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hello everybody,

Back on the keyboard, from my small village of St Philbert to tell you I am home. I touched ground last Sunday at Roissy airport

I made up my mind fairly quickly – it only took me about a week to decide. But for some time I was walking on the main road, mainly the trans-Canadian 17 where I was supposed to find a walking path of the same name… It happens that the path is often the road itself. Walking on asphalt does not suit me, especially as you have to be really careful with non stop traffic of enormous trucks (over 70 t) gigantic mobile homes often driven by ‘Sunday drivers” plus ordinary cars..

Moreover my family had been waiting for me for over a year, not to mention the difficultiea of everyday existence.

I was a month late leaving the western North Territories. Although the first snow appeared at the very beginning of September and this winter was one of the coldest for many years, the rivers didn’t freeze until late. The weather conditions were so difficult I was not able to make up for the delay and therefore I couldn’t go down James Bay which was my original plan. I had to head South from Churchill in order to avoid the ice breaking and slush which makes the whole region completely impassable for long periods of time. No need to say again and again the global warming is anything but an invention or utopia, even if some make a business of it.

But, yes, I MADE IT , on foot and without assistance, in spite of all the difficulties !

I took the decision to come home while I was at Thunder Bay. I had already done the 7000 km… From there I flew to Montreal with Kujo, my brave and truthful four-legged companion – it was his first flight – A few days later he boarded from Montreal, after having gone through all sorts of so called civilised treatments : vaccines, electronic tatoos, medical check up… But it had to be done before he could get to France where he would enjoy a peaceful life and well deserved rest. In any case he will have more opportunities to get back to the North as I ‘ll be back myself, not on a walking trip this time but for work. Several Canadian firms have offered me a job as a prospector for uranium, gold and diamond.

At Montreal I had the great pleasure of meeting Paul whom I had never seen but who had been such a faithful friend in all circumstances. Thank you Paul for everything.

So now I am back home. You will forgive me for not telling you sooner. I have been thinking of you who have been supporting us throughout the year. Don’t stop now, the adventure is not over yet. Patrice has received the last photos taken after Churchill and there is much to say about the wonderful welcome I had from the children of St Philbert who have been working on the adventure with their teachers all along. They came back to school specially to show me their work on Tuesday afternoon, during their school holidays. It was a great moment and I thank them and their teachers.

There will soon be the launching of a notebook with a wealth of photos and emotions and then a book on the adventure.

Leonie, Patrice and myself still have lots and lots of things to show you

See you soon on the blog

Thank you for your support

Fabien

I am in Ashern, a charming little town in Manitoba, about 180 km North of Winnipeg. I arrived on Saturday and am getting back on the road in a few minutes just after writing this message.

Last week we had some extremely hot days, I haven’t got a thermometer any more but my friend Kenneth from Stony Rapids told me that in Saskatchewan they were having 46° C when the sun was shining. It’s really frightening here in the North when you think we are only in May… Fortunately we had a short break but it seems another heat wave is coming. From -65 ° C I am going to get +35°C What a life ! poor bobby…

I am leaving Ashern on the 325 up to Hecla where I’ll get the ferry to Seymourville on Lake Bonnet and then Kenora in Ontario. At last I ‘ll be going East. Since I left Churchill I walked 1200 km without going an inch forward, I even went backward !

That’s a good question ! I wish you all a very good week Until next time Fabien

Grand Rapids 23 mai 2008,

I arrived yesterday afternoon at Grand Rapids where I had to stop because of my truthful partner and road companion, Kujo. He has had a few problems with his feet, and suffered a lot the whole week, since we left Thompson in fact. We gradually get back to civilisation and with it the macadam ; it’s not very good for me or for him but we can’t avoid it from now on. Yesterday some lorry drivers stopped and gave me some cream for Kujo’s feet and also a pair of leather socks, some food and sweets, all for him ; and for me ? nothing but water.. mineral water mind you ! It’s very hard for my ego. As you can see, Kujo is becoming a star in the country of caribous and bears ! You should see how many people wave at him and how many signs of interests he gets ! It’s really incredible ! I have had many offers to sell him for more than one thousand dollars. But he is MY dog, a present from my friend Ken and certainly not for sale even for a fortune.

