This is it! After tons of research and experimentation we have finally found a great spot for fishing and decided to go for the weekend.

Last winter, during our first weekend in Tremblant, we stumbled upon the only open spot for ice fishing close to town : the Pourvoirie du Lac Berval. We caught a few nice trouts there and we were impressed. Those who know our adventures also know that we have been unsuccessful with ice fishing in Alberta.

We rented a little cabin, the Huard, and we didn’t have any expectations (we brought our own soap and toilet paper) so we were surprised and amazed when we walked in the cabin. Right in front of us there was the little park Joe could play in and a trail, and the backyard was waterfront.

After unpacking we hurried on the boat for our first fishing session. The sun was out and the guys were ready for the weekend. That night we caught 2 beautiful trouts and 2 more as we were standing right in our ‘backyard’.

We made a fire and grilled some of our trouts on the charcoal bbq before I went to sleep, exhausted by the heat of the day.

Next morning, I was obviously up early so I spent some time chilling in the yard with Spence, while everyone else was still sleeping.

After Team S-Z was up we went for our morning fishing session. I caught 5 trouts and James 8. Mostly Spotted. It was pretty fun but the kids were getting agitated on the boat so it was time to go back for lunch. We obsviously ate trouts.

James, Adrian and Spence drove to town in the afternoon while Joe and I stayed at the Pourvoirie to go out on the double kayak. Big mistake! The wind was too strong and Joe didn’t want to paddle so we ended up drifting to the other side of the lake and getting stuck there.

Even though Joe was in panic mode, I attached the kayak to a log and parked us there. Joe was cold and scared so I let her have my shirt (over her jacket) and we started playing ‘I spy’ and we looked for fiddleheads to keep her busy. The guys came to pick us up and all was good.

The afternoon was very windy and getting very cold so back at camp we lit up a fire and kept fishing from shore. Joe caught her first fish with a real rod. I let everyone chill outside as I was having some suspicious allergic reaction.

On sunday morning I woke up early again and fired up the stove inside at 4 AM so when everyone would get out their sleeping bags, they wouldn’t freeze. It got pretty cold during the night!

I took my rod out to fish from the shore at 5 am and caught 5 more desperate trouts in an hour, before Spence woke up. It was so great to have that moment of silence by the water while it was still dark outside.

We went for our last boat outing on the lake at 9 AM and this time it was James’ turn to catch more fish. After an hour it was time to pack up.

After cleaning up we headed to the resort of Tremblant so Adrian could see it for the first time. I didn’t find any postcards, stickers or magnets for my collection and I didn’t want to go through the entire resort either.

After a game of Laser Tag between Adrian and Joe we headed to the actual National Park where we chilled a beach for a bit before hitting a trail not too far.

We obviously didn’t go far on the trail with Spencer being wild and free but we got to play by a creek and I enjoyed the sight of the vegetation and the feeling of moss under my finger.

I’m pretty excited about our upcoming tent camping trip in the National Park, this June!

Highlights of the weekend : There were TONS of fish. The was not a single cloud in the sky! Everyone had a blast, it was so refreshing to be away from the city. The first aid kit was a GREAT idea. I’ll improvise a few more so there is always one available wherever we are or whatever we are doing.

Disappointments : I forgot my Canon Rebel T7i battery in the kitchen at home, so you can tell the pictures above are unedited cellphone material. No YouTube video will be made. The wind was COLD on the lake, the kids and I had enough clothes but James and Adrian didn’t pack any pants. Even though we checked out the Montagne d’Argent on Friday, we didn’t get to climb, as the place is not easily accessible with kids.