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Historical re-enactments

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I watched the first series of Destination Nor'ouest several years ago. Unfortunately no-one has copied these to Youtube, besides these short 2 min. trailers. Oh well.
They were produced and filmed entirely in French, so if that's a problem, just push mute, and enjoy the eye candy. The purpose of this show was to try to recreate the voyageur experience, following a traditional route from the fur trade warehouses in Montreal to a trading post in the hinterland (Winnipeg). This was no reality type show, with "beautiful people" voting each other "off the island." Instead, these lucky few used only historically accurate materials, eating authentic food, and working together towards reaching their collective goal : Winnipeg before freeze up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49ZCS4NOHnk
Those hardy paddlers had to go through a gruelling try out, in order to "make the team."
Here, one of the crew uses his experiences in his motivational talks. His experiences were no doubt wonderful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckIzzUn_muY
Finally, a second series must've been filmed. Again, all I've found is this short trailer, but it provides more film clips of traditional gear used to recreate a part of our past. This second series follows a route to the Pacific.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL0AaLaG5BU
I hope these vignettes help you through the winter.
 
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Thanks for posting this. Missed the shows when they aired and read about them after the fact. Turns out the bark canoe commissioned for the show didn't survive the 2nd series.

Here's the before shot:
image039.jpg


Damage en route:
Damaged+Bark+Canoe+001.jpg


Attempted repairs:
Damaged+Bark+Canoe+005.jpg


The crew decided to burn the canoe when it couldn't be repaired with local materials. I'm sure it was a ratings boost for the episode, like when a character gets killed off on a TV show.
Damaged+Bark+Canoe+004.jpg



There are some other production photos I found on picasa...

https://plus.google.com/photos/1111...ms/5290995931414521329?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1
 
A follow-up post for those curious about the traditional equipment used. Found one of the participant's website where he's posted an album featuring the personal gear and shared gear used to recreate the period. Some of the pics have links to suppliers.
 
Excellent links Murat, thanks for finding and sharing them. I never saw the 2nd series, but enjoyed the 1st "tres beaucoup!" There were memorable moments, which included standing beside Trout L. and pondering the monumental portage across the height of land to Lake Nipissing, along a very busy HWY 17 and through the city. It came down to either sticking to a traditional carry in car traffic or catching a shuttle. I kept whispering "take a shuttle, take a shuttle!" The French River did not treat their canoes kindly. One fellow spent every evening diligently fixing hulls. I remember when they decided to race through the Lake of the Woods region. Some seemed invigorated, while others seemed spent. My only disappointment with this programme, was that they didn't illustrate their route with more detail.
 
Thanks Brad! Very interesting to watch those young folks trying to re-live history. I've got to try to find the whole show so I can watch it start to finish. Not at all sure about that burning the canoe; in days of yore I wouldn't think that would have been an option. I'd guess in the old days necessity would teach caution and pains taking repair. But then, what do I know.

Thanks! Rob
 
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