The Véloroute des Bleuets is a 256 km cycling path that loops around Lake Saint-Jean in the heart of the Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. Where the heck is that you may ask? The region is an easy drive north-east of Montreal and Quebec City. For avid train aficionados, hop aboard a VIA train in Montreal with your bike and voilà, before you know it (ok, it takes a few hours!) you can be on the bike path and cycling your way along the scenic lakeshore in the heart of wild blueberry country.

The Véloroute offers a great way to experience a bit of French Quebecois culture while enjoying a hassle-free biking holiday. A well organized infrastructure of rest areas, accommodations, bike repair centres, restaurants, and tourism sites
ensures a great few days on the road. You can also rent a GPS Cyclo Guide to attach to your bike for extra video and audio info on tourist sites and services along the way.

To make your trip even easier, there’s a luggage transportation service available! No need to drag around the extra
weight of your luggage, it will be delivered to your accommodations along the way! As of this year, the Véloroute is 100% paved with a mix of dedicated cycling path, designated road surfaces, and paved shoulders. It’s rated as easy-to-intermediate level throughout and there are only 3 slopes with a 9% gradient or more. No huffing and puffing up big hills! This means it’s perfect for families, ideal for those looking to experience their first extended bike tour, and amazingly simple for the more hard-core cyclists.

The best reason to go though is all the good stuff you get to see and do along the way! Lake Saint-Jean is the third largest lake in Quebec. It’s big, it’s blue, its shores are lined with warm sandy beaches, and the agricultural fields that surround it provide a picturesque backdrop for your ride.

Of course, good eating is important during any holiday! Wild blueberries, fresh artisan cheeses, award-winning local beers, and fine French style cuisine are the specialties here. There’s even a Cheddar Cheese Museum along the way in the village of Saint-Prime! No worries about going home hungry!

If culture and history are more your thing, there’s lots to see and do. An absolute must-see is the Historical Village of Val-Jalbert. This 1920s ghost town is a gem of turn-of-the-century Quebecois architecture and has a spectacular waterfall to boot! The village was built as a company town to house the workers of the pulp mill. Today, you can stay overnight
in the old workers’ houses or in the little hotel above the old General Store, visit the original convent school, tour the village and hike along the river to the top of the waterfall. This is a one-of-a-kind authentic experience, don’t miss it.

Love animals? Make sure to stop at the Zoo sauvage in Saint-Félicien. This isn’t your average run-of-the-mill zoo, this one
specializes in boreal animals that live in semi-wild conditions. Visitors are caged and the animals run free! A visit also includes stops at recreations of a fur trader’s post, a lumberjack camp, and a settler’s farm – a fun way to learn about the history of the region.

The Véloroute des Bleuets loops its way around the lake and through over 15 amazingly friendly towns and villages along the way. Most visitors take 3 to 5 days to enjoy all 256 kilometres. If you want to keep on riding, the Saguenay and Fjord region can also be accessed as the Véloroute des Bleuets is linked with the Route Verte (the cycling route that crisscrosses the province). Whether you prefer camping, B&Bs, inns, or top-notch hotels there are lots along the route and they are equipped to serve cyclists and their special biking needs. Several outfits provide full-service holiday packages, or you can use the official Véloroute website to plan your own personal excursion.

For more information about the Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean region and itinerary suggestions, you can check out the websites: http://www.veloroute-bleuets.qc.ca/ or http://www.saguenaylacsaintjean.ca

The typical Greenland West Coast sled parked for the night, with brake ropes, harnesses, reindeer furs, rifle and peripherals strapped to it. Other gear has already been taken into the hut for the night. Photo: Søren Madsen, Destination Arctic Circle

“A person looking to hunt for subsistence cannot live without a sled and dogs, which is a very common means of transportation during the winter. The sled accessories should therefore be good and durable so that everything which is wearing down is constantly renewed”.

Not much has changed since a Greenlandic hunter told his listener this 40 years ago. Tuning and updating your sled gear is still as important a feature of today’s dogsledding as it was in the 20th century and as it most likely also was in the 12th century, when the first dogsleds arrived in Greenland.

The keyword here is: accessorize! Since without the proper gear you have no sled. Furthermore, without good dogs you have no team to pull you, your stuff, and your passengers anywhere. And then you are just stuck with a very long, clumsy object mounted on runners, which can be incredibly tough to push uphill.

