Expedition 2011 ~ MOKAI^® Explores the Manicouagan Crater !

The MOKAI’s headed north to circumnavigate the Manicouagan Crater, one of the oldest known impact craters, located about 30 miles above the 51st parallel in the province of Quebec, Canada. It was created when a meteorite hit this location over 215 million years ago.

After the 980 mile drive to this remote and uninhabited location the expedition got underway the afternoon of Sept 28th.  As a self-sustained trip, the boats were packed with food, shelter and fuel. We outfitted the MOKAI’s with a GPS spot tracker device to monitor the trip and to alert us in the event of trouble.  The decision was made to circumnavigate in a counter clockwise direction due to weather and wind conditions.  The first day was a short trip to a nice sandy location to set up camp.

As a result of underground fluid pressure pushing the rock in the crater upward, the center is a plateau, rather than the characteristic depression associated with craters. The island is referred to as Rene-Levasseur Island.

Day 2 tracked the MOKAI's to just beyond the northern crest of the crater. Unfortunately, bad weather moved in and we hunkered down for another night at the camp. The average temperature during the day was in the low 60's F, with nights in the 30's-40's! What a surprise to wake in the morning to a light snow fall!

Back on track for day 4 the weather greatly improved allowing us to travel to the southern area of the crater.  Another scenic area that afforded a beautiful sunset at camp to end the day.
The Manicouagan Crater has been worn away by the passing of glaciers and other erosion processes. Still, the hard rock at the impact site has preserved much of the impact structure.  This “landmark “is visible from space and is also known as the “Eye of Canada.”

Day 5 was the final stretch of our 140 mile adventure. Each boat consumed about 7 gallons of gas. Our fuel usage was slightly higher than anticipated, which we attributed to the weight of all the gear on board; tents, extra fuel, food, clothing etc. Arriving back at the van at the outpost shack we loaded up the MOKAI's and took in the beautiful scenery one last time. We drove off, happy to experience a place of such natural beauty and proud to know that we left it as it was found, no foot prints left behind.