Our canoeing expedition has started. Grey skies overhead as we leave the Chute Blanche site. But, as by magic, the clouds slowly disappear as the day progresses. As the curtain rises to give place to the show, the grey weather dissipates and, around noon, the sky is blue. And tonight, stars in the thousands can be seen. JF strums his guitar near the campfire with Catherine L., Marie-Claude, Bertand, Martin, Héléna, Alain and Mario. I hear the others laughing in the tents behind me. I am sitting by the river listening to the water lapping Pointe-aux-Fraises. It smells of happiness… and of burnt marshmallows.
Our canoe trip is beautiful, and off to a good start. We got our feet wet for the first time some ten kilometres downstream from our initial planned stop point. The river is so high that we felt it would be more prudent not to bundle our stuff and portage the Rapide du Brûlé, a 1,5 km Class 3. After a rather laborious packing session, Mario organized an initiation to canoeing workshop.
The kids learn fast and they are eager to paddle. They are a little frustrated when we stop for lunch… We teach them how to light a fire. They teach us simple games: Adam even organizes a World championship of the game he called: “I-can-skip-a-flat-stone-further-than-you.’
A few paddle strokes later, we are at La Pointe-aux-Fraises (Strawberry Point). It might as well be La Pointe-à-la-Fraise (Lone Strawberry Point): we merely found three of them, and minuscule at that. Nevertheless, the view is magnificent: in the distance we can see the Montagne de la Tour (Tower Mountain). Our guide, Alain, tells us that his uncle was a warden there in the fifties, looking for forest fires nearby. ‘Three-Strawberries Point’ will be our first camping site. We show them how to set up the tents. The show us what collaboration and teamwork are.
Paradoxically and somewhat strangely, the deeper we get in the forest, leaving civilization behind, the more comfortable our young friends become. They are the gang of nine and all of then seem happy as we enter this wonderful uncertainty that is our adventure.
All of them send hugs and kisses. Of this, I am sure.
Photographs of Mistassini 2008 and other photos of the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation are available at the following URL:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pointedespieds
