For the last time, we heat our coffee water and toast our breakfast wraps over a wood fire. The tents are folded, the barrels ready for loading. No one wants to think about it, but it’s almost time to head home.
The light is soft as we leave, magnifying the landscape and our colourful canoes. Images that will be engraved in our memories. We paddle in silence to better enjoy the moment. We’re moving forward in a pack… no desire to stray far from each other, it seems.
After a few kilometers, a passage through tall grass and what we thought was a buzzard, we arrived at the last portage of the expedition. A suitcase portage, meaning that the canoes are carried full, along a short trail, by eight synchronized porters. The teams work in very efficient rotations, with lots of encouragement and praise.
It’s time for our daily nature bath before leaving this magical environment. Gathering at the foot of the rapids we’ve just avoided, boats tied together like rafts, we memorize the sound of the water, of the river, so that later we can draw on it to recharge our batteries. Once again, we admire the beauty of nature; once again, we reflect on how far we’ve come in these nine days in the woods and all that we’ve gained together.
Umbrella by Jérémie
That’s it, we’re docking. We won’t be portaging this time, we won’t be setting up camp, we won’t be washing up on the beach, we won’t be crossing paddles to run to the hidden barrel (read: toilets), we won’t be chopping dead trees for the fire, we won’t be washing dishes in cold water, we won’t hear Cath and Eve-Marie singing when we wake up, but we’ll remember, we’ll laugh about it, and we’ll keep learning, daring, wondering, trusting, helping, appreciating…
So, to celebrate, Eve-Marie launches into our song, our anthem, our rallying cry that brings the fire back: Umbrella by Jérémie Rihanna!
Recovering at Domaine Pine Grove
Shuttles take people, equipment, and canoes back to Domaine Pine Grove. Equipment borrowed from the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation and Désir de Découvrir is dried and returned, and then back into the water! Yes, the young people are still thirsty to learn even more. Hippo and Jessica, with their boundless passion, show them various recovery methods (don’t read: rest!) for turning over a capsized boat. You have to know how to capsize first! From the small cabin, I hear the laughter and shouts. Jesse comes to get me: “You have to take some pictures!” She’s right, they’re like kids throwing themselves into the water. We see feet in the air, hands grabbing, heads popping out and then disappearing under the canoe, all in euphoria. It’s a sight to see, especially when capsizing was one of the biggest fears for some. And as expected, within minutes they’re learning how to pull one canoe on top of another, then turn it right side up and once it’s back in the water, get back in it. A not-to-be-repeated anecdote follows, and the giggles echo throughout the campsite. Their energy is boundless, and I’d like to stay and feed on their joie de vivre.
Ovations, one by one
In a circle around a roaring fire prepared by Coralie, Eve-Marie opened the ceremony to officially award the traditional diplomas of the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation. She and Cath called out the names of the thirteen participants one by one:
Alice for her quiet strength
Paul for his inspiring outlook on life
Nicole for her efficiency and determination
Michael for his positivity and support of others
Kylie for her big smile and authenticity
Kaylee for her infectious laugh
Kayla for her strength and gentleness
Jhelisa for her courage in facing so many unknowns
Vincent for his great resilience and transparency
Romane for her strength and sensitivity
Rania for her ability to take a bite out of life
Charles for his sense of humor and great support
Coralie for her curiosity and desire to learn more and more
Many thanks to the four generous volunteers Jesse, Marylou, Lysianne and Fabienne, who took time out of their busy schedules to offer their services with great enthusiasm.
Thanks to the three passionate Désir de Découvrir guides: Jessica, Hippolyte and Jérémie, who gave far more than was expected, and to their guardian angel, Anne-Sophie, who was as efficient as she was radiant.
Thanks to the wonderful facilitators Catherine and Eve-Marie for their dedication, and to Marie-Michelle who worked behind the scenes.
Thanks to Mario, who had been forgotten… but how could we forget him? Mario the lighthouse, the fire, the rock with the heart of a child.
The 13 Days of Expedition
And to close out the ceremony, we welcome the now-famous duo Kylie and Michael, writers of The 13 Days of Expedition to the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas.
On the 1st day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
On the 2nd day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
On the 3rd day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
On the 4th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
On the 5th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
5 portages
On the 6th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
5 portages
6 waves crashing
On the 7th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
5 portages
6 waves crashing
7 spiders crawling
On the 8th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
5 portages
6 waves crashing
7 spiders crawling
8 mosquitos biting
On the 9th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
5 portages
6 waves crashing
7 spiders crawling
8 mosquitos biting
9 nights no sleeping
On the 10th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
5 portages
6 waves crashing
7 spiders crawling
8 mosquitos biting
9 nights no sleeping
10 tenters tenting
On the 11th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
5 portages
6 waves crashing
7 spiders crawling
8 mosquitos biting
9 nights no sleeping
10 tenters tenting
11 paddlers paddling
On the 12th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
5 portages
6 waves crashing
7 spiders crawling
8 mosquitos biting
9 nights no sleeping
10 tenters tenting
11 paddlers paddling
12 fires burning
On the 13th day of expedition, nature gave to me…
1 generator in a green bag
2 toilets
3 canoe guides
4 beaver dams
5 portages
6 waves crashing
7 spiders crawling
8 mosquitos biting
9 nights no sleeping
10 tenters tenting
11 paddlers paddling
12 fires burning
13 cancer patients
* We only had 9 days of expedition, but we had to go to 13 for this song, Kylie explains in the middle of the performance!
And it’s with a shower of applause that echoes through the sleepy Domaine, that our stay comes to an end. It was an evening of complicity, humour, laughter, celebration, festivity, congratulations, gratitude and gentle madness… An unforgettable evening, like the 12 days we spent together and the 24 adventurers of La Vérendrye.
Fabienne Macé, On the Tip of the Toes Foundation Blogger and volunteer photographer
Translated by Lorraine Gagnon
In pictures
