Despite conditions made extremely difficult due to the lack of snow in places for snowmobiles, Christian Flamand succeeded in his challenge of carrying out the second edition of Expedition Premières Nations.
“When we started in the community of Pessamit on the North Shore, the welcome was so great that it created a chemistry among the 57 participants, including 19 women from several communities, which allowed us to succeed, despite all the pitfalls we encountered.
“Throughout the course, the positive energy that developed gave the snowmobilers and the support team the energy to succeed. Importantly, for the first time, we had non-natives with us,” explained the big boss of this adventure.
In total, the participants covered 3,387 kilometers. The departure took place in Pessamit on January 27. Subsequently, they passed through Essipit, Jonquière, Mashteuiatsh, Chibougamau, Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Pikogan, Rouyn-Noranda, Témiscaming, Spruceholme Inn, Maniwaki, Saint-Michel-des-Saints, La Tuque and, finally, Arrival on February 10 in Wendake.
“All along the route, we received a remarkable welcome, which proves that our hike achieved its goal of promoting reconciliation. People have shown us that they want to move on and change their lives. »
The conditions that prevailed along the route, due to the very mild winter we are having, forced all participants to surpass themselves.
Until the second stage of our adventure in Essipit, the conditions were good. Afterwards, things got worse. After passing the Monts-Valin towards Jonquière, that’s where the misery began. Before arriving in Jonquière, we drove on sand and rock. We have really taken the measure of the hell of global warming.
This helicopter, specially equipped to respond to all situations, followed the participants throughout the course.
Photo provided by Airmedic
NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS
Faced with the obstacles encountered, and especially taking into account the abilities of the group members to drive a snowmobile, adjustments had to be made.
“With the obstacles we encountered and knowing what was coming after being informed, we had to make changes to the caravan,” explained Christian Flamand. These changes, by placing the strongest in front and the less experienced at the back, allowed them to respect their rhythm and allowed us to experience a successful finish on Saturday in Wendake. »
Throughout the adventure, several experienced problems.
“We had bad luck like leaving the trail, accidents, some fell asleep at the controls because they were too tired, others made wrong maneuvers due to extreme fatigue, some missed curves, etc. Others spun. Truly, all members of the adventure were physically stretched to the extreme, due to the terrible conditions. Even I who practice off-road thinking that it is more difficult, I realized that riding on federated trails is more demanding, especially since with the climatic conditions we had traps almost everywhere. It was really painful. »
EXTREME CONDITIONS
The snowmobiles have also been pushed to their maximum capabilities.
“With these extreme conditions, and especially because of the lack of snow, the snowmobile engines were heating up, with temperatures of 105-110 degrees when we were traveling at 20 or 25 km/h due to the conditions. We also had to regularly replace parts like the sliders and runners on our skis. We had to literally rob three BRP dealerships by purchasing all the necessary equipment in order to create reserves. The members of the expedition had to spend a lot of money to achieve the feat of completing the ordeal. »
Fortunately, on arrival, a very warm welcome awaited all these brave people.
” What a welcome ! People came from all over to meet us. People from Schefferville, from the North Shore, from the four corners of Quebec were there. It was really warm and, above all, our mission was accomplished, namely to achieve reconciliation. »
Mr. Flamand wanted to thank his sponsors, such as Airmedic and Choko. Soon, he plans to organize a meeting to pay tribute to all the volunteers who made this adventure possible.
Airmedic to ensure safety
To ensure the safety of the members of the expedition, Christian Flamand could count on the expertise of Airmedic.
“It is certain that the very difficult conditions meant that the days were much longer,” explained Jean-Patrick Laflamme, director of public relations and communications at Airmedic, who followed the entire ordeal. The situation represented a higher risk potential. We were really aware of what was happening on the ground thanks to paramedic Benoit Cloutier, who was the first responder just in case. He monitored the sites and assessed the situation, and then he could communicate with our headquarters, so that we could deploy a helicopter if necessary, as quickly as possible. We were hot at times, but fortunately there were no accidents requiring our intervention. We had established a method of knowing where the helicopter could land if needed along the route, so that we could take care of the patient, just in case. »