Phoenix Rose Trek

04/04/2024

In a few hours we will be leaving Senegal for an overnight flight to Casablanca, then Montreal. What a remarkable, unforgettable experience! We combined our strengths to work as a team. We are proud for having pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone and taken on this epic challenge! The incredible woman we have met and their courage to take on this trek while fighting cancer was inspirational!!
We are also proud to share that we finished 6th out of 56 teams!!! Not bad for a last minute team that was reading the final details on orienteering and the guidelines of this competition in the bus ride on the way to the desert!! 🤭😝 Now the question is… where next?!? 😉

04/04/2024

We left the desert in a solidarity walk to honor all woman who have been affected by cancer, a cause this adventure has supported through the pink ribbon foundation. Yesterday, we had a touching morning at the Keur Maïmouna School in Saly. The staff and students had prepared a warm welcome for us. We were able to visit the new classes built by the donations and meet the students who are supported by the generosity of the Rose Trip. A huge thank you to all who helped make this happen!

04/01/2024

Last day of the trekking competition!! Beautiful sceneries from dunes, to coniferous forest, a sandy beach, eucalyptus forest, cactus patches and savanah. It was a hot day but one full of great surprises! There is nothing more encouraging than finding a marker and being welcomed by beautiful Senegalese woman dancing and cheering us on!! Or having kids help get the cactus thorns out of our hands! Too bad they couldn’t help with the ones in Angelie’s mouth after eating the fruit of the cactus! We arrived in the dark but this time we were in no rush to finish. The beautiful sunsets and peacefulness of the desert at night has grown on us! We are loving this great adventure!!!

03/31/2024

Day 2 of our trek done!! The desert was a bit hotter today with some massif dunes to climb, but we made it back before dark today! (Well 15 mins before… 😉) We hiked through eucalyptus forests, long sand dunes, savanah… all with spectacular views. As we finished the day we were spoiled with a beautiful sunset over the sand. Feeling great and more confident in orienting ourselves with our compass!

03/30/2024

Day 1 of our trek, done ✅!! We took our time and found all the our mapped markers in the dunes and savanah! We left at 7:45am and got back in the dark with our headlamps at 8:00pm! Long day, dirty legs and tired but still feeling good! Now, we are getting ready for tomorrow!

03/30/2024

After a 4 hour bus ride and a 4 km trek, arrived last night to our tents in the desert. We are ready for the start of Day 1 of the event.

03/29/2024

Preparing our maps and routes! Departure in 30 mins!!! Hope we are reading the map right! 🫣

03/29/2024

We are leaving for the Lompoul desert to begin the Rose Trip Senegal!! For those who would like to have some updates while we are doing the trek, you can visit the following site. Wish us luck!!

Découvrez le trek Rose Trip Sénégal, un trek féminin et solidaire accessible à toutes. Par équipes de trois, osez ce nouveau défi !

03/28/2024

Our third day in Senegal and last one before heading to the desert tomorrow morning! We visited the Bandia reserve and then, while walking through the town of la Somone, visited a local elementary school.

03/28/2024

Second day in Senegal, we went to visit the capital Dakar and the island of Gorée. It was an impactful visit to this UNESCO world heritage site which played a central role in the sad history of slavery.

03/27/2024

Our first day in Senegal! We went for a boat ride of the lagoon in Somone, visited the maze of the market in Mbour and the fisherman’s arrival/fish market. Good thing we had a guide to help us navigate!!

03/26/2024

Nous sommes arrivées au Sénégal hier soir!! Fatiguées mais heureuses d’être ici! Nous avons eu une bonne nuit de sommeil et sommes prêtes à explorer.