The feeling of a new beginning…

It is sitting comfortably in front of the majestic Ottawa River that I write this second-last blog. The sun rests its head upon the hills of the rocky escarpment typical of the north shore of this vast valley. A katabatic breeze caresses my face and keeps the mosquitoes away. Only soft sustained surf fills the sound environment. I just came out of the shower and I am finally wearing dry stockings. I finally wear dry stockings. I finally wear dry stockings. I must even repeat it out loud to believe it. I fully appreciate these joys almost forgotten over the last few days. I feel privileged.

At a distance, I watch the participants. They are magnificent. Radiant. Inspiring. If one disregards their cancer episode, many say they have just climbed their Everest. In fact, it was not an easy expedition. Of course, we had the sun, the beaches, the rapids where we could paddle, friendship, solidarity, caring, good food and so on. But also, there was rain, stiffness, portages, blisters, wet stockings, mosquitoes, mornings rising too early and more assuredly. There were moments of discouragement, moments of doubt, tears and the desire to drop everything. But above all, there were moments of pure joy, moments of boundless pride, laughter and tears, and the desire never to put an end to what was happening.

The purples of twilight have now given way to the black ink of the night. Our day slowly ends with the crackling fire. All around, we remember our best memories of the week and also the anecdotes of the day. These are particularly epic, knowing that we traded the Black River and our canoes for rafts and the Ottawa River.

We take advantage of this last gathering in a natural environment to share a tradition that we care about at the Foundation. One of the strings we used during the expedition will be cut into bracelets that will be distributed to everyone and everyone … a metaphor reminding us of the bonds that unite us from now on.

Tomorrow we return to find our loved ones. We like to believe that this is not the end of our expedition. This is mainly the departure on a new journey.

J-Charles Fortin, Blogger and Photographer for On the Tip of the Toes Foundation

The Noire River Expedition is presented by the Fondation Bon départ de Canadian Tire du Québec