I can’t get access to my e.mail at Grand Rapids, only a very limited one to internet from the school where I am writing those few lines to say hello. The more I go South the more difficult it is to have access to new technology ! Isn’t that strange ? I won’t say any more in case you think I am not sincere…

Again I’ll have to change my itinerary to make things easier for Kujo by avoiding the macadam and reach the transcanadian path. I guess we’ll have to go South to reach the trans-canadian path which will lead us to Quebec, going through this great and magnificent country. Therefore I should go through Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Montreal before arriving at Quebec. Just a little longer than I expected and not avoiding the big towns which was the original plan.

It will be great to see you all at Winnipeg, I hope very shortly. So far we have had a good rhythm Kujo and I, about 40 km per day ; I think we might get to 45.We’ll see how Kujo can keep step with his new socks.

After a two weeks rest with FatherAlbert who was so kind and generous to me, I wish to tell him how grateful I am : thank you Albert for letting me stay with you. Those two weeks were so good, it’s a bit difficult to get back “on the road again”. But everything will be ready for a departure on Saturday morning, I now have all the Carrix equipment, new shoes, rucksack for my friend Kujo who will only have to carry his food ; for the end of the journey it will be a holiday trip for him : no more sledge to pull…

You may wonder what I have done with the three other dogs Sotty, Noname and Speedy ? I gave them to a musher who was highly recommended to me by several people of the community, particularly by Father Albert . I gave them with the promise that they will be able to run, they will be well looked after and not sold. It’s a lovely story for these dogs that nobody wanted ; I had bought them as I went along for a handful of dollars but now they are going to be trained to run the Churchill West, a great race of 600 km. When I think that one of them would have been killed if it had not been for the $40 I gave its owner! That day I did well without knowing it. Same for the others who became fabulous companions who never got tired. Kujo is the only one who was given to me, and given by somebody very special : my friend Kenneth brought it to me to replace Big Buddy. Because of the fighting, I could not keep Buddy who was particularly aggressive to Scotty , poor little Scotty was not doing anything.. so it was not acceptable, I couldn’t bear it. Regarding animals or men I can’t stand those who feel strong enough to fight others weaker than themselves. One day he tried to steal some of Speedy’s food, I was amazed how Speedy just pounced on him ! “nobody touches Speedy’s food !”

I won’t be able to reach Quebec via the Hudson Bay and James Bay, I am a little too late for that ; the thawing spring will soon be here therefore I am condemned to go down much further South and walk another small distance of 1000 km more. It’s a pity and I feel sorry about it but that’s how it is. Here, once more, I am not the one who decides, it’s the North. I will reach Thompson, 550 km along the railway for the first food supply, then very likely another one at Ashem, 580 km further. After that, there will be two options : either straight East or South. I will make up my mind as I go along.

Here we are ! you know nearly everything now, I will give some news from Thompson, in about two weeks.

He goes
That's it, Fabien goes, I got to chat to 17h08 French time today. Everything was ready in a few moments I expect photos of departure. It is not going it alone with Kujo one of 4 dogs from previous stages. Be assured the other 3 went well and they will have a good life in the far north.
Fabien gives hello to everyone. He resumed contact in a small twenty days.
To follow, go to Map .
A soon
Patrice

I ‘ll still be in Churchill for a few days, I am waiting for some good equipment to continue my journey : still about 3780 km ; once again because of global warming I ‘ll have to walk another 1000 km more than I intended.

I like it here in this small town of 800 inhabitants which was actually designed for 7000. The infrastructures are particularly impressive. For example the Arena is a great complex with schools, ice rink, swimming pools, gymnasium, library, clinic, pharmacy, etc. Of course, from Europe such a complex may seem normal, but in the North, not every town can provide all these facilities and when they are there, they are really “the top”, it makes us feel ashamed (as we often think we are the best !)

For a week it’s been quite hot, the temperature has gone from - 40°/-50° to + 7 ° yesterday and today, probably up to 15° in the sunshine. The thawing is coming fast, too fast ; mid seasons don’t exist any more, we go from winter to summer. This is one of the result of global warming which is quite obvious here. Usually in March and April you get blizzards, snow gales but for the past few years things have changed a lot : winters remain very cold, particularly this year, and they are shorter and shorter which of course has an influence on life and environment. The first to be hit are the polar bears of the Hudson Bay their number is rapidly decreasing It’s difficult to speak about the “King of the Arctic ” in a few words, but I’ll have the pleasure of telling you more in a few months, when I get home.

Meanwhile I am enjoying the wonderful hospitality of the people here. They do surprise me with their great generosity and their relaxed way of life. It seems that the word “stress” is unknown here – stress and cold don’t mix ! – It may be because you can only reach this small town by air or rail. This second option is quite surprising, here, no TGV, the maximum speed is 10 km/hour sometimes less because of the permafrost ; sometimes trains can be stuck by snow gales and in that case the goods have to be thrown away. If you ever need the service of a train you have to be very patient and just wait. But here “time” has a different meaning In the North, the present is important, not the future ; it’s the philosophy of the Indians, of the Inuits and of many white people. Many times I’ve heard people say : “maybe today, maybe tomorrow”. When there is only one small supermarket in the village, temptations are scarce with sometimes little choice, you can’t be sure to find this week what you had last week. But at least there is a shop ! I have gone through villages where there was nothing, the nearest shop was 250 km away – you mustn’t forget your salt or matches – Yet even if they must travel 500 km to do their shopping, they will always look happy. Smiling is the secret to be adopted. Whatever happens, keep smiling !

I must stop writing now, I could keep on and on and tell you more about the people of this wonderful Far North Country, I owe them so much.

For ten days we have been really worried. I had a call from Fabien this morning which was at 11.30 in the Auvergne area, 4.30 a.m in Churchill and we talked for an hour. It’s difficult for him to sleep, not because of the events but because it’s not easy to get from a – 40°C tent to a cosy +20°C room. The AFP journalist Patrick Filleux just wrote the following article.

Paris, (AFP = French Press) – Fabien Docet, the Anjou walker who had started in July 2007 a solitary walk in the Far North Canada, without assistance, from the Pacific to the Atlantic (7000 km) had to be rescued on Saturday by helicopter in the Northern area of the Hudson Bay.

With his four dogs, Fabien Docet, aged 46 had been stopped for several days, running out of food and -40° temperature - in the Caribou Park in the province of Manitoba, a wild, impracticable place only inhabited by wolves, about 200 km North/West of Churchill, capital of the White Bear

He finally succeeded in calling his family in France through satellite phone, giving his exact GPS location.

Immediately, his friends from his village of St PHilbert du Peuple (a small place of 1300 inhabitants in the heart of Anjou – Western Loire- France ) got together and contacted friends in Canada who, in turn, contacted the Gendarmerie Royal Canadienne (GRC) in Churchill.

« I was caught out, using a wrong itinerary given to me by an old caribou hunter and in this deserted wild area I could not find any path or track” Docet told the French press by phone.

“Walking on hilly ground, through snow flurries, in very thick forest, it was taking me ages, going continually backwards and forwards, carrying 150 kg of material, each piece at a time. My sledges were stuck and my dogs were getting weaker and weaker from the lack of food. I was gaining less than 5 km ground per day and finally ending in an inextricable cul-de-sac between two frozen lakes” he added.

For the first time since the starting of this adventure at Whitehorse (West Yukon), on 4th July 2007, Fabien Docet understands that his situation is critical. He begins to share his last portions of food with his dogs.

« The only way I could come out of this on my own, without asking for any help would have been to leave the dogs, take my rucksack and try to be lucky and reach Churchill, 200 km eastward. I just couldn’t” confessed Fabien.

The adventurer sets up a bivouac and takes the decision to remain where he is. He finds his GPS location ; with his satellite phone -nearly out of battery- he manages to contact his lady-friend from Maine et Loire who has not had any news from him for over a month. “Am stuck… no more food… nearly blind, my eyes are burnt from sun rays (he had to walk on frozen rivers without sunglasses to be able to find breakable ice patches) get me out of here !”

Nights are long, his body curled up in his tiny tent – temperature -40°. “. The wolves are everywhere I can hear their howling concert all around me, from sunset to dawn. I can see their footprints in the snow in the morning in the middle of the camp”. In spite of advice from locals, the walker has refused to carry a rifle. “Psychologically it would have changed everything. My approach to nature wouldn’t have been the same, it would not be me” he told us.

