His training with a 50 L backpack did not go unnoticed on the streets of the small municipality. In Hearst, hiking is not part of people’s habits.
There are some who have made comments: who is the cave who walks around town with a big bag?
jokingly tells, the one who tackles the hike popularized by the film Wild of the late Jean-Marc Vallée.
In order to cross three American states, seven national parks, 24 national forests, Jean-Michel will have to travel an average of 30 to 40 kilometers per day.
Most people leave in mid-April. I’m a month behind the big wave of people who make this way. This is largely due to the heat of the desert: in April, they are not there yet
explains the adventurer who had his permit to leave on May 18.
Jean-Michel tells us that he did everything to get his free pass. Only 50 departures are offered daily to preserve nature. I had three computers open
he argues.
Time passes, he is still in the virtual queue, the best seats fly away like hot cakes like show tickets.
A departure in high season will mean that he will have more mileage to do per day in order to catch up with the weather window.
They suggest going out before October 1st because I’m ending up in Washington State and fall starts early, and I’m going catch snow in late september
says the man who put a cross on a career in the world of finance to discover the world over the next five years.
A well-filled backpack
Branches to cities are only possible every five to seven days in general. Jean-Michel intends to hitchhike to the supermarkets for supplies. He did not plan to do like in the movie starring Reese Whiterspoon and have equipment or supplies delivered by mail.
With a well-filled backpack, Jean-Michel drew some tips and tricks from Youtube in order to travel light and to avoid, among other things, having to bring toilet paper.
A bidet that I put on a bottle of water
he said, demonstrating to us in the sink of his parents’ residence.
Then he shows us his new house. Given its size, the adventurer had no choice but to take a tent for two people.
Normally people put their bag on their feet, but I’m 6’4”
he admits, lying at the back of his tent, his feet rubbing at the other end. I’m going to put my bag next to me.
Like a turtle, Jean-Michel carries in his backpack all his life. He has sold all his possessions and carries all that he has left on his shoulders.
An adventurer at heart
When we talk about Jean-Michel Cantin in Hearst, nobody worries about what could happen to him on the road. His ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro, 5895 meters, in three days, is often cited as one of his greatest feats.
He was only 18 at the time and his father had a front row seat to see him rise through the ranks with such ease
supports the father, Denis.
Then, one challenge does not wait for the other: the base camp of Mount Everest. when you think about it [l’Himalaya], these are the highest mountain ranges in the world. The scenery was fantastic.
Denis does not hide it: he may have sown the seed of adventurer in his offspring.
Me and my brothers went on the Inca Trail in Peru. Jean-Michel, we didn’t bring him because he was just 14 years old. When we got back, one of my brothers started talking about Kilimanjaro. Jean-Michel listened
says the retired pharmacist, whose son found himself at the top of Kilimanjaro a few hours before the oldest.
A will before departure
For his mother, letting him go without making a will was out of the question. Since the beginning of the 1980s, about fifteen people have died by drowning, being hit by a vehicle, falling from a cliff or because of the heat. An observation: rattlesnakes and bears represent a lower risk than dehydration, hypothermia or inexperience on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Faced with the facts, Ginette has no choice but to discuss death with her son: if you leave and something happens to you, we have to know what to do with it.
No question is taboo. It’s not easy to talk about that with my 30-year-old son. It is something important. Eventually he decided that his ashes be turned into a tree
she says while her son sneers in the background.
We did it in a good mood and we had fun through it
she concludes.
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca