Esprit Lodge
Encyclopedia
Esprit Lodge is an historic lodge and hostel
accommodation near Fort Coulonge, a village in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality
in Quebec
, Canada
.
Jesuit settler Father Dablon, superior of the missions of the Upper Algonkin
in 1670, made note of the importance of the area with respect to the many tribes of the aboriginal Ottawa
peoples who inhabited the region.
Originally, the area prospered as a logging
settlement, but in the years since 1982, when the last of the log drives occurred, ecotourism
and white water rafting
have become the prominent attractions for travelers here. Adventure guides from Esprit Lodge lead tours of the region including the Coulonge Chutes
and along the Cycloparc PPJ
, a major eastern Canadian hiking and bicycle trail.
The area is rich in history with respect to the French settlement of Canada and was written about and explored by early Jesuit
missionaries who noted the tradition and heritage of canoeing
via the Ottawa River
.
Esprit Rafting was selected as the 'second best outfitter on Earth' by National Geographic Adventure magazine.
courses and accreditation. Students from around the world travel here to learn hands-on techniques about sustainable travel
through instructors and staff who encourage an adherence to the principles of Leave No Trace
.
Some rivers used for training, education and exploration purposes include the Ottawa River
, Petawawa
, Magnetawan
, Gatineau
and Kipawa
.
Specific levels of instruction and certification programs include: Wilderness First Responder
, Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT 1) - Level 1, Swiftwater Rescue
Level 1 (SRT 1) and Level 2 (SRT 2) , Riverboarding
, Guide Training Level 1 and ORCA Moving water.
, Costa Rica
and other destinations.
The proprietors of Esprit Lodge operate several micro-philanthropy
ventures in Jalcomulco
, Mexico, concentrating on promoting the core values of ecotourism
. Locally, the Hermanos project has resulted in the establishment of the first community Internet café
, a photo business, a rafting company along with Esprit's winter operation employing local adventure guide
s and a museum
.
Esprit Lodge has hosted numerous significant adventure races, including one of the first Raid the North adventure races
in 1999, the Canadian Adventure Racing Championship in 2005, and many other events in partnership with Frontier Adventure Sports
, Canada's leading adventure race provider.
, the Cycloparc PPJ
bicycle trail or by the Ottawa River itself. Public transportation is available via the Moose Travel Network from Montreal
, Toronto
and Ottawa
.
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
accommodation near Fort Coulonge, a village in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality
Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Pontiac is a county regional municipality MRC Pontiac in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. It should not be confused with the municipality of Pontiac, which is located inside the county regional municipality of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais....
in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Jesuit settler Father Dablon, superior of the missions of the Upper Algonkin
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
in 1670, made note of the importance of the area with respect to the many tribes of the aboriginal Ottawa
Odawa people
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
peoples who inhabited the region.
Originally, the area prospered as a logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
settlement, but in the years since 1982, when the last of the log drives occurred, ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
and white water rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
have become the prominent attractions for travelers here. Adventure guides from Esprit Lodge lead tours of the region including the Coulonge Chutes
Coulonge Chutes
The Coulonge Chutes is a non-profit recreation park and historical exhibition area operating in Mansfield-et-Pontefract, in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality of western Quebec, Canada...
and along the Cycloparc PPJ
Cycloparc PPJ
thumb|220px|right|Cycloparc PPJCycloparc PPJ is a Canadian rail trail located in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality in Quebec, Canada.The PPJ traverses of hills and riverfront and enables hikers and cyclists to tour through points of interest such as Grand Calumet Island, the Vinton Plain...
, a major eastern Canadian hiking and bicycle trail.
The area is rich in history with respect to the French settlement of Canada and was written about and explored by early Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
missionaries who noted the tradition and heritage of canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
via the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
.
Esprit Rafting was selected as the 'second best outfitter on Earth' by National Geographic Adventure magazine.
Activities, education, certification & training
In addition to rafting trips and canoeing outfitting services provided in the region, Esprit Lodge is the only hostel accommodation in Canada offering Wilderness first aid (Kayak) and Swiftwater rescueSwiftwater rescue
Swiftwater rescue is a subset of technical rescue dealing in whitewater river conditions. Due to the added pressure of moving water, swiftwater rescue involves the use of specially trained personnel, ropes and mechanical advantage systems that are often much more robust than those used in standard...
courses and accreditation. Students from around the world travel here to learn hands-on techniques about sustainable travel
Sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is tourism attempting to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development brings a positive experience for local people, tourism companies and the...
through instructors and staff who encourage an adherence to the principles of Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or...
.
Some rivers used for training, education and exploration purposes include the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
, Petawawa
Petawawa River
The Petawawa River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in Nipissing District and Renfrew County in eastern and northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river flows from Algonquin Provincial Park to the Ottawa River at the town of Petawawa...
