Women’s food

Feeding myself

It’s 9pm, I don’t know where I’m going to camp tonight…

After 120km of flats, climbs and descents on my own, I arrived in a beautiful tourist town on the river called Baie-Saint-Paul and I am recognizing the need to take care of myself…

Food is a must…
Here! A good restaurant calls out to me. And it’s called ‘La Batture’ !
Why not ! I feel like feeding myself with a bit of luxury !
To celebrate my solitary moment of physical overcoming by embracing this opportunity of western culinary richness !
As I don’t know where I will pitch my tent tonight and as I leave this restaurant I will be homeless, alone and vulnerable in the dark of this late June night, I fully savour this moment when, seated at a table, I feel secure, proud and female !

I thus begin what I could consider the second part of my journey. After a break in the Montreal area, a visit to Victoriaville at Répit-Jeunesse and finally some time in the beautiful Quebec City area, I am now climbing other beautiful mountains, those of Charlevoix. The presence of the water of the St. Lawrence River nourishes me in a different way than the absence of the Plains. And I hope to go back to the source of this road…

Thank you for continuing to follow me!

I slept in a city park… Haha ! it’s still crazy life !

2021-06-292021-07-23

Return to Quebec

2021-06-062021-06-29

The Bipeds

Humans are so generous!

Following my last text which mentioned my great difficulty in crossing the centre of this country, I would like to express myself on the beauty of the world… of humans!

All your hellos on the roadside, your encouragement and appreciation of my project, your smiles nourish me day after day.
In these times of pandemic, I feel like an intruder and the fear of not respecting people worries me, because the last thing I want is to be disrespected!

And then, on my way, I realise that people are so happy to be there for me. It feeds my physical body, my spirit, and my soul. So many beautiful encounters fill me with joy and help me to continue.

I see and understand the essence of this journey: the human encounters, the non-judgment of everyone and the happiness of sharing with each other.

You, gentleman at the grocery shop… I see you, I feel you. It’s been a long time since anyone has spoken to you or taken an interest in you… We sit and exchange a few simple words and we feed on this moment. Thank you to you whose name I do not know!

I am sitting on the side of the road, exhausted, hot and thirsty; a woman offers me water! Then, further on, the lodge, a good supper and a big breakfast! A hot shower. Ordinary moments for everyone, but they take on a whole new meaning after days of cold, heat, rain and drought.

Thank you to all those who helped me along the way, thank you for the hellos, smiles and everything else.

You on the side of the road encouraging me yes you… Thank you you made my day!

See you soon, dear reader, and thank you for encouraging Répit-Jeunesse, which helps young people in need by providing them with shelter, comfort and reassurance, in a non-judgmental and loving manner!

2021-06-042021-08-08

Crossing the Prairies

2021-05-252021-06-04

Water story

The plains of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The wind, the sand, the pesticides are coming at me, head on at 40km/hour. The dryness of the land dries my mouth, my eyes and hits my lungs.

I am thirsty, there is no water here. The small lakes are filled with minerals from the soil and chemicals from man to satisfy a material thirst for which we are all responsible.

I resist and continue to drive against the wind to get to the next gas station. Here I am not self-sufficient, but rather dependent for a proper drink.

Since I am in the plains, I make sure I have my 5 litres of water in the morning when I leave. I can’t carry more than that. I have to consider what stops I will make in small villages. Some of them don’t have a grocery shop or gas station. I am in a desert…

Ten kilometres separate me from the next gas station and I can’t get there anymore, the wind is slowing me down, the intense heat is dehydrating me and the sun that burns me doesn’t want to go to sleep and let me cool off. It’s 7pm, I look for shade, but there are no trees. So I rush on, exhausted, and hope to arrive before the closing of this gas station, otherwise I won’t have any water.

I see a mini lake, but I don’t dare to drink from it… A ring of salt surrounds it and all these fields full of pesticides slow me down.
Here, most of the inhabitants do not drink tap water.

The beauty of the plains that brings me inner peace is also violent and exhausting. I have been fighting for some time with this wind that does not turn. I resist, an overwhelming loneliness takes hold of me.

Today the weather will change.
It is announced, snow, wind and sub-zero temperature.

As I progress through these linear landscapes, I am almost tempted to believe, as some do, that the Earth is indeed flat!
But the Sun reassures me that tomorrow will be here, but not quite the same… Like the revolution of my wheels in front of endless landscapes. Like the ephemeral wishes that we make day after day…

Hydration

In these conditions, daily life is a challenge in itself. Every morning I pack my bags and every evening I make a camp to spend the night. My body works continuously to provide for my basic needs. It also works to keep me going. Hydration is a vital need, it plays an important role in maintaining my energy. I can’t afford to be dehydrated.

