It is already the final day of our escape expedition. So many memories, discoveries, beautiful encounters, and moments of growth. So many precious moments… in just 3 days.
But let’s make the pleasure last a little longer and take the time to revisit last night’s touching campfire gathering.
One single word to summarize our adventure!
How can emotions, experiences, surprises, discoveries, learning moments, landscapes, nature, and sensations all be expressed in one word?
Well, we did it! And that is the true strength of a group. Together, through every personality, every story, every feeling, our words perfectly reflected the essence of what we experienced as one.
MILLA: DISCONNECTING
By leaving our phones behind, we were able to experience new and beautiful things. This escape was truly an opportunity to disconnect.
TEAGAN: ADVENTURE
Not knowing what she was getting into was already an adventure: “Good or bad, it would still be an adventure!” And in the end, it was definitely a beautiful adventure in every sense.
LOÏK: SURPRISED
He did not expect it to be this good! “Being on the water was beautiful, sitting around the fire was amazing… I loved it!”
ANGELO: DREAM
It felt like a dream, and it passed by quickly like a dream… “I seriously had so much fun!”
JESSE: BUBBLE
Like an adventure bubble outside of everyday life, like a bubble between all of us, with all of you.
GENEVIÈVE: EMERGENCE
What emerges between us as staff, between you as participants, and between all of us together. “Something blossomed in your eyes in only a few days.”
ÈVE-MARIE: NON JUDGMENT
A value “beautifully embodied by the group, both regarding limitations and the craziness of some people.”
BRANWEN: EYE OPENING
An opening toward possibilities, new experiences, and new encounters she never thought she would have.
NAÏLA: CHANGE
Absent for nearly 48 hours, “I could see the transformation, the blossoming… you are beautiful to watch, both together and individually.”
SERGE: GOOD BEAUTIFUL LOVELY
“I had such a good time filled with beautiful moments and beautiful people!”
RAPHAËL: HUMILITY
“I learned so much from all the joy you carry despite the adversity you have lived through.”
MARIE HÉLÈNE: SIDE SMILE
Knowing who I am within this team, who I am in nature, in adventure therapy, and especially hearing the young participants laughing, swimming, and simply being together in the distance…
ANNE MARIE: ACCOMPLISHMENT
Admiring the young participants who dove into so many unknowns by saying yes to this expedition, and who can now be proud of what they achieved, right down to climbing the final hill carrying their barrels and pushing their limits all the way.
JEANNE: AUTHENTICITY
From both the young participants and the team. “It gives me the motivation to return to my everyday life.”
HAYMAN: CONNECTED
Leaving our phones behind and connecting with something else: nature, new people, maybe even new friends.
FABIENNE: BATH
A bath of nature, human warmth, emotions, joy, surprises, new experiences, and of course actual swimming!
MARIE MICHELLE: SMOOTHIE
“A few lumps at the beginning in the blender, but now it’s smooth, smooth, smooth!” Every flavor, every color, every ingredient balanced perfectly together.
LOÏS: PURA VIDA
“Living life to the fullest.” We feel it everywhere, we see it in our bodies, we bite into it fully. Through what we learned, what we saw, and the people we were with, it reminds us how much we love life.
18 souls, 18 words, 1 complete and united circle.
Marie-Michelle builds on Jeanne’s words and explains that the foundation was born because of an oncologist who had just lost a patient, not because the patient’s body gave up, but because he had given up emotionally. He decided to bring his patients into nature and help them meet people living through similar realities so they could rise above the illness. Sur la pointe des pieds was born to give hope and restore motivation.
So within our circle united by adventure, we pass around a long cord, another tradition of the foundation. Filled with everything we shared, saw, lived, and learned, it connects us and will forever symbolize our bond and connection across time and distance.
The evening stretches on. Serge organizes crayfish fishing and an amazed Loïs comes to show me their catch, attracted by the light of a headlamp and captured delicately with fingertips. The baby crayfish sits at the bottom of a cup for now, but once released, it promises to become a giant creature like the ones in Serge’s stories.
A small group goes on one final walk along our beautiful point before it is finally time to head back to our tents.
The rain spared our evening and only began after we had fallen asleep.
This morning, however, the ukuleles echo through a light drizzle. The cheerful voices of Marie-Michelle and Eve-Marie make up for everything.
Wood fire toasted bagels for breakfast, cretons or cream cheese, fresh fruit… too many buffet options to list them all. Conversations are joyful, hugs are everywhere, and smiles are shared knowingly.
The distance to paddle this morning is short. Thankfully, because the journey home will still be long. And it is also the perfect opportunity for a race: our two rabaska canoes will face off today on the waters of the Réservoir du Poisson Blanc. Two highly motivated teams secretly prepare their strategies. On one side, “The Young Team,” coached by Raph, who gives 110 percent to energize his crew and trust me, Raphaël’s 110 percent is explosive! On the other side, “The Staff Team,” refusing to be intimidated and placing Naïla at the helm! The battle promises to be legendary. Go!
Immediately, the pace is intense, paddles strike the water in rhythm, the rabaskas cut through the waves, and suddenly we no longer feel the rain or the fatigue from the past three days we are pure strength.
No matter the outcome, taking on the challenge is what truly matters.
I also want to highlight Angelo’s perseverance. He never gave up, paddling entirely with his right arm thanks to an ingenious paddle system attached to his life jacket.
And Jeanne’s perseverance as well, never missing an opportunity despite her fragile leg and doing so with minimal assistance.
Thank you to Jesse for always keeping a caring eye on everyone, especially on me, with gentleness and discretion.
Thank you to our logistics magicians no mistakes, only care and anticipation… all quietly happening in the background while we finish sleeping or enjoy the warmth of the fire.
Thank you to Anne-Marie, Naïla, Marie-Michelle, Eve-Marie, and Raphaël for your contagious energy, reassuring presence, and constant availability.
It is now time to empty our barrels, return borrowed equipment to the foundation, repack our bags, and finally take a real shower goodbye baby wipes!
At the cafeteria, Teagan improvises a little ballet lesson with her students, including Raph and Loïs apologies to the aspiring ballerinas I did not notice!
Suddenly everything speeds up. Quickly finishing the delicious fish and chips, gathering our bags, and boarding the bus back to the city.
As we bounce along the rough road, MM and EM make bracelets from the cord and everyone leaves with a small piece of our expedition. They talk about the possible difficulty of returning to everyday life after these intense days spent surrounded by others 24 hours a day. It is a normal cycle. Remembering the intensity, the discoveries, the people we met, and all the possibilities ahead becomes something essential. Just like spending time in nature. We all experienced its energizing, calming, and restorative effects… Let’s fully embrace immersion in nature it brings nothing but benefits.
And as for the thought of separating in just a few hours… it lingers heavily in our hearts. Marie-Michelle repeats Mario’s words and reminds us that at the end of this beautiful adventure, we are not losing friends… no, we have just gained new friends for life.
Fabienne
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