The North attracts adventurers

Faced with this fading winter, we begin to dream of cold, of the Far North, of the Arctic. Some do more than dream, they furiously plan their next adventure. This is the case of Nicolas Roulx, of Expedition AKOR.

In 2021, he crossed all of Canada from north to south with Guillaume Moreau, an expedition of 7,600 kilometers by ski, canoe and bike. Five partners joined them for certain sections.

Nicolas Roulx is doing it again in 2024, but for a crossing from west to east which will take place entirely north of 60^e parallel. With Catherine Chagnon, he will cross the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut by bike, canoe, sailboat and hike. Guillaume Moreau and other friends will do certain sections of the total journey of 6,500 kilometers with them.

The departure is soon: April 21.

“Over the years, we have learned to combine different sports, to combine different expedition stages with transitions,” declares Nicolas Roulx. What interests us is the logistical challenge, on the one hand, but it is also the diversity which means that we cannot really get bored. »

These transitions will likely be the main challenge of the expedition. After three months of canoeing through the Northwest Territories, the team meets in Baker Lake, Nunavut, with the sailboat Anorakleft Quebec five weeks earlier.

The sailboat must then sail to Baffin Land, where the adventurers will cross Auyuittuq National Park on foot.

The Arctic continues to arouse fascination.

“It’s very vast, very diverse,” says Nicolas Roulx. There are several norths: the Yukon is not like the Northwest Territories, it is not like Nunavut. These are different cultures, different economies, different languages, landscapes and ecosystems that vary greatly. »

The Nordic lands also fascinate Samuel Lalande-Markon. In the winter of 2023, he crossed Quebec from south to north by bike and skis with Simon-Pierre Goneau, an expedition of 2725 kilometers.

In the summer, he wants to connect Whitehorse, in the Yukon, to Tuktoyaktuk, in the Northwest Territories, by bike and canoe. He mainly intends to follow the famous Canol trail, an old military path which requires very resistant bicycles and small inflatable rafts. packraft to cross rivers.

“It’s a very damaged road which, eventually, will no longer be accessible by bicycle,” explains Samuel Lalande-Markon. We’re taking advantage of it while we still can. »

Documentary director Marie France L’Ecuyer will be there. For his part, Félix-Antoine Tremblay will join the team at the start of the Canol Trail after having covered 7,000 kilometers on isolated roads, including La Ronge, Saskatchewan, and Yellowknife.

The small team will then paddle on the Mackenzie River before getting back on the bikes in Tsiigehtchic to ride on the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, then Tuktoyaktuk.

Samuel Lalande-Markon has just concluded a small winter expedition with Marie France L’Ecuyer on Lake Mistassini, just to train a little.

“It is the largest natural lake in Quebec, it is a mythical lake in the Cree territory which is also central to the occupation of the territory by French Canadians. »

Two other adventurers have also just come into contact with Quebec territory. Rémi Cloutier and Julien Roy-Plourde set out to travel a legendary route between Quebec and Lake Saint-Jean, the Innu-Montagnais trail master.

Adventurer Sébastien Lapierre attempted to cross it a few years ago, but the conditions forced him to abandon: the waterways he hoped to take were not frozen enough to allow passage.

The weather conditions finally got the better of this new attempt. After the rain, a period of frost transformed the clothing and equipment of Rémi Cloutier and Julien Roy-Plourde into “real blocks of ice”.

“We are making the decision to end the expedition because returning to be exposed to the cold would increase the risk of frostbite too much,” report the adventurers. What point is there in finishing one expedition if it means you won’t be able to start another? »