Following Lines: Ikivuq Adventure
On July 10th 2017, six crew members flew to the Arctic borders of Quebec. The goal of their trip was to draw up a map of one of the last sizeable uncharted rivers of northern Quebec. The group took part in the IKIVUQ expedition. IKIVUK in the Inuktitut language is an invitation to join in the adventure.
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Their journey began in the heart of the Quebec tundra, the Pingualuit National Park. From there, they planned on paddling 380 kilometres and portaging nearly 20 kilometres in order to finish their journey in the small Inuit community of Kangirsuk. Unfortunately, the team will be forced to change their plans ...
To consult the nautical survey made by the team click here (french version only).
Ariel Desjardins-Charbonneau
Ariel has been exploring rivers for the past 15 years. For him, it is essential that expeditions combine a high level of security as well as a high level of fun. Ariel is a businessman, a physiotherapist, a researcher, a clinician, as well as, a certified guide in adventure tourism. When canoeing season is over, Ariel pores over maps in order to plan upcoming expeditions.
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“I love the time spent planning our route; dreaming of great expeditions; the feverish feeling of being outbound; the pride of going beyond one’s limits; and the powerful freedom of being lost, isolated, and yet in the place where one belongs. There is no experience more potent than canoeing in the wilderness, where I feel so close to my true self, so close to others, so accomplished, so thoroughly content.”
Cloé Fortin
Cloé has always been an outdoor enthusiast and started paddling when she was a teenager. As a doctorate student in psychology at the workplace and in organizations, Cloé focuses on systems, shared leadership and on new management methods. Her professional baggage as well as her experience in different adventure activities brings her to believe that outdoor activities are the ideal environment to live up to their ambitions.
“I like playing outside. Being outdoors in the middle of the noise and silence of the forest. Being in the centre of the elements and their unpredictability. I love to dream, tell stories, create a fantasy and feel the movement. I love to support and interact. Allowing room for surprises. “
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François Léger-Savard
Quebec’s Far North is one of the first territories that François had the opportunity to explore. His next projects took him to various countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa. For the last several years François has participated in a variety of different documentary productions which focus on the social aspects of life for TV shows, the big screen and for the web. His images combine the immensity of landscapes – natural or urban – with the intimacy that is held in the portraits he is able to capture on his path.
“From behind the lens of my camera, my eyes observe things that are difficult to explain, impossible to deny, imperative to share. Whether it is to help us bow down before the beauty of the world or to condemn those things that make us ugly, I feel the need to share these images which help me to mature.”
Raphaël Hernandez
For now more than ten years, Raphaël has worked as a multidisciplinary designer.
Raphaël works on developing everything from consumer goods, to installations in museums or for publicity and events. For all of his projects, he keeps the human at the heart of his concepts.
He took part in various expeditions across the country. His talent for cooking, his understanding of objects and materials, as well as his outspokenness, makes him the ideal partner for such an undertaking.
“For me, expeditions are the perfect excuse to pause for a while, give myself the room I need to breathe, create, listen my surroundings, and reset my biological clock to real time.”
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Anne-Sophie Daigle
Ever since she was young, Anne-Sophie has had a passion for canoeing. She took part in many long expeditions as a guide for the summer camp she went to as a child, transmitting her passion to campers. She is currently a teacher in a school in Quebec City and she joins the team for the first time to complete this expedition. Her wish is that outdoor sports will become a tool to help students with learning disabilities.
“The intensity of this lifestyle, the human contact, and the incomparable experience of feeling Lilliputian among the surrounding grandeur are all part of what I look forward to. It should be an uncommon expedition, one which is taking shape initially in my imagination. I trust it will be profitable to all: to myself, to my crewmates, to our near and dear ones, to my future pupils. I plan to live this major expedition fully, with all the strength of my beating heart and all the strength of my paddling arms.”
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Élise Bélanger-Desjardins
Elise possesses a talent for seeking out people and creating ties. This aptitude and her interest for others have led her to explore multiple regions around the globe. Her curiosity excites her need to explore a large number of countries; from the colourful reefs of Asia to the turbulent rivers of the Arctic. Elise is a thoughtful doctor who has been practising in the Inuit community of Salluit in Nunavik for the last few years. Her practice is centred around the human beings and the links she is able to create.
“I love being taken aback by change, carried away by uncontrollable laughter and mesmerized by a new world. I have long dreamt of participating in a major expedition and more so since I have become acquainted with the North. I respond strongly to this arid land, which is both deeply silent and charged with history and which gives me the feeling, almost the certainty, that each of us has a role to play in the grand scheme of things.”
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Partners of Ikivuq adventure
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