Northern Ont. friends prepare for 450-km ski and snowshoe trek

Jean-Philippe Marineau and Patrice Beauparlant are lifelong friends who grew up in Hearst, Ont.

As children, they attended Camp Source de Vie, a summer camp in their hometown that Marineau’s father helped establish in the 1980s.

Jean-Philippe Marineau of Hearst and Patrice Beauparlant of Porcupine are testing gear this weekend in the Nighthawk Lake area in Timmins before they embark on a 450-kilometre expedition. (Lydia Chubak/CTV News Northern Ontario)

This weekend, the two are training in Timmins for a 30-day, 450-kilometre expedition. The trek, which begins next month, is in honour of Marineau’s father, who passed away in 2017.

Marineau said the camp was built in 1985, funded in part by an idea from one of his dad's friends.

"One guy said, 'We're going to walk all the way to James Bay if we have to, to raise some money,'" he said.

"So then that's what he did. They put a team of three together, and they were trained by the Army back then for two weeks. And then they were off."

The trip helped raise $10,000, which Marineau said was enough to get the camp project underway.

"That was 40 years ago," he said.

"Before (my dad) passed, I told him that I was going to do the same trip in honour of his life and to make a difference and to have a positive impact."

Marineau is calling the 450-kilometre journey from Fort Albany to Hearst, 'The Great Challenge 2025.' It’s also a way for the adventurers to give back to Camp Source de Vie.

Jean-Philippe Marineau and Patrice Beauparlant are lifelong friends who grew up in Hearst, Ont. (Photo from Facebook)

"They need a new camp, so we'll see what kind of funds we have and go from there," said Beauparlant.

While Marineau and Beauparlant didn't train with the military, they are experienced winter campers and are equipped with a prospector’s tent.

This weekend’s jaunt across Villar’s Bay on Nighthawk Lake will give them a chance to test their equipment before they depart Feb. 6.

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"It's a historic route … there's a few old trading posts along the way," said Marineau.

"That's how the north was built so it's very significant to be using these routes in the traditional ways, for sure."

"Yeah. I'm not scared," said Beauparlant.

"You know, we're gonna have fun. It's going to be challenging, you know, physical and mental but we'll do one day at a time. Concentrate on one day at a time and it's going to go good."

People can follow 'The Great Challenge 2025' on social media platforms and on a GoFundMe page.