Another early wake-up call. On the plus side, Denis and Francisca, our guides, have concocted some homemade porridge with fresh blueberries. Hugo, well coached by Manitou JF, got the fire going all by himself. Paméla and Cass fetched the water from the river and filtered it before filling our water bottles. Talk about adventure! Then, as Jessie, Paméla and Breeann were gathering stones and some clay, the rest of the team goes off in the Zodiac to pick up the kayaks, which we had left on the small beach the day before.
On our return to the campsite, a clay imp and an inuksuk welcome us. Now, we can’t get lost. We pack up the kayaks and we’re on our way. First destination: Sainte-Rose-du-Nord for lunch. The wind has died down and the sun is shining high. The group is raring to go, and we have 6 kilometres to paddle before the SURPRISE Héléna has promised us. As we arrive in Sainte-Rose and park the kayaks on the dock, we see a SUPER ICE CREAM STAND! After lunch, we each get out treat! Cool!
Those calories will be welcome as we have another 15 kilometres to go before the next campsite. The weather is nice and it is with broad smiles on our faces that we paddle along at a fair clip. Émilie tells me: “Life is beautiful. Look at those enormous cliffs. We’re so small among all this beauty!”
After 8 kilometres, we stop at Saint-Basile-de-Tableau. It is a small bay with a nice beach where we can rest. The owner, Mr. Pilote, greets us. Given the time of day, he suggests we stay here overnight. That proposition is greeted with a resounding HURRAH! We are getting quite tired. Francisco’s arms are aching, but he is proud to have paddled for so long. Julia and Jessie agree: the last two kilometres were quite difficult and they are happy to have persevered. Tonight’s menu: shrimps and rice. Cass would like to have the whole casserole to himself, but he finally agrees to share with us. We are exhausted, tired and happy. Jordan and Breeann are already asleep. The rest of the group does not feel like turning in as the night is beautiful and we all wish to watch the stars come out in the sky.