After the rain comes sunshine, then the rain returns, followed by sunshine once again. Today, the sky is dancing and we’re singing! Well, I won’t repeat this every morning, so you can just assume that here, we wake up every day to our facilitators singing, and it is REALLY better than any alarm clock I’ve ever heard.
There’s something pretty amazing about being deep in the woods, with no cell service, very few things, a great group of people, and such a joyful wake up call.
I open my tent and see the waterfall we slept in front of again. Then, I’m drawn in by the smell of breakfast cooking over the fire. On the menu: eggs, bacon, potatoes, and baked beans! Our guides really spoil us, and I have to say that eating this well is especially comforting this morning as the rain slowly begins to fall.
We have 10 km and a few challenges ahead of us for this second day on the river. Spirits are high, and we continue practicing our canoeing techniques and manoeuvres. Not long after we set off, we’re caught by surprise by a massive downpour. A few little cheers of excitement, and we decide to laugh about it. Today is going to be a… wet one.
When we reach the first rapid, it’s time to portage. To save us time and keep us from having to carry all the gear, the guides take the canoes down while we walk along a small trail through the forest. Once we reach the other side, we settle in for lunch. Catherine immediately pulls out the ukulele. Samy plays for a bit, then Adeline.
Steve, Holley, and Elisabeth play a little prank on Mya by decorating her helmet with leaves. It marks the beginning of the “festive” hat trend: leafy helmets, reversible hats, backward caps, there’s something for every mood.
We get back into our canoes for the remaining 7 km. Conversations, songs, fun, lots of fun, and then we reach the first rapid we can actually paddle through. We had a little taste of whitewater yesterday, but this is our first Class I rapid. For many, it’s their first experience on a river, and we celebrate it together!
Our final challenge of the day is another portage. I’m still amazed by how efficiently we work as a team. Everyone helps one another, and everyone has the opportunity to push themselves and experience their own successes.
A snack on the water at Jess’s Drive Thru, then we cross the river toward our campsite for the night.
I’ll try to describe it as best I can:
The site is on a beach, with another section tucked into the forest. To our right, we can see a rapid, and to our left, the water is calm. The sky is both dark and bright, and we’re happy to have arrived.
It’s time for a swim and some outdoor “showers” (aka washing and rinsing ourselves with a bailer in the woods).
The guides are in the kitchen. Under a tarp, a canoe supported by two barrels serves as a meal prep counter, and the vegetables are hanging out in their little hammock (did you know that airing out perishable food helps it last longer?).
Elisabeth is sawing wood and taking care of the cooking fire. Joël is chatting and laughing with Sophie, our psychosocial support worker. Loïs and I are watching the clouds in the sky and the light shining through them. Adeline is washing her face while Mya brushes her hair. Samy, Julien, Ambila, Holley, and Marshall are playing in the water. The facilitators and volunteers are setting up their tents and making sure all the participants are doing well. It touches me to see young people simply being together without screens, surrounded by nature, in a simple setting that invites connection with themselves, with others, and with everything around us.
Right now, I’m writing to you by the fire. A sense of closeness is beginning to grow within our group, and it’s encouraging. The young people are all sitting next to one another, looking out at the landscape.
Sometimes I think this really is what life is all about.
Being together, being outside, and laughing a lot.
To all our family members, we’re thinking about you, we’re talking about you, and we love you!
And to everyone reading along, thank you for being here, and see you tomorrow!
Geneviève
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In pictures
