Canoeing with the Cree in Eeyoustis, Quebec
Quaking bogs, black spruce, woodland caribou, northern lights welcome us to the land of the Cree!
Quaking bogs, black spruce, woodland caribou, northern lights welcome us to the land of the Cree!
| Date(s) | Price(s) |
|---|---|
| August 29-Sept 5, 2022 | $2,670 |
This trip offers our guests a rare opportunity to travel with a Cree couple, David and Anna Bosum, through their ancestral homeland. David and Anna grew up in the bush living the traditional subsistence lifestyle of hunting, fishing and trapping.
On this trip, you learn how to: set fish nets, clean, cut and smoke fish as well as try some traditional crafts such as moccasin or paddle making.
Much of our diet comes from the land or water, consisting of moose, goose, walleye and bear. We spend several days in the Cree Village of Ouje-Bougoumou learning more about the Cree language and culture. We also take a tour of the Cree Cultural Museum. You’ll learn traditional northwoods canoe traveling techniques with the people who developed them.
* ITINERARY IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BECAUSE OF WEATHER OR OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES
All our Maine canoe trips are fully outfitted and guided by Mahoosuc Guide Service’s owners Polly or Kevin. We provide all the food, camping, paddling, and cooking equipment, as well as a detailed clothing list to help you in packing for your trip. Most of our trips meet in Orono, Maine (just north of Bangor). We provide transportation to and from the river. Many of our canoe trips require no special physical conditioning. If you have any concerns about the physical requirements of a trip, please contact us.
We are experienced teachers and will help you master the art of canoeing by teaching paddle strokes and poling techniques. You will learn how to set up a warm dry camp, and if you want, how to cook and bake over an open fire. All our food is natural or organic, and we source much of our food locally. Natural history, wildlife viewing, and fishing will be covered as your interests warrant.
You are in safe hands with Mahoosuc Guide Service. With more than 40 years guiding experience from Maine and Quebec to the Yukon and Alaska, we have an excellent safety record. We are certified in Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responders. We carry a satellite phone for emergency communication!
* ITINERARY IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BECAUSE OF WEATHER OR OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES
Drive to Ouje Bougoumou, Quebec OR fly to Chibougamau, Quebec.
Stay in cultural village.
Tour of village.
Stay in David and Anna Bosum’s bush camp outside of town.
Two day canoe trip down Chibougamau River to Scot Lake. Set up base camp.
Set fish net, smoke fish. Cree crafts of carving paddles, sewing, learning bush medicine.
Paddle back up river (slow current) to put in.
Overnight in David and Anna’s bush camp.
Drive home.
Deposits are non-refundable. From 0-14 days before trip starts, no money is refundable. Within 14-30 days before the trip starts, money is non-refundable, but you may apply the amount to another trip for one year (on a space available basis) minus your deposit. If you cancel within 14 days of the starting date, money is non-transferable and non-refundable. We go in all conditions including rain and thaws. If extreme weather conditions prevent you from traveling to Maine for your trip, you may use the full amount less the deposit for another trip for one year from the trip starting date. You may wish to purchase vacation insurance to cover this possibility. If you have to cancel due to Covid related issues we will not be able to give a refund, but will lock in the price of the trip and give a 2 year credit to be used toward any of our trips.
We only cancel a trip for safety reasons (i.e. flooding, bad ice, extreme windchill or lack of conditions – not enough snow or ice.) If we need to cancel, we try to reschedule people to another trip. If we need to cancel for safety or lack of conditions you may choose to use the full amount toward another Mahoosuc trip for 2 years, or receive a 50% refund and apply the other half to a Mahoosuc trip for 2 years.
We are asking all of our guests to provide a copy of their vaccine card OR for children not yet eligible to get a negative PCR Covid test within 72 hours of the trip (it may take longer than this to get results so plan accordingly). We are also recommending that people have had a booster shot(s).
Mushing can be physically demanding. We cannot predict trail conditions as they change daily, sometimes hourly. You should be in good physical condition for an overnight dog sledding trip. The dogs are strong; however, there are limits to their pulling ability. Therefore, we ask individuals who weigh over 215 lbs. to contact us prior to sending in their reservation form.
Tips are appropriate for your guides. If you feel you would like to recognize how hard they worked to provide a safe and reliable trip for you. A common amount is 5% – %10 of your trip cost. At Mahoosuc we split tips evenly among whoever is working on the trip unless people want certain amounts to go directly to certain guides. In this case they should give it to them individually.
Thanks for the great experience we had on the trip. It was really fun when you included games and swimming along with canoeing and camping to make the trip more enjoyable. Your trip was great, fantastic, stupendous, extraordinary, nothing more, nothing less.
