-iles every Thursday.
Although it is not mandatory, The North Shore and Labrador Railway (418-968-7803) appreciates having all freight cargo on board one
day before departure. It’s important to note that gear on the passenger train cannot exceed more than 135 lbs. After loading the gear on
the train, I go to the Avon International Travel Agency (418-962-9411) to buy my passenger tickets for the train the next day. For this rail
system, the tickets must be bought on Wednesday. Cost; 1 canoe on train $125, 1 train ticket $34. After my train preparation is taken
care of, I shuttle a vehicle to the take out, in this case a 3 hour drive east up the coast. I then drive back to Sept-iles. The train ride on my
last trip was about 5 hours to a stop called Eric. Eric is the stop right past the train trestle over the Magpie Riviere, put in!
With those numbers and that information I just provided is enough to construct a "put in" plan. Next week I will discuss what it
takes for "GEAR" (the fun stuff) to supply a large scale Expedition.
It was ten am; Shaw and I were sitting in his red Toyota Four Runner. We were discussing the events of setting up and breaking down camp. This
being Shaw's first trip with me, I was explaining some of the ways I like to do things and my reasons why. Patrick was in his gray GMC Safari behind us
resting while we were all getting our ride. We had crossed the Canadian border two hours before and barely caught the first ferry. The sun was shining
and we all had that nervous feeling of anxiety in our stomachs. The challenging month to come was hovering over us like a cloud of hungry black flies.
Then, out of nowhere, a lady in her late forties/early fifties came up and knocked on our window. I was sitting in the driver's seat and quickly
rolled down the window. She had a very concerned look on her faced and said something in French. I immediately informed her, in the nicest way I could
conjure, that I needed English. She then asked, "have you heard?". Shaw and I looked at each other real quick during the pause almost to reassure that
we both new that something serious had happened. She said that the buildings in New York were on fire from airplanes. She also mentioned "Pentagon”.
She pointed at our radio. We turned it on instantly and started turning listening for English. The brief messages in English informed us of what had
happened. I ran back and opened Patrick's door, turned off his Highwaymen cd and told him what had happened. He thought I was kidding at first but
knowing me for as long as he has, he could tell that I was serious after a couple of seconds. A new feeling combined with the excitement and nervousness
we’d felt for the expedition, forming serious confusion and doubt. The three of us went up into the lobby of the ferry, to find everybody on board with their
eyes glued to the TV. We saw what was happening on the screen: the towers were falling down. We could not understand the French commentary, just
the visual. We heard that the borders had been shut down. We looked at each other in complete amazement.
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