Short pieces from before, during, and after the trip. The posts further down are placeholders for the long-form recap. The list right below is live: short bursts sent from the Garmin inReach Mini 3 between Jul 7 and Jul 11, 2026, posted automatically through Pierre.
Messages sent via satellite from a Garmin inReach Mini 3
We finished today Saturday. One day ahead of schedule. We are both bitten to death by the mosquitoes. We are happy and a proud of our achievements. This loop is marked « advanced » which it is. The canoeing can be challenging, the portages hard. It is remote so no one will come to save you (unless you have a Garmin inreach).
📍 45.7381, -73.99152/2 wake up to the smell of breakfast. Happy dad.
📍 47.7048, -77.12891/2 Saturday. 4th and last day. We went quiet fast. Violette is strong, willing amazing. I feel so grateful living this adventure with her this morning I
📍 47.7048, -77.12892/2 fallen trees and boulders during 9 portages. At night we slept on a camp on a small island in the middle of a lack
📍 47.7048, -77.12891/2 Yesterday 3rd day was sunny. Mostly with current in our direction. We saw from a white sand beach. Felt soooo good. We portage the canoe up hill. Above
📍 47.7048, -77.12892/2 day ahead. Making good time. (I think).
📍 47.7277, -77.04401/2 Starting 2nd day. Yesterday was tonight stream infested w/ mosquitos. Tons of pushing the canoe in shallow waters and some rain. Today the sun shine. Long
📍 47.7277, -77.04402/2 Changed into dry clothes, eat and ready for a good night. Tonight the sun came back in an amazing sunset.
📍 47.8183, -77.08161/2 It is so wild, immense, beautiful. First day mix of rivers, streams, lacs. Sun, wind (back) and rain. Arrived at camp drenched. Set up bug net and tarp.
📍 47.8183, -77.0816Made it to Montreal, picked up Violette, and now driving to our first camp 2 hours northwest of Montreal.
In the Adirondack less than 2hrs from Montreal. Left the rain behind.
📍 44.0140, -73.7050The canoe is safely secured on the car, and we are ready to hit the road.
We are taking the road on Tuesday!
The backpack full is a little bit more than 12.5 kg. First dry run of the portage carry: canoe on the shoulders, full pack on the back, see how it feels before we are on the trail.
The four things we always check before launching: wind, weather, weight, exit. None of them require Wi-Fi.
Past Highway 117, the cell network ends. For the full five days on the water, the only device that can reach the outside world is the Garmin inReach Mini 3. Here is how we use it, why we have a check-in protocol, and what the live tracking map on this site is actually reading.
One blue waterproof barrel for the food, two portage backpacks for everything else, every item inside a dry bag. The point: clear the canoe in one round-trip per portage.
How this trip started. Violette is living in Canada, so the lakes were suddenly close at hand. I have always been drawn to canoeing the countless lakes up here, and this was the year we finally set out to make that dream real.
Long before La Vérendrye, there was a mahogany canoe found at my sister's place and an idea that wouldn't let go. Four high school students from Nantes, no budget, sponsors in kind, and nine days on the Seine, the Loing, the Orléans canal and the Loire. A local newspaper ran the story. I kept the clipping.
This page won't update during the trip. We're fully off-grid from Jul 7 to Jul 11. Real-time signals come from the Garmin MapShare tracking map instead. We'll publish the full journal with photos in mid-July once we're back.