Dear Boundless Families:
Please forgive me for such an early final update. I am skipping out west for a few days.
I spent the last two days on the Dumoine and met up with the Seniors crew; and two of the five bald eagles they saw. As my canoe approached the beach on their Lac Robinson campsite, I witnessed three kids build a sauna (this really can be done), 4 kids luxuriating in the water as if in a swim up bar, and another three just shooting the breeze, doing nothing but drawing circles in the sand. You can surmise a lot from this scene. One, that their team had amassed enough efficiency to create surplus leisure time. They just completed a 15 km flatwater paddle, culminating in a two kilometre portage around an 80 foot waterfall, where each kid must make at least two trips (so minimum 8k of walking, 4 of these with gear on their backs). And yet they arrived at their site early enough to just be in heaven for a few hours.
I brought them chocolate offerings, a bribe, I suppose, that an oldster like me needs to work his way in. It worked. So I was able to sense their spirit. And it can be summarized by the following conversation between me and the three sand-drawers.
Referring to another team member who is especially gregarious (to be kind), I asked Marco, the recognized shaman of the tribe by virtue of his Mona Lisa wisdom, and his two minions,
“So, is so-and-so too big a pain in the ass, or do you guys accept him?”
“He’s in.”
“How?”
“I dunno, we just love him. His heart’s in the right place.”
And it is this attitude that makes this teenage tribe so special. The Seniors are having a peak experience, and just arrived safely back at port three hours ago, yearning for porcelain and modern plumbing.
We haven’t heard a boo from the Juniors on the Dumoine. My spider senses tell me they are doing just as awesome. They are back tomorrow.
The english crews continue to tap,tap,tap their laptops. They will return home better writers. I mean it. They have all worked hard. But they are getting something more than writing. They are learning to return the respect they receive in a classroom setting. This has forged a very close connection with teachers. These kids are coming homed spoiled, for they will naturally wonder why the rest of their high school can’t be this engaging. I bet you think I say this to all the girls. But you will hear this view directly from them, I am confident.
So far, it has been a blessed session. Thanks for sending your kids to us. We look forward to seeing many return next session.
Steven
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