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People & Culture

Route Blanche expedition to snowshoe into remote Quebec

Meet the husband and wife team embarking on the Route Blanche expedition, one of seven to receive RCGS funding this year

Photo: Stephen Ferguson
Dave and Adrien Greene. (Photo: Stephen Ferguson)
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Route Blanche is one of seven expeditions that have received funding from The Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2016. Watch the CanGeo blog and follow the RCGS on Twitter for updates from all of this year’s exciting expeditions.

The last time we stood on the shores of Blanc-Sablon, Québec, we promised ourselves that we would one day return to see what lay beyond the end of the road, which came to a dead end not far from town. We knew there were 14 isolated communities that dotted the coastline to our west, but they were a mystery, with no navigable road connecting them.

Starting Feb. 17, we will leave to explore those distant communities. For a month we will snowshow the 418 kilometres along Québec’s Lower North Shore from Kegashka to Vieux Fort. We decided to travel using traditional winter camping methods along the Route Blanche (The White Route), a historic route that serves as the region’s link to the outside world.

Most importantly, we aim to connect students in our community in Nova Scotia with students on the Lower North Shore to increase awareness of diversity and similarities/differences between regions of Canada.

Education has become the major cornerstone of this expedition and we are delighted in knowing that students following our progress will learn about this overlooked part of our country. We have developed extensive curriculum-based lesson plans and have had the opportunity to visit many classrooms and schools to present our expedition and share the value we place on exploration.

Visits to schools along the Lower North Shore have been scheduled and we are looking forward to learning everything we can from the students and community members we meet along the way.

We believe that the story of our expedition will truly inspire students and encourage them to find their own adventures in whatever way they choose.

We are absolutely honored to have the support of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society for this project. By working together, we can foster curiosity and education of the beautiful and diverse country we call home. To join our adventure, visit our blog at www.greeneradventures.ca. You can also like us on Facebook: Greener Adventures: Route Blanche 2016 and follow us on Twitter: @thewildfew

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