I looked up at the giant trees that surrounded me in Forêt de Maître Corbeau. There I was standing below a 94-obstacle aerial park in an old-growth forest at Domaine Valga. Gulp. Afraid of heights, I knew I had signed myself up for a challenge. But – as with most things in life – if you don’t try, you’ll never find out what you’re truly capable of. And if you surround yourself with strong, brave and supportive travel buddies it makes overcoming fears a whole lot easier…
Let me rewind a bit to set the scene. This was my very first trip to Bas-Saint-Laurent in the maritime region of Quebec. Having traveled to la belle province numerous times, there were a few things I expected: plenty of white stuff (i.e. snowbanks taller than me), rich cuisine (that keeps everyone energized in the frigid temps) and warmhearted locals. All of which were re-confirmed at Domaine Valga…
We arrived on a stormy night. The long road leading to the property was dark and mysterious, but as we approached the speck of light glimmering in the distance I could almost feel the warmth radiating from the log cabin. Greeted by the husband and wife duo who run Domaine Valga, we were basically inducted into the family the moment we stepped foot inside (fun fact: the name is a hybrid of their surnames Chantal Vallée and Éric Gagné). The roadtrip from Quebec City to Saint-Gabriel-de-Rimouski was about four hours because of the wintery conditions so we were all exhausted. Luckily, Chantal had a warm meal awaiting us — we stuffed ourselves with turkey, shared a few glasses of wine and hit the sack…
Although Domaine Valga has three private cabins (with four rooms in each), our group stayed in the main lodge (five rooms on the top floor and four on the bottom). This meant the five of us had to share two bathrooms, but that was okay since the rooms were equipped with individual sinks!
After a solid night’s sleep (the brisk air just knocked me right out), I woke up to something I’ve never experienced before…joyous laughter. And I mean joyous — it basically sounded like a group of Santas dropped by and decided to rehearse their belly laughs. It’s a memory I will never forget. Turns out, a group of snowmobilers were kicking off the day at the breakfast table. Something we indulged in shortly after…
Energized and ready to take on the aerial park (which Éric meticulously made by hand), we headed out with our guide Samuel.
Which brings me full circle to the beginning of this story — the gulp moment. I’ve experienced tree top adventures before, but never this intense! Oh, and did I mention we trekked through the forest during freezing rain?! Cold, wet, afraid…
And of course, my travel buddy Antonio captured it all on video…
The obstacles were a huge challenge for me given my mini legs — and the fact that I’m a professional glutton. But my travel buddies killed it…
My favourite part was definitely the zip lines: I’ve gotten over my fear of them during recent travels…
Oh, and we all loved the rest stop…
Apparently the course we did was one of the easy ones (there are six in total) — c’est what?! So this is def the place to head if you’re an adventure seeker. They also do night treks which sound amazing. And it’s super affordable: $33 for adults and $19 for kids under 12. In fact, the entire stay is budget-friendly: $97.50 for a package in the main lodge, which includes breakfast and dinner (visit this website for current rates). It’s honestly a beautiful property to enjoy over a weekend (I’d recommend at least two nights). The owners are very accommodating and will arrange activities for you à la carte – from snowshoeing and snowmobiling to ice fishing on the lake. You name it and Éric will likely make it happen. Because that’s what happens when you visit family in the middle of a magical forest…
Our stay at Domaine Valga was paid for by Le Québec maritime as part of a press trip. As always, all reviews and opinions are entirely my own. For more photos, tweets and videos check out #RoadTripQM and #QuebecMaritime on social media!
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