, Magnetawan
Magnetawan River
The Magnetawan River is a river in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, which flows 175 km from Magnetawan Lake inside Algonquin Provincial Park to empty into Georgian Bay at the community of Britt on Byng Inlet....
, Gatineau
Gatineau River
The Gatineau River is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec...
and Kipawa
Kipawa River
The Kipawa River is a short river in western Quebec, Canada. It is mostly an undeveloped river but the larger lakes have dams, fishing camps, and cottages on their shores. The communities of Kipawa and Laniel are located on Lake Kipawa. Also much logging takes place within its watershed basin,...
.
Specific levels of instruction and certification programs include: Wilderness First Responder
Wilderness First Responder
Wilderness First Responders are individuals who are trained to respond to emergency situations in remote settings. They are part of a wide variety of wilderness medical professionals who deal with medical emergencies that occur in wilderness settings....
, Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT 1) - Level 1, Swiftwater Rescue
Swiftwater rescue
Swiftwater rescue is a subset of technical rescue dealing in whitewater river conditions. Due to the added pressure of moving water, swiftwater rescue involves the use of specially trained personnel, ropes and mechanical advantage systems that are often much more robust than those used in standard...
Level 1 (SRT 1) and Level 2 (SRT 2) , Riverboarding
Riverboarding
Riverboarding is a boardsport in which the participant lies prone on their board with fins on their feet for propulsion and steering. This sport is also known as hydrospeed in Europe and as riverboarding or white-water sledging in New Zealand, depending on the type of board used...
, Guide Training Level 1 and ORCA Moving water.
History
Esprit Rafting launched in 1992, having received a loan from Société d'aide au développement des collectivités (S.A.D.C.) as part of a regional effort to promote economic development in Canadian rural areas through business loans. Since that time, Esprit has become internationally known for adventure travel expeditions throughout the Ottawa River system, ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and other destinations.
The proprietors of Esprit Lodge operate several micro-philanthropy
Microphilanthropy
Microphilanthropy is a model of philanthropy that is based on smaller, more direct interaction between "helpers" and "doers." Because of this finer level of granularity, it provides greater potential for feedback. It uses the definition of philanthropy as "love of humanity", which is broader than...
ventures in Jalcomulco
Jalcomulco
Jalcomulco is a municipality in Veracruz, Mexico. It is located in central zone of the State of Veracruz, about , from State Capital, Xalapa and , from Mexico City. It has a surface of 58.40 km2...
, Mexico, concentrating on promoting the core values of ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
. Locally, the Hermanos project has resulted in the establishment of the first community Internet café
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
, a photo business, a rafting company along with Esprit's winter operation employing local adventure guide
Guide
A guide is a person who leads anyone through unknown or unmapped country. This includes a guide of the real world , as well as a person who leads someone to more abstract places .-Guide - meanings related to travel and recreational pursuits:There are many variants of...
s and a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
.
Esprit Lodge has hosted numerous significant adventure races, including one of the first Raid the North adventure races
Adventure racing
Adventure racing is a combination of two or more endurance disciplines, including orienteering and/or navigation , cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling and climbing and related rope skills...
in 1999, the Canadian Adventure Racing Championship in 2005, and many other events in partnership with Frontier Adventure Sports
Frontier Adventure Sports & Training
Frontier Adventure Sports and Training is the most establishedneeds citation Adventure Race organizer in Canada, in operation since 1997. Frontier Adventure Sports has established an international reputation for solid logistics and challenging racecourses...
, Canada's leading adventure race provider.
Transportation
Travel to Esprit is via the provincial Quebec Route 148Quebec route 148
Route 148 is a major east-west highway in Quebec, Canada. It runs from Autoroute 25 in Laval in the Montreal region to the Ontario-Quebec border in L'Isle-aux-Allumettes in western Quebec. For most of its length, Route 148 follows the north shore of the Ottawa River where it acts as the principal...
, the Cycloparc PPJ
Cycloparc PPJ
thumb|220px|right|Cycloparc PPJCycloparc PPJ is a Canadian rail trail located in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality in Quebec, Canada.The PPJ traverses of hills and riverfront and enables hikers and cyclists to tour through points of interest such as Grand Calumet Island, the Vinton Plain...
bicycle trail or by the Ottawa River itself. Public transportation is available via the Moose Travel Network from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
See also
- HostelHostelHostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
- Outdoor educationOutdoor educationOutdoor education usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges in the form of outdoor activities such as hiking,...
- KayakingKayakingKayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
- RaftingRaftingRafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
- Adventure travel
- Tourism in CanadaTourism in CanadaAs a prosperous nation, Canada has a large domestic and foreign tourism industry. The second largest country in the world, Canada's incredible geographical variety is a significant tourist attractor...