Another fabulous day on the noire river…

One of the notorious advantages of having recovered the watches and telephones from the participants is that we can wake them up early without them knowing… This morning the alarm clock rang at 5:45. A tad-chilly morning, a river veiled with a delicate mist, and once more, a bright blue sky was awaiting our group as they came out of their tent.

Once breakfast over, everyone gets moving: the members of the dishwashing team, as well as those of the kitchen team or those of the campsite team. It should be noted that all participants are involved for the benefit of all.

Before launching, a river reading workshop is conducted: how to recognize a pillow rock or an eddy? A shear line? Counter-current? What is a strainer? A sharp river bend? With this new knowledge and strong previous experience in water (read: the first part of the same rapids we crossed yesterday…), we tackle the second section of the “The Wall” Rapids. Everything goes smoothly and leads us to the third and last section of the same rapids that we portage on a hundred metres, trees uprooted during the spring flood created a cluster making this portion of the descent a bit too risky.

We continue our descent on calm waters, again and always under a blazing sun. A few meanders will lead us to the MacDonald Rapids which we also cross with ease. Energized by Marjolaine’s potpourri of camp songs, we reach our private beach for lunch. Frisbee, relaxation and swimming punctuate this moment of break.

The next section takes us to the banks of the Targie Rapids which flows in the hollows of a very nice canyon. It is obviously out of the question for us to go down these rapids with our boats loaded with our entire luggage. So we portage, a bit more difficult than that of this morning. At the end of a very demanding 500 metres of walking, we discover an absolutely magnificent campsite!

At the bottom of the last section of the Targie Rapids is a rocky plateau with a breathtaking view of the river and on which stands a heap of stones that will serve as a fireplace. Beneath the tall pines are plateaux to pitch our tents and, a little further downstream, a golden-sand beach. Better yet, the whole site is facing west, allowing us to enjoy the last rays of sun longer.

Participants and facilitators swim happily in this both warm and refreshing water. We take the opportunity to clean up a little and take off the many layers of sunscreen and mosquito repellent clogging the pores of our skins.

Robert, our psycho-social worker, tells us at supper time that tomorrow will mark his 40th wedding anniversary. He did not ask me for it, but I’m sure that he subconsciously would want to use the blog to let his sweetheart know that he had a thought for her… And there! It’s done!

J-Charles Fortin, Blogger and Photographer for On the Tip of the Toes Foundation