Au Nord Du Quebec

Skidoo or Ski-don't...that is the real question here. Since the new year, I have had many new experiences by Skidoo (aka snowmobile). Skidoo's are one of the most fun machines ever created. I have not ever driven one, so my experiences are from the passenger seat, or more accurately the backseat. A few weekends ago, a friend and I decided to try going hunting for ptarmigan at his usual spot about 30 minutes outside the community. First came the loading of the Skidoo onto the trailer then hitching the trailer to the car, no big deal. Once we arrived at our spot we parked the car, prepared our gear and the dogs and set off in the snow. It is important to note that we had just received a few FEET of fresh fluffy snow. The trail was completely covered by snow so we were on our own. Let's just say it is not the brightest idea to go Skidooing in fresh, deep powder with two humans, two large dogs and cargo... We kept sinking in the snow, leaning to the left or leaning to t...

As the temperature drops and I travel back north, I realize just how comfortable my wool socks and Roots sweatshirt are. I was welcomed home this weekend to a 22 hour power outage, meaning 22 hours without electricity, heat, hot water, NOTHING for 22 hours! All of this happened while it was a brisk -15 C (5F) outside. As the temperature dropped in the apartment, I scrounged up as many blankets as I could and as many dogs as I could to keep my bed warm. Just kidding about the dogs but I am lucky to have Lily to keep my feet warm this winter! The quickest decision when I woke up in the morning was to leave the community and venture to Chibougamau to eat a hot breakfast and stock up on non-perishable food in case the outage lasted longer than the day. Luckily, the power came back just as I pulled back into the community, around 3pm. I made a very smart purchase today, buying myself a pair of Bilodeau winter boots, these are both the warmest and most ridiculous-looking boots in ...

Hello Everyone! Thanks to the heavy snowfall and dropping temperatures I have been keeping myself busy these days. Daylight Savings cut back my afternoon sunlight, so I have about 15 minutes between leaving school and sunset now...this is not ideal when wanting to take 30-minute off-leash walks every day! My friend and I have come up a new solution to the sunlight problem, we chase the dogs around the backyard for 30 minutes instead! This gives us the heart-rate workout we want, as well as some quality exercise time for the pups. The Mistissini Lodge is a ten-minute walk from our homes, so we have started taking the dogs to the lodge and lake in the afternoon when it's not too windy. The dogs love it because sometimes they see other dog friends and the views are beautiful. The photo above was from one of our sunset walks, the sky is very pink at the horizon and what you see of the snow is actually Lake Mistassini! The snow has almost covered the entire lake at this p...

Welcome back Winter! Long time no see.... Just kidding because it has only been 5 months since snow was last on the ground. This year, winter has decided to make an early appearance, covering everything in sight with a thin layer of wonderful white powder. I cannot be too upset, because snow is ALWAYS better than rain. Try taking your dog out on a walk in the rain: Miserable! Take them out in the snow: Bundles of Fun! This is the latest picture of my snowy home. The lake has not frozen over yet, it is still look warm for that. It will begin to freeze little by little, but it will not be safe to walk on or ski-doo on until at least the beginning of January. Lily always enjoys our walks, rain or shine or snow. I think the snow gives her a thousand more things to smell and she looks so darn cute with her snoot in the snow!  My students and I are preparing for Halloween, which is right around the corner. This past week, we worked on creating our own haunted houses ou...

October is officially here, and with it come the magnificent colors of fall. The month of September went by in a flash, it was just yesterday I was kayaking in 70F (21C) weather. Unfortunately the weather has taken a turn for the colder... we have been having specks of snow here and there and my kayak is frozen solid in my backyard! Thankfully, the snow did not stay very long, as it was warm and sunny the day after. As much as I love snow, it boggles my mind to be seeing heavy snow in mid-September. The walks are as gorgeous as always, rain, shine or snow. Lily enjoys the weather no matter what. As long as I layer up, there won't be any issues! There was a heavy rain and wind storm a few weeks ago that caused a lot of damage to the forest, as you can see in the picture above, a few trees could not withstand the strong winds. It was shocking to hear about a tornado touching down outside Ottawa, Canada's capital. My thoughts go out to those who were affected. We were lu...

Summer is nearing an end here in the North... We had beautiful 25 (77F) days with sunny skies, but it is time to say goodbye to summer. The image below of the end of the docks watching the sun set puts exactly how I feel into an image. It is appreciating the warmth and sunny afternoons that were enjoyed...but now it is time to prepare for winter.  I learned this morning that the Geese have started to fly south which can only mean one thing: winter is coming. I even checked my weather application this morning to see that the emoji for next weekend's forecast had flurries! Although the cold is inevitably approaching, my friends, dogs and I took advantage of the weather this weekend to be outside as much as possible. We went on a wonderful forest hike leading us to a very calm part of Lake Mistissini where the dogs had a blast swimming and playing.  I also have the pleasure of taking care of a friend's dog for the next week, his name is Luke and he is the sweetest boy e...

Joyeux September to everyone! The weather has started to get cooler day by day, but still much warmer than last year. I enjoy a walk to the Mistissini Lodge that overlooks Lake Mistissini every other day in the evening. This particular picture was taken one evening as my friend was walking a 4 month old puppy, persuading her to jump in the water....she did not give in and refused to wet her paws! One weekend ago I celebrated my birthday with a few of my closest friends (and dogs). We spent 3 days in Quebec City shopping, eating and enjoying the beautiful views. This Quebec City trip is becoming an annual tradition! It definitely is one of my favorite cities in the province, and it's only a six and a half hour drive from Mistissini. We enjoyed the views of the Chutes de Montmorency, the beautiful waterfalls just outside the city. Lily had the pleasure of enjoying the falls as well! Please enjoy this awkward picture of me holding Lily to make sure she doesn't jump off t...