8/11/13-Training to be Braves

Training to be Braves
Andrew Busker
Day 2 - 8/11/13

Our first day allowed us to settle into our new environment. Like young Native American youths, we began to understand what it means to be brave, to be a brave. Today, we trained to be braves. We awoke in the early morning, ate with slight anticipation and headed to Spring Lake to hone our canoeing skills. Although the technology has changed since the young braves faced water for the first time, canoeing remains a rite of passage for us 12 students. When we canoe out of the Canadian Wilderness, I an sure we will all feel like young boys becoming accomplished, proud braves. The Native Americans who followed the warrior Blackhawk of the Northern Illinois tribes sang a song as they paddled down the Rock River. It went:

Our paddles keen and bright, flashing like silver. Swift as the wild goose flies, dip dip and swing.
Dip dip and swing them back, flashing like silver. Swift as the wild goose flies, dip dip and swing.

As our second day continued, more and more tasks began creeping up that needed to be accomplished before we leave Horn Field Campus. Like the braves, we must all face trials and tribulations, and though our determination to become outdoor leaders and our support for each other to succeed, we can overcome the challenges before us.

After a long day of canoeing, organizing, and planning, we grew exhausted. Busy days are ahead of us, but as we train to be braves, we do not let our spirits go weary. There is an unspoken song that keeps us determined to carry on, as if Blackhawk's people paddled through our veins singing their travel song. Even though the road ahead will be rocky, bumpy, foggy, and chilly, I am confident that we are the braves who will be brave on this unique journey to its end. Singing all the while.