Farniente on the Missinaibi! As planned, today was a day of rest after the sustained efforts of the last few days and also to prepare for the next two days, a total of 48 kilometres practically without any rapids. Obviously, this day of rest was needed as some participants stayed in their tents until noon!
We start our day off in superb fashion with fruit and chocolate pancakes under yet another perfect sky. Add this menu to the series of highly satisfactory ones we’ve been treated to since the beginning of this expedition: Thai pads, tacos, shawarma, quinoa, cranberries and cherries, gourmet pizza, corn bread, chocolate cake, apple brioches – all made fresh on location – and more.
It’s free time for everyone: some go fishing, some draw, some write, some do the laundry, some paddle to the falls, some sing, some chat, some braid their hair, some meditate… Soon, the day is almost gone and, lo and behold, we have unexpected visitors, another group of canoeists… and they are acquaintances! It’s a group of paddlers from Ontario, including Professor Steven Ritchie of Laurentian University in Sudbury, who is one of the organisers of CATS (Canadian Adventure Therapy Symposium), an annual event that the Foundation cohosted in 2010. A small world, indeed!
Early in the evening, we hold a few games of loup-garou, a classic of the Foundation’s expeditions. Then, out of nowhere comes the totally unexpected sound of bagpipes… After a few moments of bewilderment, we realize the music comes from Steven (Ritchie)’s campsite on the opposite side of the river. Yes, they really took a bagpipe on their canoe expedition! I wonder, what is stranger… portaging a generator or a bagpipe?
The rest of the evening is spent opening the “high and low”, another classic of our expeditions. It’s a mysterious package participants can open at their convenience, either when morale is at its lowest or at its best. Following the nirvana-like day we just spent, this was the appropriate time to open the package. What was inside? Skittles, liquorice, gumdrops and chocolate bars make up for a good desert. Assuredly, that was a wonderful day off!
P.S. Thank you for your nice comments about my work. Go ahead! You can post at your heart’s content on the blogs and photos. The participants love it!