Taking minerals (ionic trace elements) is highly recommended for maintaining hydration; it helps with tissue formation and muscle function.

The SteriPen

To treat my water I use a UV lamp system commonly known as SteriPen. This kills bacteria, protozoa and viruses by 99%.
A simple and effective system for a trip of several months. But you need to have water sources on the way. This system has been perfect so far; except here with the limited accessibility to water and especially polluted water, as this system does not remove the chemicals accumulated over time.

2021-05-172021-07-23

Louise & Jasper

2021-05-112021-05-25

From top to bottom

Everything that goes up must come down.

We were at Lake Louise…
239 km from Jasper on the Glacier Road.
A park warden informed us that it would be impossible to sleep in a wilderness campground in the national park. We didn’t like it but the campsites were closed because it was too early in the season. No choice, especially as a recently awakened mother grizzly is prowling around and our food would be a perfect target!

We are in the transition from winter to spring. The bears are waking up from their sleep and are also in a new cycle. The wake-up call is brutal and they still haven’t had their first morning coffee! We must therefore be vigilant to avoid a potential encounter.

When travelling, every constraint can become an opportunity.
Our solution: rent a car to Edmonton. We can still enjoy the nature and the national park and we can do some hiking and rest our tired muscles.

So here I am, hiking in Jasper. After my head injury, hiking in the high mountains was impossible for me, as the altitude was unsettling. I felt strong and ready to attempt this 2200m mountain. The happiness of climbing a mountain was coming back to me! I am here, I am succeeding! I undertook the climb. My symptoms had disappeared! Step by step I climbed, step by step the happiness of success permeated my being!

Suddenly, I can’t go on, I’m shaking…
I feel the symptoms of 3 years ago coming back! I don’t want to experience this weakness again! I am afraid, I am still shaking, I have no balance… a step forward is endless… The summit is there and I want to reach it. I resist and continue even though I am afraid to stay in this state. There is a mixture of happiness and pride at having managed to get so high and despair at the return of the symptoms.

1800 metres. How come I can’t go any further, how come my body is resisting, how come my head has no control over anything? And this mountain, so threatening, doesn’t allow me to take a false step…
My travel partner is worried and has to help me to get down safely. I am now back down to 1000 metres; my loss of balance is fading and I am regaining my inner stability.

Fatigue set in and a few days’ break in Edmonton would be much appreciated. The abrupt transition from the mountains to the plains was necessary…

I open the door of this small hotel room… Tears are running down my sunburnt cheeks! The symptoms are back… Half of my head is numb and I am shaking! A rest here will do me a lot of good. I hope that the plain will bring me a salutary lull…

Would the spirit of the Bear, encountered in the heights, come to signify to me the need to pull myself together and set up more appropriate limits to assert my personal space and a new rhythm for my peregrinations?

I will have the Plains to answer…

2021-05-012021-07-23

From Nelson to Lac Louise

2021-04-302021-05-10

Body & Mind

Often, during intense challenges such as climbing 1100 metres in 46 km on snowy, muddy, rock-filled trails, morale can falter and can lead to a state of mind of complaint and discouragement.

We always choose our path, but it is not always easy…

I will tell you about something that happened in Australia in 2003 that was a great lesson for me. This learning has served me well ever since and has changed my outlook on life.

Even in the night, you have to move forward…

We are penniless, we have no job and suddenly a man offers us the opportunity to work in a garlic field picking garlic. It’s 45 degrees Celsius, the wind is constant and the dust whips around our bodies.
We are bent over and our backs hurt…
As we are paid by weight, we want to go faster, but we are too slow and it is impossible for us to go faster because of the pain our bodies inflict on us.

The road is far and high, but a glow guides us…

Suddenly, between a few complaints, I notice a group of Africans gathering garlic so quickly that I decide to watch them.
They are singing, laughing and having fun as they work and their harvest is immense compared to us. I start to listen to their singing and even sing with them… After a few hours my body hurts less, I feel happier; I don’t focus on my pain or the heat anymore. I realise that I am collecting much more garlic than before! So I make more money…

Now, whenever I face a challenge, I think of them as they helped me to transform my mindset and not to dwell on the difficulties, but to see the good and the beautiful even in difficult times.

2021-04-242021-07-23

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