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Who are Les Escargots Canadiens?

You can learn about the Escargots by following the links below. You can click on the thumbnail images on the right to see a larger version. Les Escargots Canadiens are (alphabetical by first name, sauf our fearless leader):

You can also learn about the friends of the Escargots.

George "The Vulture" Showman - Hike Organizer Extraordinaire

Hiking preparation:   Used Pyrenees as preparation for Canadian Rockies in July.

Best Quotes:

  • "Stop looking at the fucking mountain. We're going to take a few pictures, turn around, and go back."   [Discouraging a foolish attempt on the last hundred meters of Punta Alta]
  • "We can't let this soup* go to waste."   [ * Soup / bread / vegetables / sausage / food...]
  • "It's practically an act of bioterrorism."   [For the full story, click here]
  • "That guy had special talent, he was Olympic class. He was right next to me." [Remarking on snorer after crowded, sleepless, sweaty night at Ventosa i Calvell]
  • "Your mom's going to love this one." [Taking photo of Anatole with precipitous cliff in background.]
Favourite meal completion approach:   Leave no morsel standing.
Favourite book:   "How To Be a Vulture"
Favourite movie:   "How To Be a Vulture: The Movie"
Favourite mini-series:  "How To Be a Vulture: The Mini-Series"

Anatole "El Gorpeador" Papadopoulos - GORP Carrier and Chief Translator

Hiking preparation:   Swivelling around in office chair completing thesis.

Best Quotes:

  • "Maybe if we left our packs here..." [Anatole suggesting ways to complete the last few hundred metres to the peak of Punta Alta]
  • "Am I insane here? The ice-axe is not a group life-saving device. If we need any, we need five."
  • "So when you said it was all downhill today, you were flat-out lying." [To George, on the last, and supposedly easiest, day of hiking]
Briefly ensnared by:   Marmot hole
Favourite meal:   GORP
Dropped camera lens:   Down the mountain
Next up:   Tramping in New Zealand in April/May 2004

Christina "Flower Queen" H. - Flora Photographer par Excellence

Hiking preparation:   Out-racing Mehmet cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park.
Recently ran:   The New York City marathon (November 2003).

Best Quotes:

  • "I don't think we need our crampons for this section..."
  • "Need ... food ... now."   [Blood sugar low in St. Gaudens]
  • "Yes, I still have the first aid kit. Now what do you need?"
Dating:   Fellow Escargot Mike
Best wound:   Shin gouge (on rock; self-inflicted)
Favourite photography subject:   Flower. Any flower.

Mehmet "Forward Scout" Karman - Advance Dinner Procurement Specialist

Hiking preparation:   Trying to keep up with Christina cross-country skiing Gatineau Park.

Best Quotes:

  • "How do you say 'My friends are still alive, they're coming, and we'll still want dinner.' in Spanish?" [Mehmet preparing for his "Dinner Dash"]
  • "I've been to the washroom, and it's ... interesting." [The Colomers experience]
Favourite hiking pace:   "Speedy Gonzales"
Only flower worth noting in his opinion:   Trumpet Gentian
Favourite backpack weight:   As close to zero as possible, often foiled by carrying communal food he didn't eat, i.e. fruits

Mike "The True North Impressionist" Dobbin - Human Compass and Chief Entertainer

Hiking preparation:   Filming, and possibly drinking, in London.

Best Quotes:

  • "I'm a convert. These synthetic clothes really work!"   [Remarking on items borrowed from George and Mehmet made of wholly unnatural fibres.]
  • "So you want to be a vulture?"   [For the full story, click here]
Dating:   Fellow Escargot Christina
Favourite humour:   Bathroom
Excellent impressions:   Too many to count
Argues cogently:   About the Canadian military

Friends of the Escargots

Mark (Refugi Ventosa i Calvell):   "Punta Alta? Es para bambinos"
Mark (Refugi Ventosa i Calvell):   "Estany Llong? Es para bambinos" [Despite the Escargots' dismal performance on Punta Alta]
Israeli hiker:   "You know about Israel?"   [For the full story, click here]