Speaking of the sled, let’s begin with that.

The sled and its gear

Due to great inter-regional differences in sled builds, terrain, and climate, even in Greenland alone, this article will cover contemporary dogsledding in Western Greenland in the areas around and just North of the Arctic Circle where most sledding is in mountain backcountry and on frozen fiords. For this kind of terrain you need a sled which in a simple drawing looks like this:

The sleds themselves are made of wood, and the wood for today’s sleds is shipped to Greenland on Royal Arctic Lines big red, iconic cargo ships, but back when the first sleds were built in Greenland driftwood was an important source of raw sled materials. Everything is then held together with ropes so the sled can move and twist when moving over ice and uneven ground.

People take pride in building their own sleds, and most drivers will customize the setup to fit their needs and experience level. Some sleds even get some downright pimping done to them, just like the rest of the gear goes through a year-by-year development process towards near perfection later in the life of that organic whole which the dogs, the sled, the driver and their gear together form.

Gear-wise let us assume that you are staying out over night. Maybe even several nights. No matter what, you need:

• brake ropes
• reindeer furs to sit on
• spare parts like extra rope and wooden planks for the sled, and so much more which depends on the individual driver
• a rifle, especially for ptarmigans and snow bunnies – or if you are on a trophy hunt for reindeer or musk oxen
• all your normal backcountry needs for any winter trip.

The dogs and their driver

For that Springtime Arctic Circle happiness just gear up in March and April, await a bit of the abundant sunshine and go out there. Remoteness comes included in every package. Photo: Søren Madsen, Destination Arctic Circle

So that’s the sled. Ready to go. But this whole dogsled adventure thing will go nowhere without the right team up front, and so the old hunter, who was introduced at the beginning of this article, tells us: “Taking care of your dogs is more important than your sled”.

Point taken. Now get to it!

Tending to your team of dogs is a full year cycle of activities which have one common denominator: Food and gear fixing.

Your dogs will eat anything within the range of the individual chain, but try and feed them seal, fresh fish, food pellets, and stuff like that. And don’t forget water in the summertime, since there is no snow around, and a sled dog is not super comfortable in the sun with those good layers of skin and fur.

Once you’re done feeding the dogs, their harnesses need repairs, the sled probably should get that annual overhaul, and the chains, collars, and maybe even the shed for food and gear needs attention.

Then there is training. Not only will the dogs work up their own internal hierarchy in the group, but you need some kind of good leadership program to trim the most suitable team leaders to different tasks.

Some dogs are natural born alpha-males, some are the female equivalents, while certain dogs lead the way on the trail, and others lead by incredible levels of mayhem and insanity. You have to learn to control, groom, and develop your team, because older dogs die and younger ones grow up to take their places year after year.

Eventually even the snow is going to fall, global warming or not, and the animals are ready for lift-off. The launch is never quiet, and the first (many) trips are like letting a kindergarten loose on a candy store.

But at some point down the trail the tide will change, and as the season progresses the trips become longer, the dogs become stronger, and life just becomes plain old beautiful as the soft sound of creaking runners blends with the roughness of the white Arctic.

There is a strength in this bond. And you need to forever strengthen it.

The terrain

The dogs spend the short Arctic summer at the sled dog grounds, where they eat, hydrate and relax. But these are active creatures, always looking for the next adventure, so when the first snow falls the grounds come alive with restlessness. And on the day of the first ride the energy is boundless. Photo: Destination Arctic Circle

Around the Arctic Circle in Western Greenland the push of warm waters from the Gulf stream keeps the sea from freezing in winter, and consequently most dogsledding happens on the fiord ice or in the back country terrain between Sisimiut and Kangerlussuaq which is an area known to be the largest, accessible back country in Greenland within reasonably easy dogsledding reach from towns and settlements.

Frozen rivers, wide open valleys, steep climbs and rapid descends, pancake flat fjords, and jumbled ice edges. Driving a sled in this region demands versatility from your skill set.

Huts are strewn along the Arctic Circle Trail, a 180 km hiking, dogsledding, skiing and snowmobiling route between Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut. And there are huts on the banks of lakes, hidden in snowed over high mountain meadows and along the fjords as well.

They all help form a network of free, but basic accommodation and shelter for locals and guests alike. Up here most huts are unlocked, since winter storms are no fun to get stuck in.

Being a passenger

Once you ride a dogsled you’ll see why this smooth sailing was the preferred Inuit means of land based transportation for centuries. On the dog sled you wind down and get under the skin of everyday life in the Arctic. The creaking of runners over frosty snow, the dogs panting, and the kind but firm communication between driver and dogs, it is all essential to dogsledding.

But there is walking and maybe even running, too. Every so often the driver has to jump off the sled to help guide the dogs down a trail or up a hill, and on especially steep slopes a gentle push from behind the sled will help the load sharing and keep down the amount of evil glares coming from the pack as they fight their way uphill.

Passengers often enjoy the luxury of not having to get on and off the sled while driving, but then there is all the more time to drink a cup of hot something, eat a snack, and watch dusk move to polar night, bringing the northern lights along for the ride.

Make sure, however, that as a passenger you are properly dressed. The drivers will help you get into the nicest, warmest clothes you will ever wear, and in a pair of pants and a jacket made from local materials, you’re as snug as anything.

The ride

So. How about a ride?

The trips in the region around the Arctic Circle in Greenland can go as far as there is snow. Some might say even a bit further, and sleds have been known to travel over other surfaces than snow in their time. But the main point is that trips fall into different categories which can probably be extended to cover dogsledding in the parts of Greenland where the activity takes place.

An important component of dogsledding is camping out whether it is sleeping in a tent under stars and Northern Lights or in cosy, basic backcountry huts. Photo: Søren Madsen, Destination Arctic Circle

Quick teasers, where you go for a 1, 2, 3 hour ride and get a first sense of the sport, the culture, and what it takes to go for a longer dogsledding trip. Around Sisimiut and Kangerlussuaq trips like these can run every day from the snow falls till you have to pull the last dogsled neck off the trail in May.

Half and full day trips, where lunch or snacks are packed along with the adventurous spirit before heading for the hills, down onto a fjord, and into the back country. Local guides will help guests understand the essence of dogsledding this way.

Multi-day adventures, where the sled is loaded with gear and goodies, and the trip goes to a specified hut or all along the Arctic Circle Trail from Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq or out the other way to Sisimiut and the coast from Kangerlussuaq. And if your into trophy hunting for musk oxen and reindeer this is also the way it is done. Just remember: This is not just hardcore stuff, most people can go on overnight adventures, but it helps to be into a bit of a challenge.

Expeditions are only for full-blooded adventurers who like to spend weeks crossing the Ice Cap or breaking completely new trails in former hunting grounds 500 years ago but which are now just endless hills, rivers, and lakes and countless reindeer and muskoxen.

Know more

Read up on dogsledding adventures in books by the polar explorers, and don’t miss Knud Rasmussen’s travel diaries for some serious Arctic dogsled explorer literature. Other resources like ilovedogsledding.com about sledding in this particular region of Greenland is also a good point of departure for learning more.

Books and other resources are handy for understanding the context of dogsledding in a wider historical perspective, but it is through practicing it that you will learn, and doing that with a pro rider is without a doubt the thing to do.

So don’t forget to ask your driver questions, have them tell you stories about hunting and long adventurous trips, foul weather, ice cold nights, and all the wonders of being outdoors on a dogsled. The true adventure is to get both the action and the knowledge all in one content package.

Have fun in the back country!

While we all love being outdoors, some of us have a little more hunger, a little more drive to seek more of a test, a deeper sense of accomplishment, and a little more of the edge. This primal call comes from the alpine, the land of wind and rock that shuns both trees and human alike.

But even for those of us with a confident mastery of backpacking skills, the jump to mountaineering can certainly be intimidating, if not outright daunting. The following suggested course of action takes you from looking up from the valley floor at distant peaks to standing atop those peaks, drinking in the view of that same valley and the horizon beyond.

You will need to expand your skills, knowledge, and gear but, like most alpine climbs, it is best taken one step at a time.

Step #1: Master Backpacking

Almost every good mountaineer began as a backpacker, which offers a good introduction to managing your food, fuel, and water as well as packing, hauling, and unpacking your shelter, sustenance, and survival. So first master your backpacking skills and develop your own ‘systems’ for cooking, sleeping, etc.

