- 30, how does it feel?

COLD !

this has been the forcast for about a week :

you don't see the wind chill here but it was below 40 I promise you. this is no joke!

so no need for me to stay longer to tell you about the winter cold of northern saskatchewan. And for the quality of my test (or maybe because it's fun and paid) I worked outdoor three  whole days.

-30 how does the everyday life go on? here are written the results :

1- don't complain, it's only november. so yes, it's going to be worse. and yes, you europeans, it is possible.

2- dress up warm and loads. forget about fashion or confort, you are trying not to loose any bodyparts here!

it means : long johns (good quality ones) + jeans + insulated coveralls and good socks (1-2pairs) + winterboots (usually neoprene insulated at least 6mm on the sides and 1,5cm on the sole plus ruber). that's for your legs. Then you cross each top layer with a bottom layer (everything really tugged in). So on top : thermo long sleeved t shirt, 2-3 fleeces, a scarf (I personally wear a thin buff tugged in my first fleece and a big cotton scarf on top of everything that I raise up to my nose and ears), a warm toque (forget single knitted one who arent wind proof), mits (gloves are too cold) and a big (remember the layers) insulated jacket (not that thick actually) with a hood, just in case.

So yes forget about shape, everybody looks bulky, remember the color of you friends toque because that's about the only fancy item you can wear. the coveralls are all, in the begining, either either black or light brown and in the end either white (snow) or dark brown (cow shit).

3- go slow and think about your future.

Guess what? try to run with deep fluffy snow or ice on the ground and so many clothes on. Yes it's heavy, both too big and too tight and slippery. So after 5min you pretty much feel like a 90 yo grandma racing with her stroller in the retirement home. 

sweat is the cherry on top. yes, because running cows on usually means that you aren't a Rothshild's relative so no brethable light strechy 300$ clothes for you. Don't complain you'll get to experience something very special! getting cold after putting your jacket on again. When you sweated so hard and took it off to cool down and not getting wet, did you foret that it's 35 below ? yeeeeees. so now you just put on a jacket coming straight out of the deep freeze (even worse, deep freezes usually run at -28). Bravo Einstein. ;-) Unique feeling brrr. But you'll smarten up and next time only take it out for a very short amount of time or just open it or just run even slower. Cows are falling down on the ice at every run anyway.

4- discover that water freeze up instantaneously.

the feeling that your nostrils are sticking inside? don't worry they're just frozen inside. Your eyelashes too? the same, it looks nicer though. oh and your hair or any loose fabric is doing the same too.

It is so quick that they have a heater to rests the seringes and vaccines against when you aren't stinging the animal. overwize...it'll freeze.

4- drink lots and warm

bless your coffe thermos because without it ... it'll freeze in 5min.

It comes to a point that it doesn't matter that you are actually drinking hot water without herbs in anymore (they quitted flavouring the water after the 5th refill) because 1. it's warm 2. you're thirsty.

Actually I only realised how dehydrated I was after 2 days. Maybe for the better because getting to the washroom with that many clothes is like the rest : it takes a loooong time!

Anyway, I drank more coming home yesterday than after the thurst-ride in july.

5- life is a blur.

Because your nose feels so sticky and froze, you breathe hidden behind your scarf with your mouth open. Consequently, your scarf become a rigid shield (not bad) and you have a nice fog just in front of your face everytime you exhale. so basicly all the time because your out of breath because it's god damned hard to run!

6- you're played out three times faster.

and you don't want to get out of bed the next day or rather untill spring, it goes without saying why.

7- free iceskating

with a car, unwanted, uneventfull.

how do you think the roads are after 2feet of unplowed fresh snow? and -30 30 times runover snow? clean, white and very icy. What can the dpt of highway do about it? throw some sand on top to feel not really totally useless? now you have a brownish icerink instead of old plain white.

8- feeling very european

by getting stuck at work with a reluctant car. What? you forgot to bring an extension cord and plugged it in? ha-ha. We'll give you a boost anyway and ask about it tomorrow. (yes EVERYBODY at work (gently, because they're canadian and great people) asked me the day after).

by complaining and really struggling with the cold

because IT'S NO FUCKING HUMAN TEMPERATURE!

9- be proud to have lived such an extreme life. (ok maybe it isn't that adventurous, people do that all the time here but it still feels very out of my confort zone! :p

=> I've earned my new awesome (no nobody is allowed to differ) belt that nobody here will see before april seeing what the weather is like.

getting to the point

Two weeks after my theory hunting course I reached the pratical one. So, on a cold sunny afternoon, I was fetched up from my comfy next to the stove armchair to go target praticing! So I awkwardly grabbed the .22 rifle, let Leonard dug into the burnbarel for some innocent cans and let's go.