The release came from the sky… in the humming of the helicopter sent from Churchill by the G. R. C. who thought it was time to intervene before the life of the Frenchman and his dogs were in real danger. They are now safe and sound on the verge of the Hudson Bay after their rescue flight.

Fabien Docet is preparing his next walking journey. He hopes to reach Quebec in July for the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the city… That’s if the thawing Canadian spring with its slush and rough ground will allow him to proceed.

I was greeted at Lake Tadoulé by Mr Hassan, the head of the college which has continued with my disposal a very comfortable apartment for the duration of my too short stay. Once again the home of the inhabitants of the far north is incredible. In the city I am addressing the people who came to welcome me and discuss this trip that surprised. In the North, I traine with me the name of White fingers, name me has been given by locals and that refers to the CBC radio. When the natives give you a name, that is a sign that you are accepted in the community, which I am very proud and happy.

Hello, everybody!
This is the webmaster at the keyboard, just a few words.
We accompany our friend Fabien since the beginning of the expedition with a few others from France. I have noticed that a lot of anonymous give us a big hand, hardware, home, by their presence and especially friendship.
While we emptied our pockets but never mind. I would like to commend the kindness of the Canadian Police and the Rangers who are very close to him and then everyone else.
You are in the dimension of the landscapes of the Far North: broad, generous, friendly, supportive, attentive, alert .............. And this we are very grateful
It is thanks to you that Fabien comes to Quebec, there are still not to do!!
MANY THANKS for being close to him and we
Patrice

The stick of pilgrim

Hello everyone.
That is what I propose to take to continue to move, if your strength permitting, with us.
No one is obliged. No one is obliged to go further than what he can. No grievance, no judgement no sermont.
We walk at the same pace as Fabien, welded silent, united. The question is no room for complacency.
We regularly receive news and photos of Fabian and his dogs by Ken who joined him and accompanies it. Equally silently Patrice collecting these pictures that reach us and that we look on us as a family, with children, astonnished, faces quite upset by the changes made on the one we know if different, in the middle of a geography unlikely for us. We feel how these changes on him beyond us as we beyond ours throughout this march.
This is the last day that Kenneth has been reunited with Fabien, after more than 180km of walking. Thanks Ken.

Good Day

Léonie

Hello dear friends.

Fabien is currently at Stony Rapids. He sleeps most certainly. He will take the road towards Wollaston while ago when his day will start with his three dogs. It's not easy, equipment suffers a lot, dogs certainly, and he also, but it advance!

Thank you for your comments increasingly numerous, and that Fabien is pleased to discover during his stops, they are really fun.

And you friends northern Canada who encounter Fabien, it is with much gratitude and emotion that we receive your stories and as these pictures here that will take us literally at home.

Good day and soon to news perhaps a little more "developed"

Fabien Guardians Angels : François Joncourt ( Carrix inventor ), Paul Gorodko ( Kayak portatifs canada ) and Hilleberg the tent maker ( no present on this photo ). Partners let's go

Bonjour Fabien,
Isabelle m'a fait parvenir une photo assez troublante d'une attaque d'ours polaire qui a eu lieu à Churchill, au Manitoba.
De grâce, fais très attention quand tu seras dans cette région (voir photo en attachement)!
Bonne journée,
Paul

Yesterday, the 6th of December, Fabien told me that the pulka is not finished yet, and that bringing it to Fort Smith, as originally planned, will now not take place, and it will also cost the tidy sum of 800 $ ; without it getting to its final destination and also passing on the problem to Paul.

For someone who is supposed to know all the contraints of an expedition, and who knowingly decided to help and to participate in the expedition, which itself is on a shoe-string budget ; for someone who signed up for it, its really not acceptable. Fabien refuses to be blocked by this type of blackmail and Paul agrees with him.

So after a heated exchange of e-mails, il has been decided to get hold of some children’s sledges, either here or in a neighbouring town, which is not so easy, Fabien not having a car, the distances being so great and the equipment so specific. Its going to be a do-it-yourself job, and we also have to find some skis, as it had been planned, in order to optimise the transport, to put them with the pulka. Time is short, we have to act fast and get back on the track. We’re already wondering whether its going to be possible to get to Churchill, will the weather permit it, and after that .. ?

