During the night, a frightful turn in the weather took place. Unexpectedly, 18 inches of wet snow fell and, along with high winds, blew snow drifts over the narrow roads of the Laurentides. The effective result of this snowstorm was to block all the roads to and from the resort. Access to and from La Grande Retraite was closed. Local snow-clearance efforts were nonexistent on the morning of the third and last full day of the trip, as plows stalled in the frigid weather and the region slept under the snow-filled skies.
The morning weather conditions presented our visitors with a clear set of problems: The original plan to depart for Montreal the next afternoon on the return trip toward the States would clearly have to be scrapped. The roads were simply impassable! Without knowing how long they would be stranded, the chaperones met to discuss how to approach this sudden crisis. Chief among their problems was the fact that the school had brought provisions of food and drink sufficient for roughly three and a half days, the idea being to restore needed supplies in Montreal on the way back. Now they were facing running out of those necessities in the next day unless they could replenish them locally. Their predicament led them to adopt a rather bold plan: The senior chaperones determined to create a squad of particularly hardy students to travel by snowmobile and/or snowshoe to one of those local hamlets where they might find some food and drink.
The relief squad would set out promptly from the resort in the direction of the nearest town, if you could call it that. A total of 20 students and two chaperones volunteered to make up the select group. Gaston, acting as the guide of the expedition, estimated it would take approximately three hours each way to reach the nearest village, Wendake, occupied by about a dozen local Wyandot (Huron) native Canadians. These first-nation peoples were in most respects modern, and model, Canadian citizens, though members of what are known as the First Nations of Canada. The Huron relied for their livelihood largely on the seasonal tourist trade; they had created a model village that kept alive their ancient tribal traditions of hunting and trading while offering, to the interested public, tours of their village. As a nod to modern times, the Huron operated a single-pump gas station and convenience store right next to their large Hogan or longhouse that looked much like the buildings in which their ancestors lived.
Due to a fortunate break in the clouds, the relief expedition made good time following Gaston’s lead. The forested country they were covering was the same that 150 years earlier had been the contested land of New France, where troops under the command of General Montcalm along with his mostly Huron Indian allies battled the British and their Iroquois supporters for control of Canada. Few knew, however, as Gaston did, that the Huron were actually ancient cousins of the Iroquois, and not their implacable enemies as described in “The Last of the Mohicans.”
“This is exactly where the French and Indian War was fought,” offered Gaston, as he trudged along the heavy snow-covered ground, sweeping his arm in all directions.
When he stopped for a breather, he found a boulder against which to sit.
“Rabbi Trout,” Gaston asked, “do you study about that war in your school?”
“Of course we do,” he responded. “As a matter of fact, these students reviewed that history not that long ago. It’s one thing, however, to study the dry history in a book, and another to be trekking through the actual forests where the war took place. It’s very eerie to be travelling here. The surrounding forest is very quiet, and if you don’t speak, you can almost hear the sounds and shouts of the soldiers, the natives and the crack of muskets in the distance!”
“Très evocative, n’est-ce pas?” commented Gaston in French, as he listened to the chaperone wax poetic about the historic surroundings they found themselves in.
In a moment, the forest truly came alive as two buckskin-clad figures emerged before the relief squad in a small clearing. Each held a rifle and, armed, looked for all purposes as if they were prepared to continue fighting the French and Indian war!
“Hello, my friends,” shouted Gaston in French. He recognized Chief Stanislas Koska of the Huron-Wendat tribe and his son-in-law and greeted his friend of many years warmly. Koska held a walkie-talkie in his free hand and soon agreed to lead the students by a more direct route to his village and the convenience store his people operated. He also volunteered to assist the squad in carrying supplies by sled and snow plow back to the resort once it was decided what was most essential to the students trapped at La Grande Retraite. Most importantly, the Huron chief in consultation with Rabbi Trout placed an order with the Walmart store in the more remote Ste. Agathe-des-Monts, which could deliver the bulk items—milk, eggs, bread, peanut butter and jelly—that the stranded party needed. The Huron received a crash course in Canadian kashrut from Rabbi Trout. By the time he was done helping to place the order, the chief certainly knew what the symbols COR and M-K stood for (Kashruth Council of Canada and Canada’s Kosher Certifier).
Once all of the supplies were paid for, packed and ready to be delivered, the relief group thanked the Huron who had assisted them. The chief who would, with his son-in-law, accompany them back had a word of caution. Dense clouds had begun forming above again, and he cautioned them of the necessity to proceed back without delay: “There’s more snow coming and you don’t want to be out in the forest on the trail when it’s dark. Without moonlight, the forest will be pitch dark and only timber wolves and bears who track their prey by smell will be operating freely.”
Gaston and his New Jersey friends didn’t have to be told twice! The chaperones didn’t go into complete detail as they instructed the students under their “command” to hurry about their business and not waste time on the return trip. Aside from hearing some howls off in the distance, nothing out of the ordinary took place over the next two hours. At last the lights of La Grande Retraite appeared ahead and the relief squad, weary, but buoyed by the success of their mission, struggled into the main lodge to the welcome embrace of their comrades who had stayed behind. They unloaded the supplies they had obtained from the Huron, and informed their leaders to expect the more extensive shipment of supplies they had ordered earlier from the large supplier in Ste. Agathe des Monts.
Unknown to the relief squad, while they were travelling, the phone lines to the retreat had gone down temporarily, leading to a visit from two friendly members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Mounties, who arrived by Jeep—not on horseback—accompanied by a large, but friendly, German shepherd. The Mounties advised the stranded students that it would probably take up to two further days to restore the phone service and clear the roads necessary to safely travel by bus out of the mountains. As a result, it was clear by Thursday (Day 3) that the Junior Junket would extend three extra days beyond what was originally planned. This would involve spending Shabbat in the Laurentides, an extra added attraction!
While food and drink stores had fortunately been replenished through the help of the Huron, no one on the trip had brought sufficient clothing for a six-day stay, and all had to make the best of a bad situation. Luckily, the school had brought a sefer Torah with them to cover Thursday morning prayers; they were thus able to conduct complete Shabbat services. When at last the sun rose on Sunday morning (Day 6), the students boarded their respective buses, tired, but happy to be heading home. As their buses roared off, the students waved good-bye, shouting “au revoir” to Gaston and Marie, who offered “Shalom!” in response. The students may have gotten more than they had bargained for on their trip to the North Country, but they agreed they had also learned some important life lessons. In particular, they now better understood that sometimes civilization is just a thin veneer and that, when unexpected developments arise, man must be prepared on occasion to rediscover skills that have remained hidden beneath the surface, but remain essential to his continued well-being and survival. For the record, despite the success of the extended Junior Junket that year, the school opted for warmer venues for future winter class trips.
Joseph Rotenberg, a frequent contributor to The Jewish Link, has resided in Teaneck for over 45 years with his wife, Barbara. His first collection of short stories and essays, entitled “Timeless Travels: Tales of Mystery, Intrigue, Humor and Enchantment,” was published in 2018 by Gefen Books and is available online at Amazon.com. He is currently working on a follow-up volume of stories and essays.