Steadily resting on the truck's spare tire in the box, I loaded the rifle, streched my leg way back, leant down to spot the fast moving obective in the scope, put the rifle back up high on my shoulder, check the target again, squezze (don't pull! Len insisted on that) the trigger and ... off goes the can, deadly wounded straight in the middle of its round belly.

That first shot did feel awkward. I didn't grow up with firearms. I must have seen a rifle once in my life before coming to Canada and it hung high up by the ceiling in my grand mother's country house. So holding a gun for me is like as we say in French a chicken holding a knife. I don't  know what to do with that long feared heavy piece of metal - actually now I do. After 20 shots, I felt more comfortable with it and quite liked it.

I'm looking forward to hunt something (easy) now. No idea if it is going to happen here.

We did went for a hunting trip the next day near Maidstone (2hours south west) because there was only three days left on the season for mule deer. To be allowed to shoot mule deer in that specific area, hunters have to apply for a draw tag. As the name says it, the 200 tags get drawn and if you are lucky, you get one and can go hunting in that gorgeous country.

Hunting rules are area, specie and tag specific. I tried but didn't understood/registered all the rules for our  mule deer hunt. What I got from it :

you can shoot either a buck, a does or a foan

only one animal

quad aren't allowed to hunt (you can't carry a gun on a quad here) but you can use one to drag back your prey.

horses are allowed to hunt and pack out your animal.

hunting in a truck is allowed (and commonly done)

dress code is jacket and hat either red orange yellow or white. As long has you are hunting (carrying a gun, packing out meat) it is mandatory, even in a vehicule.

how does a hunting day goes? depends on lots of things I gess.

you can't call mule deer => no sitting and waiting

this area is big with lots of open spots and heavy bushes => googling ++

this truck is rubbish in snow + over a foot of snow, drifted by the wind => we had to stay on the main paths

no quad, no horses to bring the animal to the truck => if we shooted something then, better don't be it too far from the truck (1mile big maximum)

so in the end very little spots to usefully shoot something and bring it back.

We saw lots of deers (18 at the same time) but they were either to far away or not worth shooting (the deepfreeze is still pretty full and if needed whitetail deers are all around here).

I spend a very sunny day sleeping, reading and screwing up my knitting work in the truck. lazy but after 6hours it gets really boring. Anyway I am really thankfull to have had that opportunity and would like to go hunting for my self at some point in my life. I believe I'll like it.

Meadow Lake in the fall

First I've left Salmon Arm the 22nd. I only have one and a half months left in Canada so I better use them well and ride as much as possible, do caws and get miles on April.

I drove the 1 220 km straight on my own with my devoted little red car and iphone. It took us from 5.00am to 9.30pm (15h and a half because of the time difference) one coffee, one tea, a little less than 2 tanks of fuel (75$ roughly) and a lot of music ! the weather was really good (except some expected fogg in the BC rockies), the construction sites pretty empty (at 7am in the middle of nowhere that's not magical but still good), moose and deers behaved themselves too.

So I arrived quite exhausted but relieved at Leonard's in Meadow Lake. His house is small, quiet and closer too town 10-15min. The plan is to bring April (Yes, I'm spoiled :-) ), ride her (getting slower and more collected gaits, rope, more cow work) and some other horses (tall Spider and freaky Spirit), help Leonard in whatever he's doing (so far bringing in wood and driving him around to look at trucks - but he found one so that job is over), hunt and learn too shoot with a riffle. so we'll see how things go.

So far :

truck bought, needs fixing and adjusting to Leonard's taste

got a shooting lesson in the living room about the basics (loading, checking, holding and pointing a riffle)

rode Spider once, April twice (at Marilyn's) and Bandido once to move back Kelly's dry cows to George's to get pregchecked there today.

April isn't with me for now because we need hay (she'll be in a pen) from Marilyn first. With no truck (problem solved now) and no brakes on the flatdeck (Howard's actually), it's postponed untill those are fixed and running. And on top of that, Marilyn had to organise a funeral and all the mess going around such joyfull events in Prince Albert. So she was away for a week more or less.

So no worry April (just in case you were bored of hanging around a hay bale with your friends watching cars go by), we are getting there someday ! and being involved in cowy adventures with a not so sane rider. :-)

I also was requested to watch cayote and moose hunts video. So now, I know what RID (Rabit In Distress, what else?) sounds like and how you're supposed to use a decoy. ...

back in Meadow

Here comes a point to say that whatever happens I kind of always end up back in Meadow Lake, SK. Who would have thought? Saskatchewan, really ?!? 

