#4: [15-Jul-19]

#3: [31-Jul-11] (incomplete)

#1: [26-Mar-03] (incomplete)

05-Mar-2003 -- Let’s face it some confluences are nicer than other. This one stands in magnificent scenery of Parc de la Gaspésie in between two glacial cirques. My girlfriend and I had plan a backcountry and telemark trip in the area. When I notice an unvisited confluence so closed to our vacationland, I ran to buy a GPS (which was on my wish list anyhow). Given we had to spend four days in the area, there was no way I could miss visiting the confluence.

We first tried to visit on March 4, 2003. Not the best weather, I was -20 C with wind gusting at 50+ km/h. It was so cold the GPS would not function properly. I had to keep it warm inside my coat where satellite reception was poor and limit outdoor exposure (to look at it and get better reception) to a minimum. We reach within 160 meters from the confluence approaching from east. At this point we were doubtful about terrain conditions. At this elevation trees grow densely but no higher than 2 or 3 meters and it is very common to encounter spruce traps. As wind whirl around a spruce it deposits snow leaving a gap of up to a meter between the tree and the snow bank. Under certain wind condition this gap can be weakly bridge by snow thus creating a dangerous trap underneath. Late in the day and with such cold weather we had to intention to risk falling in one of these trap so we turned around and headed back to the hut.

Nonetheless I could not stand being so close and not making it. The following day I returned alone and found a safer route away from suspicious trees all the way to the confluence. I first made it within 30 meter of the confluence where I took picture # 3 showing our telemark playground on the right of the headwall. I then had to go down on gentle grade to make it as close as possible to the actual confluence. I had a great time hunting!

In the Parc national de la Gaspésie, about 4 km from the summit of Mont Jacques Cartier.