Lucky to be born in the wild
I was born in Duchesnay, Portneuf County, during World War II. This is where I grew up in the shadow of the forest station where my father worked.
We lived in a small house that my father had bought on the edge of the Ontarizi river near Lake St-Joseph. The only transportation available was the railroad; there were no roads in those days.
One family
There were five children, plus my parents and my grandfather. A sixth child joined us after we moved in Ancienne Lorette when I was 12. We lived 8 people in this small house my father remodeled, to provide more space for his family. Life was not easy for my father when he was teaching, but we had lots of love from our parents.
If you look at the map of the resort, we lived in a small house on the immediate left of the bridge before it crosses the river. The house was moved elsewhere a few years after we left.
I have returned several times in my life, because that's where I learned to swim and love to walk in the trails pruned by the forestry students. I also learned to row and to maneuver a canoe, which later became a real passion in my life, when doing canoe trips on the North Shore with my own son.
Skills in the forest
I have been thinking about the various skills of forest life that I have assimilated and integrated in Duchesnay. Once you have learned to walk, you never return back. It's the same when you learn to travel through the forest and that you feel comfortable doing it, this capacity will not leave you ever.
Here is the description that appears on the Facebook site of the Station : https://www.facebook.com/stationtouristiqueduchesnay?sk=info,currently operated by the SÉPAQ.
My daughters have also acquired the rudiments of camping in the forest. Today they are proud to admit that fishing does not really have any secrets for them. Even the youngest is not bothered by guns and bowhunting.
I always wanted my children to understand that despite all the difficulties encountered in life, a contact with wild nature remains the best way to find peace in your heart and in your head.
Whether in the orchard behind your house or in the municipals or provincial parks, there is always a place to initiate an intimate contact with wild nature.
Nanook
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