After five days, breaking camp before breakfast is now routine. Jessie, who at first was a late riser, is up already, her sleeping bag and sleeping mat all rolled up. In a flash, the tents are taken down and folded, we’re “pros” at this now. While Francesca prepares a fresh fruit salad, we carry our dry bags to the shore. Hugo coordinates our efforts to carry the kayaks to the beach in groups of six. Wilderness camping has no secrets for us, so much so that the kayaks are ready to go long before the Zodiac comes in. The Zodiac is our guardian angel. Each morning, it picks up the material we can’t carry and sticks around us all day for our safety.
The sky is deep blue and the sun is already quite warm. Looks like we’re headed for a super hot day with the wind at our backs. After a session of sunscreen application and stretching exercises, we salute the sun with the three OM’s and we’re off! Our group is quite together and we paddle heartily. Denis teaches us to “surf the wave”. When the kayak dips from the front, all you need to do is paddle vigorously two or three times and UP you go to the top of the wave. WE’RE TRUCKING!
First step: crossing to the other side of the Fjord, where we will set up camp this evening. That takes about an hour and a half. We then follow the shore and marvel at the rock faces. The site is breath taking. After a quick lunch break, we cruise along. The kayaks ride softly on the water. Many of us see seals. Émilie and Caroline (your blogger) have an unexpected meeting with a seal who comes within three feet of the kayak. He looks at us with his soft eyes and, SPLASH, he dives, his tail beating the air. Émilie is stunned. We continue along the rock face and as we turn into a small bay, we see a small fall dropping into the Saguenay. Many of us manage to paddle under the fall’s cool water! Wow! That was good!
In the distance, we see the statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the peak. That’s our signal to turn into the bay where we’ll be camping. The rest of the afternoon is spent setting up camp, talking, laughing, and helping with the evening meal: huge spaghetti. We all pitch in to chop the veggies. Our group is now a real family. During the evening, we set up a campfire on the beach and roast marshmallows. Breanne hums “Brown eyed girl” with JF. The highlight of the evening. We stay up late signing. No matter, tomorrow we can sleep in, as we will spend two nights here