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Bienvenue dans le monde de la traite des fourrures!
Welcome to the fur trade world! In response to Voyageurs parents and French adult immersion participant requests, we’ve designed a new Voyageurs adventure tailored for adults. Join us in a French immersion experience and recreate the life of the voyageurs on some of the historical water routes of the fur trade.
The adventure starts at our base camp where 8-10 adult participants will learn about the history of the fur trade, practice canoeing skills, create small and big crafts - live la vie des voyageurs! Your three fluent guides are well versed in including adventurers from all backgrounds and language levels. We’ll build a community of French-speaking enthusiasts, serenade the trees with historical and modern French songs, and take off on a canoe trip to discover northern Minnesota’s waterways. The rhythm of life on the waters will allow us to learn and practice French. We will find time to reflect and exchange observations in French. Finally, we will return to our base camp to celebrate and share stories.
Along the way, we’ll share the load, packing our food and supplies through the woods, use environmentally friendly bathroom “facilities,” and bathe in the lake taking care to use environment-friendly soaps. Traders should be prepared to engage in the daily activities of living, such as splitting wood, pumping water, and cooking over an open fire, while learning and practicing French.
Given the outdoor nature of the program, most of the French instruction takes place orally rather than with the support of books. Clearly we will not ignore the written word, but participants should expect to learn a great deal of French orally and through the practice of repeated tasks.
Base Camp We will live in shared outfitter-quality tents and sleep on the ground in sleeping bags.
Bathing We will wash in the lake or take bucket baths using biodegradable soap. Please make sure the soap you bring with you specifies that it is biodegradable.
Facilities At base camp we have a port-a-potty, the same kind you see at large public events.
On the trail, we’ll be out in the woods. We will discuss and demonstrate techniques on how to best do that. In certain weather-related or other situations, we should also expect to spend some nights at a site without a latrine. In these instances we will also use the trail system.
At camp sites, we can expect to have the U.S. Forest services latrines, the same kind you have seen at national parks in remote sites.
- Know how to swim and rescue themselves should a canoe capsize
- Be able to maneuver a canoe
- Carry equipment and handle a load up to 50 lbs/day for the week
- Canoe, cook and live outdoors in all weather, including rain
A more detailed packing list will be included with the welcome packet you receive after registering. But to give you an idea...
- Raincoat and rain pants: if you can get a waterproof version, do. Coated nylon is not good.
- Clothing to layer for warm or cold weather
- Sleeping bag, preferably a compact kind
- Dry sack – available at outdoor stores, 20-30 L sacks are good
- Ziploc bags for waterproofing items
- Biodegradable soap and shampoo – Dr. Bronner’s and Camp Suds are good bets
- Insect repellant with approximately 30% DEET
- Tennis shoes, water shoes, or old sneakers you don’t mind wearing in the water
- Hiking boots or really study shoes – we will be carrying equipment
- Thermarest/Thinsulate pad (optional) for insulation at night, ¾ length
- Glasses – will work better on this adventure than contact lenses
What to leave at home:
- Razors
- Make-up
- Contact lenses, if possible
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Bemidji, Minn. |
$645 |
| * Overnight registration includes lodging, meals, language and cultural activities. |
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