Step #2: Winter Camping

The next step is actually more a traverse into the backcountry’s winter chill. Although you might have your backpacking skills nailed down, winter offers a whole new slate of challenges.

Do you have your tent’s set-up dialed in? Now try it with a new, heavier tent in 15 degrees and fading light. Ever tried simply opening your pack, retrieving an item, and cinching it tight again with mittens on? It is a whole new world.

These once simple tasks, not to mention more complex ones like setting up a winter kitchen, are the most basic survival skill-set for your mountaineering adventures. Plus, you will get to know the winter world first hand; the hush of snow-covered landscapes, the solitude of areas oft-overrun in warmer months, the exquisite joys of warm, buttered cocoa and filling food on a chilly night.

Step #3: Take Avalanche Classes

Note the plural: classeS. While a single, Level I course will teach you basic avalanche physics and how to use a beacon and probe, taking that one class actually puts you into the largest risk group for being caught in a slide. It is the quintessential example of “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” as people who have taken only a single Level I course actually statistically increase their chances of being caught in a slide.

So take two classes (or, better yet, three) as additional courses give you not only the confidence to go out in avalanche terrain but also the more advanced knowledge of how to really avoid them. Don’t forget to purchase crucial avalanche gear (beacons, probes, and shovels) for each member of your expedition and make sure to practice what you learn in your classes before getting to the backcountry.

Remember, your best, most important ‘gear’ is knowledge and you can never carry too much of that.

Step #4: Rock Climbing (optional)

Rock climbing is not at all a requisite for alpinism, but it can provide some additional skills. Rope management, basic knots, some anchors, belaying, and general rope work are skills you will learn rock climbing that will also come into play during your forays above tree line.

Step #5: Tour Operators

Many operators offer basic alpine courses that will add a great deal to your expanding knowledge base. From weekend trips that culminate with a one-day push up a moderate alpine route to week- or month-long trips on Rainier, Mt. Blanc, or other classic peaks, these courses will equip you with basic mountaineering skills such as self-arrest, glacier travel, snow anchors, working as a roped team, and perhaps (preferably) crevasse rescue.

Feel free to study up beforehand by reading classic mountaineering texts and come to the course with your brain like a sponge; ready to soak up every tidbit of knowledge.

A few additional points about operators:

• It’s best if your guides are accredited by a national professional mountaineering guide association (such as the American Mountain Guides Association, Nepal Mountaineering Association, the venerable The Alpine Club (U.K.), or others ) to ensure that he or she truly knows their stuff. Find a list of such associations at the website of the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme (UIAA) at http://www.uiaa.ch/?c=75.
• And note that many guide services are sponsored by manufacturers so, rather than blindly going by their recommended gear list, be sure to talk to knowledgeable climbers, friends, and customer service people so that you can get what gear is truly best for you.
• Finally, don’t forget to tip your guides!

Step #6: Clubs

A lower cost alternative to taking a guided course is to join a regional club. If you are fortunate to live near groups like the Alpine Club of Canada, Colorado Mountain Club, Deutscher Alpenverein, or a host of other regional groups, they often offer an array of instructional trips and classes.

However, these courses are usually taught by other club members, not professional, accredited guides. Thus, their instructors could potentially have dubious experience, teaching skills, and/or emergency training. The cost savings are significant, but so is the difference in quality.

Step #7: Venture Forth… Cautiously

Now that you have built a basic foundation of knowledge and skills, you must gauge your confidence and decide on your next move. If you feel ready for an unguided trip, consider a single-day, easy, and accessible alpine route, with more experienced partners. Do your homework first though by reading guide books, talking to local climbers, and consulting land managers.

If you are not yet that confident, then by all means take an advanced class, read more books, and continue to broaden your burgeoning list of skills, knowledge, and gear.

Step #8: Come Back

It just wouldn’t be a climbing article if we failed to include a ubiquitous disclaimer about the dangers of climbing. But while such disclaimers might seem trite, they are also true: the summit is optional, the return is not.

Weather you are a professional climber-athlete or a total novice, the objectives will differ but the goals always remain the same: have fun, learn, experience, challenge yourself, do it all safely, and come back… so you can do it again.