I was supposed to spent 10 extra days exploring the mountain but Leonard's truck got stollen and plans changed. So I'm back in Meadow again learning how to shop for a truck. And in addition being told that I drive my car like a race car, that's bad on gas, engine and clutch and that I should change the oil and clean the air filter every time it's due. Yes that's maybe not a big news for car caring people but I obviously ain't that kind ( ^^ ). If you treat your car well it isn't rare that you go over 400 000km. I found 217000 not bad but I guess it's only a start. I'm young, my car is young (or so it appears) so maybe we'll go another 10 000km together. (yes I put 10 000km on her in 4months).

about horses, I'll say it again because She so great : April is AMAZING. thank you marilyn to let me ride her and having put shoes on her.

I'm not dead yet...

...just buried deep in SK working young horses again and getting ready for the mountain trip again too.

I came back on training April. She is amazing. I left her barely walking under the saddle in the round pen and now we cross road construction on a windy day without freaking out! She has really put on condition (losing fat and gaining a lot of muscle) and confidence. If I give her 2min to think about whatever the problem is, she is then really keen on going on calmly. It is so nice to have a horse that smart, that forward, that willing (to try to do what I am asking for).

Yesterday we did our first cow work. She's a little excited but does the job. Today we had a wonderfull small collected canter catching up a fugitive cow at the pasture. I am really really pleased with that mare. I hope our team stays on the same line for the cross tomorrow and the mountains next week.

Besides April I am starting a new horse : Skar. Beautifull movement, pretty confident and friendly horse who's 4 and had some ground work last year, nothing untill july and some ground work again with other helpers. I am starting right from the beginning because he's not even leading properly yet. One thing I've learned here is not to start untill you have control over the back feet of the horse. It means that your horse should cross his back legs on soft demand anywhere you are whatever happens. That is because the power from a horse comes from the back end and by crossing the legs you disengage and consequently depower the horse so that you eventually can stop her/him. For the riders what I mean is a turn on the shoulders. So that's my goal with Skar. April is on turn on hanches (moving the shoulders) and nice back up (relaxed and head down) under the saddle.

I don't ride Ray anymore, he's being ridden by everybody else now and I get quite cranky if my work isn't being pursued so I better don't even look and listen to whatever happens to him. I get that some people aren't here to train horses and that Ray is nice enough to sit on and chat with your co riders without paying much attention but still I kind of think that's a waste not to use his abilities  more. That explains why I want my own horse when I come back (and can afford it, hehe). I guess I'm not very forgiving when it comes to my work.

Otherwise, yes I can take some pitty for my non horsy friends, the life in Meadow is still very sunny and hot (not quite as hot as when I left though), planned hour by hour. A nice life once you get used to it again.

Roght now I'm enjoying some rare alone time on the deck in the sun watching horses grazing and dogs sleeping. Not too bad eh?

bilan mi août

Alors en 1 mois de voyage touristique, j'ai :

- parcouru plus de 3726km

- vu des paysages magnifiques

- rencontré des gens super sympas

- dépensé plein de sous en ayant un mode de vie spartiate ( 1200€ )

- fait mon stock de cadeaux souvenirs

- réalisé que mes objectifs de voyage ont changé (paysages, expérience équestre et pas travail salarié)

- conclu que je suis arrivée au bout de ma quête de liberté

- décidé de ma date de retour (après les partiels de Minus) et organisé la suite de mon voyage ( ranch en alberta puis en Colombie Britanique)

- fais suffisament de photos pour décorer tout un appart

bref, quoi qu'il arrive, ce voyage est déjà une réussite. :-)

Mon itinéraire : 

Jasper

Avec Banff, Jasper est l'autre incontournable parcs des rocheuses. Réputé plus sauvage et moins fréquenté, je n'y ai passé que quelques heures donc je ne me prononcerai pas trop.

J'ai rencontré Caro, une globetrotteuse parisienne, en cherchant des passagers pour mon trajet Vancouver-Jasper. Le voyage est passé comme une lettre à la poste grace à toutes les histoires de Caro (un an en Australie, la vie d'ergo à Paris, la déception de Vancouver...) et aux paysages à couper le souffle. Qui dit conduite dis absence de photos mais pour résumer vallées très larges, des montagnes couvertes de sapins avec des pans complètement brûlés ou devastés par des tempêtes j'imagine et des parcelles coupée à blanc. Au fond de la vallée d'immenses rivières sur leur lit de galets.

