A dictionary definition of each team member

During our final nights we sat around the fire and remised about our trip, amused by the challenge of creating a dictionary definition of each team member. Here they are:

ulysse. Social bearded grizzly like creature. When not hibernating is a master of miming and storytelling. A passionate writer, the blog baby sitter, the Ulysse believes the meal he is currently eating is the “greatest ever”.

Antonym: A fisherman who provides (see blog: a fishing story).

elsa. Cordon bleu master of rice and nodules, she can turn potatoes and cabbage into a five start meal. Person capable of managing to maintain an incomprehensible level of cleanliness while on the trail. Safety conscience, an Elsa laughs often and is in frequently awe of her surroundings.

Antonym: Plumber, devil’s advocate

eric. Jack-of-all-trades, able to build a flying machine with only a knife, duct tape and one shoe. A living Juke-box, can recite any song. An Eric can be observed with a paddle and a solar panel in one hand, while carving a wood spoon with the other, often leaving a trail of forgotten gear scattered around camp.

Antonym: Consultant for an oil company, Mormon

sarah: A camera on two legs who perceives the world in frames. Allergic to the 9 to 5 she keeps to field work. Contagiously energetic. Nomadique. First to rise, last to slumber, often found balanced on a slack line, equally at ease holding a paddle or a kite.   

Antonym: Princess, carnivore, materialist

By team vada

Définitions de type "dictionnaire" des membres de Vada

L'expédition est terminée. Au cours des derniers jours - autour du feu de camp - on s'est amusé à rédiger une définition de type "dictionnaire" pour chacun de nous. Question de rigoler, mais aussi pour souligner nos différences... en toute amitié. Lisez la façon dont chaque membre de l'équipe est perçu par les autres?

SARAH - N.f. Caméra sur deux pattes qui perçoit le monde en séquences vidéos. Fille de terrain allergique au 9 à 5 qui détient une énergie contagieuse, la Sarah ne tient pas en place. Dernière à se coucher et première à sortir de la tente, on peut l'apercevoir accrochée à une paroi rocheuse, en équilibre sur une slackline ou à l'avant d'un canot près à sauter dans la rivière. Antonyme: princesse, carnivore, matérialiste.

ULYSSE - N.m. Créature sociale à la barbe fournie que les Russes se plaisent à comparer à un grizzly. Quand il n'hiberne pas, le Ulysse raconte des histoires. Passé maître dans l'art du mime, il est un journaliste passionné gardien des blogues envoyés. "Fin gourmand", il croit que chaque repas qu'il mange est de loin "le meilleur jamais mangé". Antonyme: pêcheur qui assure (Lire: A fishing story).

ELSA - N.f. Cordon bleu, maître des nouilles et du riz, elle peut transformer des patates et une moitié de chou en un mets cinq étoiles. Sans savoir comment, elle maintient un haut niveau de propreté... même après trois mois au fin fond des plaines mongoles et de la forêt sibérienne. La Elsa rit souvent et s'émerveille devant chaque découverte. Antonyme: plombier, avocat du diable.

ERIC - N.m. Expert patenteux, il peut construire une machine volante en n'ayant à sa disposition qu'un couteau, du duct tape et un vieux soulier. Juke-box vivant, il se souvient de chaque chanson entendue. Le Eric est régulièrement aperçu avec un panneau solaire dans une main et, dans l'autre, une cuillère de bois qu'il a gossée. Antonyme: consultant pour une pétrolière, mormon accompli.

Par: Équipe Vada

Homeward bound

Soon our experiences will fade into memories; our team will split each going their own way to live new adventures and new challenges. We have left our footprints in Mongolia and Russia, and have each walked away from the experience with something different, for me the 200 Gigabytes of photos and video that I have captured will become my most treasured souvenir.  

Sarah McNair-Landry

Port Baikal

We are currently in the town of Irkutsk, our end point. En route, three days ago, we passed the sleepy town of Port Baikal, which is located at the junction between the Angara River and Lake Baikal. At the turn of the century this town was bustling with activity; here the Trans Siberian Railway crossed the lake by boarding two ice breaker steam ships: a bigger ship called the Baikal for the train trolleys, and the Angara for passengers. The boats carrying the train and passengers crossed the lake to the town of Babushkin, were it continued its route on land.

Finally in 1904 the last leg of the track around Southern tip of Lake Baikal was completed, including a section through the mountainous area on Baikal's western shore. This section took so many stone tunnels and arched bridges that it became known as the "Tsar's Jeweled Buckle".

However in 1956, the Angara Dam in Irkukts was completed which raised the water level of Baikal by 1.4 meters. The result; it submerged a large section of rail from the city of Irkutsk to Port Baikal. A new short cut rail road track was constructed from Irkutsk to the Southern tip of Baikal, effectively leaving Port Baikal on a dead end route.

As we paddled by, large rusting boats littered the docks of the port, a stark comparison to the town across the mouth of the Angara, bustling with tourist activity. We pointed down the Angara River, a current-less narrow extension of Baikal, and said goodbye to the lake as the city of Irkutsk grew closer on the horizon.

Eric McNair-Landry

Team personalities

With time on our hands, we pulled into camp early to enjoy the beautiful sunny day.  Once the tent was set up, we each headed off on our own directions. Elsa gravitated towards her journal, Ulysse towards his book, and Eric and I took advantage of the free time to set up our slack line. After almost three months spent together, it’s fair to say that we are getting to know each other quite well.

Ulysse has earned himself the nick name “The Grizzly”, often being called so by fisherman impressed by his beard, every day increasing in size. True to his nickname, he has the amazing ability to hibernate almost anywhere. He is often found lying in the sun with his Russian history book between his hands, and dedicates much of his time writing and editing our French blogs.

Elsa is our cordon blue chef and somehow still finds new recipes to brew up with our same basic ingredients.  A fan of good food, once in camp she gravitates around the fire cutting up veggies for another delicious salad or hot meal. When Elsa isn’t cooking, she makes herself cozy in the tent keeping her journal up to date.

Eric is our strongest paddler, and the group techie with the responsibility of keeping our electronics charged via solar panels. Engineer by trade, he can always be found designing or making contraptions out of wood: wood structures to film underwater with, a chess sets, spoons and more. At night he dedicates time to learn a couple more Russian words.

As for myself, I can often be found snapping photos of the beautiful surroundings, capturing segments of video, or in front of our computer editing our next video blog.

By Sarah McNair-Landry