trip itinerary by day
Day 1, Tuesday, February 23
Our journey starts at Manoir De Sapins, a charming hostel in the small coastal village of Ste-Félicité. https://www.manoirdessapins.com/en/. Our hosts, Aurelie and Deidre, are good friends and have hosted us before and after our expeditions for many years. Please arrive between 4 and 5:30 PM. Dinner will be served at 6 PM, followed by a pre-trip meeting.
Day 2, Wednesday, February 24
After an early breakfast, we will carpool to the trailhead at the Village Grand Nature Chic-Chocs. We will drop off food and gear at the transport service cabin. Our equipment will be sledded into the mountains by snowmobile, while we’ll ski with the light packs. All huts are supplied with bunk beds, mattresses, and firewood. You will need a change of clothes and a mid-weight sleeping bag (cabins are well-insulated and stay warm through the night). We will use candles for light. Huts have outhouses with a view, and a capacity for 8 people, except the Le Huard, which has a capacity for 16. We will melt snow for water. On this day, we will cover 13 mostly uphill kilometers with an elevation gain of 500 meters on a wide trail through the Boreal Forest, reaching the upland plateau and Le Huard (Loon) hut, set on the shore of Lake Thibault and flanked by majestic mountains.
Day 3, Thursday, February 25
Crossing Lake Thibault, we will continue the gradual ascent alongside frozen streams to La Nyctale (Owl) hut, nestled at the foot of Mount Logan. We will cover 18 mostly uphill kilometers with an elevation gain of 715 meters. We have reached the highest point of our trip! This is the most demanding day of the expedition. We will spend two nights under the roof of La Nyclale.
Day 4, Friday, February 26
This is, weather permitting, the Mount Logan Summit day. The climb is a 3-kilometer, gradual ascent. Once on the summit, there are fantastic opportunities for numerous descents, plus a spectacular ridgeline traverse. In the event of a storm, there are equally exciting glades and bowls at the foot of the mountain. In the afternoon, we will sip hot chocolate and rest before the next travel day.
Day 5, Saturday, February 27
We will begin a return descent, reaching La Carouge (Blackbird) hut, nestled on Lac Choc (which is downstream from Lac Chic!). This is a kind of recovery day with ten mostly downhill kilometers and an overall 490-meter elevation drop. For those wishing for an additional challenge, there are nearby summits, an edge of plateau with views of the Gulf, and great navigational challenges. Reaching La Carouge, we will celebrate the last night of the expedition!
Day 6, Sunday, February 28
This is the last day of our journey. After breakfast, we’ll head down the mountains on a long, but mostly downhill, 19-kilometer return to the trailhead.
