HIKE THROUGH, ZEC LAVIGNE. REVISITING LAKE BOUCHARD.

Hike through, ZEC Lavigne. Revisiting lake Bouchard.

And so it came to pass that on the last tuesday of April 2013, our fearless adventurers packed their bags and hiked back to Bouchard Lake. The journey was fraught with danger, gun shells and snow melt.  I think I may be overselling it again, however, I haven’t written anything all winter. You can’t blame me for trying to make it sound interesting!

The hike in seemed easier, perhaps because it was not new anymore. The roads were actually blocked to car traffic in order to make sure that the roads would not degrade further. That meant that we had them all to ourselves for the entire way in, except for a couple of dogs near the St-Zenon entrance. The first part of the hike, about 4 kilometers long, was simple because the road was dryer there. That was not the case on the rest of the hike.

From the moment we travelled along Sauvage Lake, the roads were still covered in ice and snow. On the few areas of road where the snow was melted (usually near steep hills and cliffs) the roads were either quite muddy or close to collapse because of oversaturation.  We were also surprised to find shotgun shells from last autumn’s hunt in a few places, right in the middle of the road.

The closer we got to Bouchard Lake, the muddier and wetter the way got. Cedric completely soaked his boots, not having waterproofed them in far too long. I tested mine to the limit, yet they managed to stay dry. We were glad to see that the campsite itself was dry and in good shape, even though the path leading to the campsite was not. We were able to setup our hammocks quickly and with little fuss. 

Finding wood proved a bit difficult, but not unmanageable. We had a hot fire drying Cedric’s boot and socks in no time. Supper was cooked on my trusty Emberlit stove. Soon after, our bellies were full and the beer we had brought along helped in getting us to bed quickly.  

A few things changed since our last visit. Cedric and I have both shunned tents for 3 season camping. We are both quite happy with hammocks for the present and near future. Also, our pack weight has gone down significantly, to my poor back’s great joy.

We’re going back tomorrow. This time, we are bringing the druid back with us,  and a new man joins the party. More news shortly.