Tonight’s camping site is on terra firma, on the western side of the reservoir, not far from the Air Eau Bois base where we’ll head tomorrow morning. Alas, this short expedition is coming to an end and we wanted to make the most of it.
So, tonight, we’re camping on a small mountain overlooking the water, surrounded by spruce under the watchful eye of the full moon, enormous and bright. Just below, over the sound of the wind-swept branches, one can hear the chords of Marc-André’s guitar. The man seems to have an endless repertoire. He can make the flames and the campers dance alike and in the morning he is our alarm clock!
Next to him, Mario has opened his canteen and once again he has prepared five course wonders on his burners. “You can probably make room for some date squares? No?” he asks as we are convinced we can’t squeeze anything more in our stomachs. No matter, Mario is like a grandmother, he just loves to see people happy on a full stomach. Tonight, everybody is very happy, thank you. Under the dome, around the fire, even in the canoe, people are singing, talking, joking, about every imaginable topic, there are no taboos. We all understand each other, “and we forget our differences”, says Alexia. So, it is permissible to joke about one’s cancer, or one’s chemo.
Today, we have paddled some fifteen kilometres; we have plunged in the cold water and climbed a mountain; an uneventful day, all in all. We decided to fly the Foundation’s flag at the stern of our skiff. All afternoon it flew as we faced a headwind and the waves. When we landed on the next island, it was not to take a pause, but to climb a wooded trail. We each followed our own pace, fully aware of our body, of our own limitations and those of the others. Once on top, the participants decided to open the surprise package that we had been carrying since our departure, the “high and low”, a ball wrapped in many layers of duct tape. It was the ideal occasion! On the other hand, if you want to find out what was inside this package, you’ll have to make your own inquiry!
A few paces below our encampment, there is the beach. On the beach, we raised the Foundation’s flag, waving in the night, and we formed a circle around it. Then, we attempted to summarize our impressions on the expedition in one single word. Alexia said it was to excel; Mario, said harmony; Alexandre opted for friendship, and Layla, escape. Some became teary eyed as they sang the Foundation’s theme song. Way above our heads, the moon started to disappear as if swallowed by the shadow of the sun on the other side of the earth. We all turned to face the moon and our words died with its last rays. When it reappeared a few moments later, it had taken another colour. The moon was red. The last remaining clouds disappeared from the sky leaving us to observe the Milky Way and the shooting stars. The last word of the day went to the lunar eclipse.