La ville de Jasper est nettement plus petite et calme que Banff. Une trentaine de commerces maximum.

On dort dans la voiture sur le parking du Maligne canyon. Du coup ballade le long du canyon puis icefields highway jusqu'à Saskatchewan river crossing où j'ai déposé à la fois Caro et Wilhelm qui a donc un nouveau porteur.

De mon côté descente dans la plaine albertaine direction Rocky Mountain House où je m'arrête qq jours pour aider Jane à débourrer une dizaine de jeunes curlies.

des chevres de montagne traverssant la route dans le kootenay. Magnifique et désert.

le troupeau de curlies, regardez les oreilles. trop trop!

une de mes victimes

calgary

1 jour de voyage à travers les prairies
2 jours à calgary pour le stampede : assez decevant mais des couch surfeurs super
2jours à Banff : impressionnant

place aux photos :

Photo update

In the last ten days :
branding at kelly's again
moving kelly's cows and calves on a smocking hot day. Up at 4 am, on the road at 6.45 back at the trailer at  3.30 pm, totally roasted. 50cc of water weren,t definitly not enough for 8 hours on the road without any shade. I'm so happy I (and ALL the crew) survived without crying.
trail ride to the lake at Kelly's. Sunrise and mosquito bites. BEAUTIFUL. (but tiring)

Starting riding April a 8 years old extremely frightend horse who was unsuccessfully riden once last year. As you can see, the mare is quite fat but very nice otherwise.

Watching Jane riding Jackson a 3years old under the boss' supervision.

Wachting Jane handling Casper and Haggis two yearlings from the neighbour  who hadn't be touched before coming here. Learning a lot.

Jane and
Casper

Jane and Haggis, a lot more confident than Casper.

Going to bed at 9.00 pm for Canada's day. It was the day of the thirst's ride.

Getting ready to Calgary and Victoria : buying decent clothes and shoes. So people don't throw change at me on the street. ;-)

update 21 juin

Coucou,
Non je n'ai pas (encore) été mangée par un grizzli seulement pas mal de désorganisation de pluie et de flemme.

Ces dernière semaines, toute l'équipe est focalisée sur la préparation d'un trek d'une semaine dans les Kananaskis, avec 6 participants (Marilyn, Alina, Jane et Moi pour le team Meeds et Kelly et Emmy du team Kelly) plus Lenard guide et ami de toujours de Kelly et Marilyn (c'est lui qui s'est chargé d'attraper les veaus au lasso pour le marquage chez Kelly).

Lieux : camp de base prévu le long de la sheep river dans le parc des kananaskis (ville la plus proche : black diamond).
Style : randonnée en étoile autour du camps de base. Réapprovisionnement au camion tous les 2/3 jours avec chevaux de bât. Une personne garde le camp et repose son cheval tous les jours. Bear Banger (corne anti ours) prévu :-) (c'est le seul truc qui me fait peur pour l'instant)

Avec Jane (une cops helpeuse au ranch) on devait partir hier avec Lénard monter le camp mais c'est l'innondation du siècle en Alberta. Regardez un peu :

Donc c'est repporté le temps que ça se tasse. Une semaine au mieux. :S. Enfin mieux vaut ne pas être coincé au milieu de ce bazard. Et ce n'est pas comme si j'avais un planning minuté.

Mais j'ai quand même prévu de bouger. Calgary stampede autour du 10 juillet, si je ne suis pas dans les montagnes et Victoria (Ile de Vancouver) à partir du 15 juillet. Je vais travailler en helpX à l'auberge de jeunesse ocean island pour quinze jours. Il y a possibilité de prolonger voir d'être payé si je bosse bien. Ca me fait une première expérience dans l'hôtellerie restauration pour cet hiver et puis quitte à avoir de la pluie, autant être à la plage. Ville, secteur des service, beaucoup de passage, ça me changera de la ferme. Et puis il y aura peut-être des huitres ? please please please ...

Voila pour aujourd'hui. :-)
Bisous tout le monde

Rodéo week

Après le semaine : preparation et déplacement du troupeau, la semaine du rodéo de meadow.

Lundi : Parade
Défilé dans les rues de Meadow Lake pour ouvrir la semaine du rodéo. Première pour Ray et moi. Pas de casse. Une plaque d'égoûts et une poussette à moustiquaire ménaçante d'après Ray. Un chapeau de cowboy  trop grand à l'extérieur pour bouger et trop serré sur ma tête pour moi. Une chemise un peu courte aussi mais pour 3$ au thrift shop, je ne me plains pas.

