Experience Québec
Adventure
It's a dog's life?
Hike Chicoutai, hike Darth, let’s go! You don’t have to tell them twice the dogs start running the second they hit the snowy trail. These animals adore winter and racing; in fact, they live for it. For a sled dog, cold and snow mean vacation time! For us humans, it’s a last chance to enjoy the dog days of winter before turning our attention to summer. So join us and the sled dogs for an extraordinary tale... or should we say tail?
Standing at the rear of the sled, the driver is seized by a headiness brought on by the sheer beauty of the Charlevoix countryside, the joyous barking of the dogs and the silence that suddenly falls after they’ve travelled a few hundred metres. When led by such expert mushers who are as attentive and respectful of people and animals as Gisèle Dumont and André Heller of Descente Malbaie, a dogsled expedition is indeed a rare and rich experience. And for two days, it was an experience that my girlfriend and I had the privilege of enjoying.Lovers of nature... and life
Gisèle and André are die-hard nature lovers¿rare birds who live in a log cabin that’s heated and lit by solar energy. Here, sustainable development is a way of life, but that doesn’t mean they sacrifice comfort. On the contrary, visitors to Descente Malbaie, located at the extreme north end of Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs, are welcomed into a warm home and enveloped by the scent emanating from the wood burning stove. After finalizing the preparations and making sure that we’re all dressed appropriately for the two-day expedition they call Ma cabane au Canada (my cabin in Canada, a song interpreted by Lyne Renaud at Moulin Rouge in the 40’s), it’s time for our hosts to take us to the kennel and introduce us to each dog in the pack. It’s an opportunity for us to sniff each other out, so to speak.
Going to the dogs
Generally speaking, in this kind of situation it’s the humans who need reassuring. Today, this task falls to Gisèle. She takes obvious delight in describing her dogs’ characters to her guests and explaining how we should approach them and behave with them. This means being firm with the dogs (they’re there to work!) while treating them with the utmost respect. "These dogs are professionals, and they are well aware of their job. They have very sensitive ears, so there’s no need to yell to get them to obey. They do, however, like to be encouraged by being called by their name," explains Gisèle. The visit to the kennel is a ritual that, when completed, sets the pack off on a cheerful round of barking and yapping as the animals sense our imminent departure. Gisèle and André carefully select the teams to match the dogs’ characters with those of their guests.A fascinating expedition
It’s finally time to head out. André takes the lead, with three teams following him. Gisèle has shared her expertise with the drivers, so now it’s time for them to put their newfound skills into practice. In fact, it only takes about 20 minutes for everyone-humans and canines-to feel totally at ease. Stops along the trail are frequent. Our host, a veritable ecotourism expert, points out the countless tracks in the snow left mainly by lynx, moose, marten and hare. He explains the animals’ habits and identifies the surrounding mountains: Mont du Lac des Cygnes, La Noyée and Gros Mont... As the hours pass, we discover a world that’s at once wild and stunningly beautiful.Letting sleeping dogs lie
The cabane au Canada, our destination this first day, is a hut set on the shore of a tiny isolated lake. Although rustic, it offers all the necessary comforts. As soon as we arrive, we light a fire in the potbelly stove and then set out on snowshoe to get some water from the river. Our menu for dinner? Couscous and a nice bottle of wine! We spend the evening listening to legends about the area and stories about the sled dogs, each one funnier than the last. The night is cold, and the sky sprinkled with stars and punctured by a brilliant moon that seems to inspire the dogs; at the stroke of midnight, they begin howling in unison as if their lives depended on it. Nestled in our sleeping bags, we shiver delightedly at this phenomenon, which is made all the more mysterious when, after about half a minute, the dogs stop singing at once, as if given a signal by an orchestra conductor. A deep silence follows, and, like the sandman, leads us into blissful slumber. That’s how we learned to sleep while smiling. The next morning, a 40-odd-kilometre (about 25 mi.) journey takes us back to our departure point, with a stop along the way at a comfortable prospector’s tent where Stéphane, a seasoned guide and friend of our hosts, is waiting with a bite to eat. He regales us with stories of magnificent outings in the surrounding mountains, exploring them by ski in the winter and on foot the rest of the year. Then it’s back to the base, where the dogs need no coaxing to take a well-deserved rest. For our part, we are filled with gratitude to Gisèle and André, and offer them our sincerest thanks. Not everyone gets to experience this kind of adventure with such exceptional people.
| Don’t go barking up the wrong tree |
| Not all dogsledding excursions follow the same formula as the expedition described here. Some companies offer activities lasting a day, a few hours or even a few minutes for those wishing to familiarize themselves with this pursuit first. However, the calibre of service or the type of contact with the dogs can differ from one company to another. Each has its own packages and its own way of doing things. You are advised to check with Aventure Écotourisme Québec to ensure that the adventure tourism operator you’re considering respects the quality and safety standards established by this association. |
Gilles Chaumel
2008-04-16
