P Hardy

Hope you have a great day Jean-Guy!

Those fellows wore out before they rusted out..

It sure has come a long way! Pretty much committed once you started on those loops..

Love the old pictures! Even my back was reminiscing about how soggy those old late 80's early 90's Formulas were, and the triples were ungodly heavy!

Awesome story!

At the end of February 2006 my new Yamaha Rage only had 110 kms on it. Trying Quebec was always in the cards for “someday”, but with a shut out for snow in Nova Scotia, someday was now! Thankfully, two other friends also had new gear with no miles, so the arm twisting was minimal! We set off from PALC on an early March morning, and by the time I reached the top of the ski hill I knew that I would be screwed for ever sledding around home again! In 2008, five of us did the Matane, Godbout, Chicoutimi, Quebec City loop. Met Saguenay Bill and had bookings with Bernard at the Motel Safari until a blizzard changed our plans. Called Bernard to cancel and he told me “That's fucking sleddin”. I never did get to stay there or meet him. Actually only ever got across the St. Lawrence that one time. So much good trail from St. George to Gaspe that it gets hard to justify trucking further.. In 2008, flogging it for the ferry in Matane, I came around a corner after the St. Fidele cable bridge to meet a New Holland groomer with a heavily bearded operator in it. Being half shy and a little short on time, I missed my chance to meet Jean-Guy and have never been able to catch up with him since. Same goes for Andyman, positive I fueled up beside him in Amqui that very same day. Met Eddieskidoo in a blizzard on the Gaspe in about 2014. We turned around and him and Skidoo420 kept going towards Mt. St. Pierre. If I remember right, they never made it and had to get trucked back. Wild snow, I think that there was 70cm by the end of it. Anyway, I am trying to talk a little more to the folks I meet on the trail in case they are members here. Always nice to put a face to a name. I haven't bought a local trail pass in a few years, one local mile is harder on gear than 10 up there. That, along with the hospitality and availability of services, makes it hard to turn a track at home. Some year though, I am going to sled up there right from my door, just to say I did it. One of the cool things is; of the two guys I went with in 2006, I have always gone up with one, if not both of them every year since. Sometimes you just gel with certain guys. As others have said, this website is the icing on the cake of the best sledding I have ever done! Thanks to all the contributors for their time!

Old Forge is a beautiful area, I could only imagine the traffic there.

Figure I'll throw this in here. How does the Upper Peninsula of Michigan compare to Quebec?

Thanks for the info!

Sounds good. Let us know what you find. One thing to bear in mind is that two rivers meet right at Matepedia, so be cautious around any ice.

Thanks for the reply GT Rider! There is actually a new trail from Moose Valley to l'Ascension that isn't on the map yet. From my understanding, it joins onto the trail going from St. Irene to Moose Valley. I'm just trying to figure out where it is and what the mileages are. Is this the one you are referring to? Thanks again!

I have poked around Matapedia a few times looking for the same thing. Judging from the tracks on the river, it would appear that locals are crossing, but there is no clear or marked way from NB to Quebec.

Hi Jean Guy, Did you happen to notice the turn off to L'Ascension? Just wondering how far from St. Irene the turn off is. I was in St. Irene yesterday and wanted to try to loop around to L'Ascension but didn't know how long it was. Thanks!

Great Pictures!

Baker Lake is quite close to that loop, more of a village than town. There is a beautiful looking restaurant right on the lake where the trail passes, it wasn't open the couple times I have been by. The trail from there to Edmundston is actually very nice, and has been in excellent shape anytime I have been on it. It would appear that the majority head east towards Moose Valley and these trails seem quite a bit lower traffic. I thought the area was pretty neat and have looped through a few times now.