Transtaïga Bicycle Tour

Lorinc, John. "Hydro-Quebec’s Green Power Export Plans." New York Times, November 30, 2009.

I have taken an unpaid two-month vacation, enough time to bicycle to the Caniapiscau mega-dam at the end of one of the world's longest dirt roads.

I bring food, clothing, camping equipment, and tools. A camera and flashlight are my only electronics. All together the bicycle now weighs over 200 pounds.

My friend Nick brought me in his bus to Montreal which the border police found suspicious. After not fully comprehending where Caniapiscau was, but being convinced that maybe such a place actually exists, the uniformed guard told me he had no desire to go there, ever.

Most of my calories on this journey have been scavenged and brought from home. I also forage on the way, at first finding an incredible amount of wild strawberries, over and over again.

In a dew-soaked camp, Nick and I acquaint ourselves with biting black flies and mosquitoes. Part of our bicycling speed might be attributed to a vigilant refusal to consider insect repellent.

The black flies have a blade-like mouth so sharp that I can't feel it pierce my skin. They leave an infected bite that often drips blood. One night I counted 292 black flies in my tent.

Because I am paying close attention to hunger, fatigue, and the sun's position, I need not carry an odometer nor a clock. Sometimes clouds obscure the sun, often leaving me to ride on through the heavy rains. In the wake of this storm follows warm sunshine, air absent of dust or insects, and ample time to catch a fleeting rainbow.

Along the way, Nick and I befriend a geologist who explores an abandoned gold mine with us. A nearby company markets the world's purest water despite the global phenomenon associating groundwater pollution with mining. In the furthest corner of this mine you might be able to see a yellow school bus.

I carry rainwater in discarded water bottles, which are the second most common roadside pollutant. Further ahead I will be drinking untreated river water.

I can easily collect rainwater during the evening by suspending a tarp, which also helps me avoid most morning rains.

After meeting Lucie, Nick and I are guided up Mont Laurier. This conspicuous landform, rising out of a landscape wiped flat by glaciers, was named in honor of a Quebecan prime minister who never traveled here.

Following a heavy rain, we proceed on a merry ride back toward Lucie's home where Nick and I split off. Nick heads for the eastern road, I take the road north.

A short walk in the forest reveals an abundance of delicious Leccinum mushrooms.

While on the bike, bug netting serves an important role in mushroom drying.

I cook my meals of wild mushrooms with rice over fire. I cook enough food to eat for three days, thereafter a strong fermentation sets in which I consider inedible.

Dinner