Slowly, the group wakes up. We have a busy day ahead of us. I’m reluctant to open the drapes for fear the weather could be the same as when we arrived. I finally do it and I hear a teen shout: “The sun is out!” What a relief! Adventure can be very nice even in foul weather, but I believe we all prefer a nice sunny day. As we approach the dining room, we can smell breakfast. We find eggs, bacon, cereal, toast, etc, enough to please even the most finicky. Most are still sleepy and don’t quite realize we’re in a very special place. Through the window, we see the lake asleep under the ice, guarded by a battalion of conifers at attention. A beautiful sight indeed! Next door, in the kitchen, our hosts are busy preparing the day. They will take advantage of the fair weather to dress up the dog sledding trails. The teens don’t quite realize how much work goes into the preparation of our trek. The territory is huge and our expedition will last five full days. But, for the moment, we must get busy. “Great adventures require great preparations”, as the saying goes. There is a lot of material and information to share with the group, and we must set some time aside to catch a bit of to make this morning perfect.
It’s now instruction time! As we translate from one language to the other, Anglos and Francos take a refresher course in each others’ language. What a sight! Scott and Mathieu are quite fluent in both languages and soon they become interpreters for the others. Simon turns out to be our resident clown. He is quite at ease in this unfamiliar territory. As you can imagine, an expedition of this type requires a lot of material (clothing, accessories and food). Jeff and I model the various pieces of clothing as we illustrate the best way to wear them. The whole experience soon turns to chaos, but apparently the information has been well understood. But there is more to it than this. After a while, we sense some members of the group are overwhelmed and need to be rescued. So we decide to go outside. This is where nature kicks in. The breeze is cool enough to get us moving, the bright sun lights up the snow all around us, the smells of wide open spaces remind us the city is far away, and soft and appeasing sounds create a perfect harmony. After a while running around, the group warms up. Already, we can see that the group is getting closer and it believe you me, it will only get better. At this point, we decide to play a daring game, to test the confidence of our teens. Each participant in turn drops off a small balcony, back first, into the arms of the rest of the team. It’s like falling in a cloud, or in Jell-0 (according to the teens). Karolane tells us she’s afraid of heights, but soon she courageously jumps with both eyes closed. The group catches her and her broad smile eloquently says how proud she is to have confronted her fear. We have here a group of fighters and their courage is inspiring. I wonder if they realize how strong they are?
Time flies when we’re having fun. All too soon we’re back from a snowshoe ride and we realize the afternoon is halfway gone. Time for personal reflection. Mélanie attends to her writing, while Courtney is deep into her book. The boys play cards or chess and Danika chats with Héléna. Let the good times roll, as they say!
It is now getting darker and the stars come out above our heads. On the horizon, various shades of darkness outline the tops of the giant spruce. The silence is strangely noisy as if the ground under our feet was whispering some approaching thing. We go out in the moonlight and suddenly, as ghosts in the night, the dog teams arrive. There are tens of them with many sleds. Yet, all we hear is the wind howling. What an unbelievable scene to see nature in its deep beauty and comfort. We eagerly greet each of the dogs. They are the comfort we were waiting for. Each Husky has a name, some are funny, others more mystic. We have to go as dinner is served and the dogs must rest. Tomorrow, we will get better acquainted with them. We have to rest, as tomorrow is the grand departure. Our minds still full of images, we congregate in the living room before going to bed. Time to reflect on the day as we hold our first group meeting. Each participant is asked to tell the group why they decided to live this experience and express their fears on the eve of the expedition. It is an emotion-filled moment, yet quite positive. After only two days, I see before me a united team, more so that most friendships. I am at a loss to describe their sincerity, but one thing is clear: each one of them chose this adventure to push their limits, and already they have shown their incredible courage in admitting their fears while not showing any weakness. Each expedition reflects those that compose it. In this instance, I believe it will be nothing short of magical.