Following the light

It’s been a short night. The fatigue is palpable. It’s as if no one wanted the previous evening to end. Nevertheless, smiles are on everyone’s faces. For sure, the gentle morning melody that has served as our alarm clock for the past three days helps us get up on the right foot, even though it’s still almost dark. Today will be a busy day, and the barrels are being packed promptly!

But efficiency doesn’t stop us from enjoying the essentials. While Louis toasts our bagels over the fire, the girls don’t waste a minute chatting at the Café de la Pointe. Vanessa and Andréanne enjoy their coffee on the riverbank as the sun slowly rises over the reservoir. Early on, its warm rays break through the tall hemlocks. Although the sun is already warming our hearts, Maranatha still finds it hard to get out of the long puffy tunic Cath lent her, which she’s been wearing since last night.

It’s our last morning together, and we immortalize the moment with a photo session on the riverbank. We soon settle into the rabaskas. This time, Michelle will lead a “participant-only” boat. As announced in Catherine’s morning song (Follow the sun by Xavier Rudd), this morning we’ll be following the sun back to Camp Air Eau Bois, where the loon welcomes us. After a few days in the wilderness, a hot shower is welcome. We barter the services of the Café de la pointe to meet up with Johanne and her daughter Chloé, who await us with a dinner filled with love and little attentions to each person’s particular dietary needs. Thank you so much!!!

With our hearts full of unforgettable memories, we head back to the bus. After a timeless experience like the one we’ve just had, it’s often difficult to return home and get back to everyday life. If it takes a good dose of courage to choose to abandon the comforts of routine to join strangers in nature, it also takes time, resilience and patience to get back into the swing of things. The homecoming blues and mourning associated with the dissolution of the group are very real, normal and often underestimated. That’s why, on the way home, Mario and Cath tackle this important subject. Mario tries to offer some comfort by pointing out that, although the separation may be difficult, everyone leaves enriched by new friendships that they can continue to nurture. Cath gives us a bracelet made from a rope that now binds us together.

We part under the sunshine that has accompanied us so faithfully since the beginning of our adventure. Kaitlyn joins her parents first. We then bid farewell to Michelle and Danielle, who are off to Manitoba and Ontario, and to Nadia, Andréanne and Vanessa, who are heading home to Montreal. Finally, we leave Maranatha at the foot of the walls of Mont Saint-Hilaire. Even if the future may still be full of challenges, each of us now knows that we are not alone in trying to make progress on a bumpy road, and that all it takes is a phone call to be heard and understood…

Lorie Ouellet, On the Tip of the Toes Foundation Blogger and volunteer photographer

Translated by Nicolas Sbarrato