March 13 - 20, 2012. Other dates can be arranged for a minimum of 3 people. There are still a few wild and remote places where visitation is so low and the forests so vast that traditional camping is justified. The Uapashke (“white mountains”) or Monts Groulx, rise above tree line to 1,100 m (3,600 feet). Here is an uninhabited area of vast virgin untouched forest. The skiing is on newly cut trails in dense untouched forest, and through taiga and on tundra. On the mountains there are only rock formations and snow covered lakes and ponds to assist us in navigation. There are many ups and downs on mostly moderate terrain. We will ski over frozen bogs and dry heath land. There will be tons of snow. We will spend the first night in a bed & breakfast and three nights in Michel Denis’ log cabin, Matsheshu. We will also spend three nights in a woodstove heated prospector tent, stocked with firewood, food and equipment, in a sheltered location out of the wind among the scattered trees in the high country. We will have to carry our own personal gear to and from this prospector tent. The temperature should be comfortable during the day and cool at night – usually 0ºC to -18ºC (32ºF to 0ºF). This is Québec’s undisturbed north at its best. We will be totally on our own. Michel and Bill, your guides, will make you feel a part of it instead of just observers. What makes the area so attractive is that it is so undisturbed. The snow is so white and the sky so blue and the air so clear that you can see details in the snow on mountains many kilometres away. White and black spruce are the only trees in the high country and these are spaced so that you can easily ski between them. Some of the white spruce grow to heights of over 25 m (80 feet) and diameters of 60 cm (24 inches). The Uapashke is so similar to areas of the Rocky Mountains that you could easily believe that you are in British Columbia or Wyoming or… We will drive by two major hydroelectric dams on the Manicouagan River as we drive north to our log cabin in the Uapashke. One of them, Manic 5, is the largest multiple arch concrete buttressed dam in the world at over 150 m (500 feet) in height. 40% of all the hydroelectricity produced in Québec comes from the region of Manicouagan. Tour Itinerary: Day 1: Those who are flying will likely be flying through Montreal (Trudeau) so we may meet at the airport for the 8:05 a.m. flight. If not we will all meet at the airport in Baie Comeau. (If enough people are interested we could rent a minibus and drive to the Uapashke sharing the cost). We will pick up our rented vehicle and drive straight to Michel’s cabin giving us an extra day of skiing. It is a 5-hour drive - half on paved road (to Manic 5) and then on an excellent gravel road - to Michel Denis’ cabin, Matsheshu, at km 365 on route 389. We should reach it by mid afternoon and may have time for a short ski to a waterfall and beyond. Day 2: After breakfast we will ski without heavy packs about 5 km (3 miles) to Lac Mineur and a small fishing camp. Then we will cross Lac Mineur and ski up through the woods to a small stream deep in a mature untouched forest of white and black spruce with some white birch, larch and poplar. There is no trail here. Then we will descend along the streambed through a number of wide-open alpine areas. We will have great views of the white-topped mountains. We may return to Michel Denis’ cabin via the Ruisseau Beaupin or by Lac Mineur. We will check our gear so that we keep our packs light for tomorrow’s backpack and have dinner and overnight at the cabin. The total distance for the day will be 20 – 25 km (12 – 16 miles) with a vertical gain and descent of about 200m (700 feet). Day 3: Today is an expedition day carrying our packs and skiing about 12 km following a trail up the Jauffret stream valley into the mountains to a prospector tent that Michel has set up with food in a sheltered location in the Louve valley. The total climb is about 600 m (2,000 feet) and the trail will take us to a point just below the tree line. The skiing should take about 4 hours. This will be our camp for 3 nights. We may drop our packs here and ski for another couple of hours to get an idea of the great beauty above tree line. We may even make it to the top of Mont Jauffret. Days 4 & 5: These are days without a heavy pack. We may explore the area around Lac Boissinot and Mont Jauffret climbing above tree line to take in the magnificent views. There are many possible routes up and down stream valleys and across the many small lakes. We will also explore the area around Mont Veyrier climbing above tree line if possible to take in the magnificent views. The distance for these days will be between 10 and 20 km (6 – 12 miles) with total vertical climbs and descents of about 200 m (600 feet). Day 6: Today is mostly downhill retracing our steps back to Michel’s cabin. However, before we start we may leave our packs and ski a short distance to the top of Mont Jauffret, if we weren’t able to do it before, or to a fire tower on an un-named mountain, if we were. We will enjoy a last dinner and Michel will lead a discussion on the future of the Uapashke in light of threats of forestry operations, mining and other concerns. We will sleep in the cabin and pack up for an early start the next day. Day 7: After an early breakfast we will leave Michel’s cabin by 9:30 hrs to arrive at the airport in Baie Comeau by 15:00 hrs to catch the 16:50 plane (or drive to Montreal in our rented, (shared cost) minibus. Note: Itinerary is subject to change due to weather, skiing conditions, flight times and the wishes of the group. Notes: - Includes everything from Baie Comeau International airport. 
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