There you go, a short summary of the day, the 6th of December. Luckily Paul phoned up about the pulka , otherwise at Christmas, Fabien would have found himself like a child, neglected by Father Christmas ! And its not for lack of faith or hard work, or for not sending off e-mails in order to find out what was happening.

While I’m at it, I just wanted to thank all those who have written to encourage Fabien. We would like to reply to you all, our heart is in it but we really don’t have the time. Its great moral support and we hope that this blog will answer your questions. In any case, thankyou for getting this far with us and for encouraging us throughout our great adventure.

In a sporting way that’s what we say in this world to salute someone, so take care and see you soon. We’ll now let Fabien and Paul get back to work.

Where have all the Sunday mornings gone, with the delightful smell of hot fresh croissants ? Where is my favourite baker’s traditional baguette and the friendly, welcoming smile of the baker’s wife, in the French village of St Philibert ? Far, far away ! 12 000 km ! How many degrees Centigrade separate us from these 2 lives ? 50, today. Oh yes, its 50 degrees higher at St Philibert than at Fort Smith, where the sun stays close to the horizon and will set very early.

Yesterday I had the pleasure in taking part in a “sugar cabin” organised by the small town’s Francophone association. It was great, we spent the afternoon outside “stretching ” the maple syrop. With a flat stick, you roll up the flattened syrup, before it hardens too much, and there you have it, a delicious candy.

I’m making the most of the warm weather, because the new departure is getting nearer and it could be the 15th of December, which seems to be a good date to take to the road. After all, the wait has been long, even though there hasn’t been a lack of activities.

I’ve started again to get myself back into shape ; I go for long walks in the snow without skis or rackets. Its very physical and I learn to control my efforts in the cold and especially to limit the perspiration which is one of the worst enemies of an arctic walker. Here, if you talk about perspiration, you talk about humidity and this humidity turns itself very quickly into ice.

The terrain after Fort Smith is covered in dense boreal and its not flat, far from it ! The “pulka” should weigh about 150 kg and I’m going to have to find paths through this forest, and I don’t have any guides. In fact, the route up to Churchill will be, without a doubt, the most difficult part of this adventure, but that’s exactly what makes it an adventure, otherwise it would be called a package tour.

Its not the goal and anyway for that there are specialised travel agencies and which do anything to relieve their customers so that they don’t even have to carry their backpacks.

Without a doubt, going all out to make “adventures” as widespread as possible, has become perverse. On one hand, there are thousands of “adventurers” who sign up with one of the many adventure agencies who will take them to the four corners of the globe so that they can experience a great adrenalin surge in total security, and without straining themselves at all, and on the other hand, the professional adventurers who spend a fortune and who rely on intense media coverage in order to promote thier next great adventure which is more spectacular than the last but less than the next.

All that makes for a lot of amateur ill-prepared adventurers all over the planet and unfortunately it is all too easy to follow their tracks. And by that I mean not only the tracks they make but what they leave behind : trash, litter, bags, and so on.

For an adventure, shouldn’t it start by being clean before anything else ? I mostly thinking about those summits littered with garbage, the dirt around the log cabins that reappear when the snow has melted etc. Perhaps we shouldn’t go anywhere at all if we’re not capable of leaving it clean and tidy. The recovery of litter should be an integral part of an adventure, whether its made by a pro, an amateur or travel agency.

But, anyway, I’m certainly straying off the subject and who am I to judge ? Haven’t I at least once in my life left an object in a forest.

Just for our us, Fabien and Leo sent me some photos. Well then, lets enjoy them together, they’re musical, now you know what to do and for the walk just click onto :

When you connect up to get the latest news about the Adventure, do you ever think about looking at the other pages of the site ?

I invite you to do it starting from today, and to discover, not only Patrice’s hard work on the English site, but also the one made by Frederic and one of his friends, an computer-graphics specialist and still anonymous, but not for much longer. The surprise is just as great for you as for us. Wonderful surprise, hey ! Fine work. Just one more name, a designer and still one or two details to work out and it will be perfect. You’ll therefore see that the site, just like the expedition is on the move and evolving. Beware of old habits !

Thanks to Frederic for his critical analysis, for listening to our suggestions and also for his excellent initiative.

Grand Rapids 23 mai 2008,