Students learn about adventures

Deana Lancaster

News Reporter dlancaster@nsnews.com

THROUGHOUT the

winter, West Vancouver

elementary school

teacher Josée Clermont

dreams about getting

on her bike and taking _ off.

Bue. while most city- . dwellers with similar musings ‘rarely have the opportunity to » pact on them, Clermont creates her opportunities. This teacher has a serious case of wanderlust. ~The. 43-year-old’ emits a “Kinetic energy when she talks » about her love ‘of adventure. “In her home _ province of Quebec, Clermont was on the national biathlon team, and “on the national team for wild water kayaking. “: Ten years ago she moved “to B.C., and has taught in ’ French immersion at Sentinel - and now at. Ecole. Pauline Johnston. She loves her work, but not even that could quiet - her need for adventure. Four and half years ago she

Bes? -3 Nights

joined a friend on a three-day bike trip ia the Rockies.

“It was kind of hard for me. We were just going 20 kilometres a day and stayed in hotels. E was fit from) cross country skiing, but not neces- sarily bike fit.”

Still, after just a‘ taste of exploring Canada from two wheels she wanted more. The

following summer, August of

1957, she set off on a trip few would contemplate: she rode from Dawson in the Yukon to TInuvik in the Northwest terri- tories. She did it in two wecks, and she did it alone.

“EP love the north. I just

_ love it. The days are long, and

if you want to be in the wilderness ... there was noth- ing there.”

For 740 kilometres she pedalled. her heavy old road bike along a dirt road. There Avere few campgrounds, and

“she had to carry her food, gear

and a two-day supply of water.

It was slow-going, and there were grizzly bears to watch out for.

“I was terrified of bears, I would sing all day to my: self. if ended up losing my voice.”

Eventually a traveller she

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Sunday, December 3, 2000 — North Shore News - 37

NEWS photo Paul McGrath =

ECOLE Pauline Johnston elementary school teacher Josée Clermont (centre) leads a double life. Mild-man- nered teacher 10 months of the year, she travels the worid on two wheels in the summer. :

her a bear bell, which wo. typical of the kind- ness she received from strangers. On another occa- sion she woke up to find a chocolate bar in a plastic bag next to her bike.

“People would pass me on the read and spread the word ahead of me that I was com- ing.”

Most of all she learned to

met gave

have faith in herself.

“I realized if ] want to do something I should just do it.

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What [needed would come along.”

After that isolated trip, her 3,000-Kilometre ride through Europe the following summer was almost easy. She rode through the Alps, in Italy, Switzerland and France.

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