Dear Boundless Families:
All the kids have returned safely to port, heroes in their own minds (the only minds that really matter). By this standard, things are pretty awesome, and the property is abuzz with beehive-like energy and giddiness.
I joined two cohorts(Juniors and Seniors) on the Dumoine.
They had just spent the day paddling 15km, culminating in a 1.6 km portage – so the groups were baked. Paddling up to their campsite, I encountered S. in the senior cohort, scrubbing pots on the beach.
I lobbed a simple “you good?” in his lap as my canoe touched down in the sand.
He responded “Ya, all good. Like, really good”. And then S. added, reflectively, as if he were the first human to discover this, “wo, it was hard work”.
Being a cerebral sort of kid, I asked him if he can “correlate hard work with how good he feels”.
He chuckled, not willing to concede the obvious. But he knew the two conditions were linked. His body knew it. His heart knew it.
And that is the gist of what all four cohorts are taking away from this. This, and the fact that one can use one’s inner dweeb to actually make connections with people. It is this latter achievement that has made this session so special to all four groups.
The seniors finally hit their sweet spot on Day 7, when they rescued a wrapped canoe (a dumped canoe filled with water – no humans- that literally wraps around a rock 270 degrees because of the force of the current). The kids played a huge role in getting out of this fix, decrying, “This is real! HOLY S..T.” The gang hoisted and huffed and puffed, and pulled that boat back into their grateful hands. They were never the same. No fear, no remorse, no blaming. Just a successful response. This recalcitrant lot became transformed. Expect to hear big things when you see them Sunday.
Ditto with the Juniors, the most muted of the four groups, who hung in there, taking quiet satisfaction with their achievements and finding such comfort in each other. They are beaming right now with self-satisfaction.
Tony Town has been the loudest of the four mini-tribes, hitting their stride on day one and never looking back. They have been hoarse with laughter and inanities.
And finally the adorable freshmen, who may very well never have never been more accepted in a social group than here at Boundless. This has made them buoyant. I heard they have this chant “More Complex than a Stove”. They are mum as to what this actually means. Maybe you’ll do better than me squeezing out the meaning.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall when you hear their stories in a mere two days. Expect tall tales and big transformations!
It aint over though. In a mere 30 minutes, we kick off our annual session three adventure race. This will leave your kids panting over the next 24 hours.
Thanks for sending your kids.
Steven