Country style for 6$.

Wouh une poussette ! fuyons !

Mardi : repos, entrainement pour l'extrem trail avec Ray au manège de Jayme.

Jeudi : Bullorama. (monte de taureau).
Un ride dure 8 secondes maximum mais ça parait plus 3secondes. Les taureaux ne sont pas sauvages mais entrainés pour envoyer les riders au tapis. ;-) Les cowboy prennent les compétions très au sérieux. Les prize money sont de 5000$ ici et les compétiteurs viennent d'Alberta (l'état voisin et pays des cowboys) mais aussi Mexique, Australie, Nouvelle Zelande...

Vendredi : Rodéo
Le rodéo proprement dit contient plusieures compétitions :
- monte de taureaux, boeufs (pour les juniors), vaches (pour les filles), veaux (2mois) et moutons (pour les enfants), chevaux 'sauvages' avec et sans selle.
- lasso : team ropping (un à la tête, un pour les postérieurs), tie down (lasso à la tête puis 'ficellage' des 3 pattes pendant que le cheval maintient le lasso tendu : http://youtu.be/oldKpHUIIHQ )
- calf wrestling (saut depuis le cheval pour attraper et coucher le veau d'un an au sol par les cornes)
- barrel racing. LE truc de filles. compétition de vitesse autour de 3 barils en forme de trèfle.
Ca c'est ce que j'ai vu mais il y a d'autre type de compétions western aussi : team penning, cutting... Bref je vous laisse chercher des vidéos sur youtube pour voir à quoi ça ressemble.


Samedi : Xtrem trail
Competition locale avec 12 obstacles de type TREC en indoor. Pont à bascule, tunnel, appuyers en L (antérieurs ou postérieurs devant suivre  un L au sol), galopper avec un drapeau, traine un jean plein de canettes vides (donc bruyantes), barrière à ouvrir ... toutes sortes de choses utiles en randonnée. Je montais Monkey, cheval d'une connaissance de Marilyn. On s'en est bien sortit sauf, que j'ai oublié un obstacle (juste un stop) donc -5 points. Dommage , on est 11/12 du coup. On reviens quand même avec un licol et un chèque 25$ (30$ l'admission). Etat d'esprit très sympa.

Monkey : le cheval alezan (roux)

Samedi soir : re rodeo + rodeo dance (danse country)
J'ai zappé, trop crevée.

Dimanche : contrôle du pâturage sous la pluie

marquage /branding

Marquage des veaux chez kelly avant d'aller à la pâture communale.

Au lasso svp

news 21 mai

mini message pour dire que je vais bien mais que je continue à galérer dans la gestion du travail avec les autres helpers qui ont, à mon sens, une aturité limitée et une notion de la différence travail/vacances plutôt très floue.

Niveau équitation et météo c'est toujours super bien.

les moustique arrivent peu à peu par contre.

bisous

projets d'été

en bref :
rester à Meadow pour l'été afin de profiter de la vie de cow boy : travailler les chevaux et le bétail, apprendre et pratiquer plus sur le natural horseman ship (équitation éthologique)

trouver un travail à temps partiel (2j/sem) pour ménager mes économies. plusieures pistes dans des magasins de bricolage.

acheter une voiture pour avoir plus de liberté et aller travailler. budget 1500/2000 $.
piste actuelle : une chevrolet cavalier 217 000 km (pas énorme pour ici) avec 4 freins et le pare brise neufs, carosserie rayée mais pas rouillée, suivie au garage, boite manuelle. verte (ça c'est pas important je sais). des conseils à ce sujet?

photos de ma première 'rando' de 3h avec Sara (la jument d'expérience) le week end dernier. pour le déplacement du troupeau, je n'ai pas pris de photos : j'était occupée à mener les vaches et réorienter les indépendantistes, jeunes ou vieux ;-).

saskatoon

surprise : c'est super mignon avec une vielle ville avec boutiques indépendantes et un parc le long de la saskatoon river.
population très jeune (grosse université)
beaucoup d'arbres
pas si étonnant que ce soit la ville canadienne à la plus forte croissance.

PS : l'observation du stage d'équitation éthologique est passionante. J'ai hate de mettre en pratique au ranch!

PS2 : on a récupéré une nouvelle helpX qui a pris contact avec un cs (couchsurfer) d'ici. On devrait donc rencontrer un saskatoonien en chair et en os demain. ;-)

PS3 : super B&B