The day had started well. At dawn, the clouds were gone. A soft breeze was keeping the mosquitoes away. Then came nice white spots on the horizon. Followed by grey ones, dark and heavy. By 9 o’clock, the spots were drenching us.
Spirits have reached a low point. Clothes are drenched. Some tents leak. It is cold. Vanessa wants to go home. Mario, Bertrand, Héléna and JF hold a meeting. Our young friends need an outlet. Each in turn tells us why they are here –meet new people, practice their French, push back their limitations, get back in shape, live an adventure. One after the other, they tell us about their qualities – perseverance, positivism, strength of character, patience. Sara asks: is this a “low moment”? No doubt.
In our luggage there are two mysterious giant potatoes wrapped in canvas tape, also known as “duct tape”. No one knows what’s inside and nobody can guess. They are to be used as booster cables during “low moments” or as a turbo during a “high moment”. The youngsters decide to use them. This morning, they tear the tape off the potatoes to find a huge quantity of jujubes. They wolf them down. Literally. The magic operates.
Literally. As the glucose explodes, le clouds clear away. As the taste buds awaken, the eyes widen: the northern wind pushes the clouds away.
We break up camp and get on our meandering way. Not easy. Downstream, the river roars. There is the Rapide du céleri. This first technical difficulty of our trip is cause for some exclamations. First, they are stupefied, and then they are happy and proud. Moments of eternity, out of time.
We pause for the mid-day meal. A violent storm rises behind us. It circles us and breaks upstream on the Pointe-aux-fraises. The kids are triumphant, once again. The Mistassini is our moving walkway to l’Île-à-la-ciboultette (Chives Island). Marie-Claude and Catherine L. have found a patch of this herb. They sprinkle some on a bed of rice on which rests a chicken brochette a Greek restaurateur would be proud of. Around the campfire, Bob comes to haunt us again. All day, he travelled with us. “Don’t you now worry about a thing. ‘Cause every little thing s’gonna be a-right.”
Tonight, Vanessa wants to sleep outdoors. No way would she leave the expedition now, not for a fortune.
NOTE: You have no idea of the reactions to the comments you e-mail to the kids! Keep them coming!
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
