Thursday, September 5, 2013

9/5- A busy day of growth and perseverance Day 26


Waking up after an afternoon with the instructors and facilitators being across a channel, they pulled up for the day to begin. We were ready at eight in the morning and headed down the body of water we came here for the most being the Grass river. With the sunrise coming above the horizon we took a quiet trip down the calm winding river, as it glistened without a ripple in the water. It was a very serene and majestic moment for me and many others. As I created a repetitive soothing rhythm of submerging my paddle to feel as I was gliding across the river in a meditative manner without gravity in effect. After following a group of nine baby ducklings for a mile or so the group came across the shortest portage yet totaling a hundred feet. This would also be the first set of rapids the entire group would attempt. After unloading bags, we began; some cleared the rapids with ease, others had paved their own path on the rapids, got stuck on rocks, and the most talked about fear ‘the tip’ where canoe partners went swimming. This was an important and exciting new experience for the group, and something that’ll never be forgotten. Our next encounter would take the group through a demanding physical stretch-zone experience that will also most certainly be remembered for it’s magnitude. The largest portage totaling a length of 850 meters one-way with five broken tree trunks laying over the trail, this was by far the most challenging experience we have yet to complete. Having to take somewhere between 3 to 5 trips to get 7 canoes and all of the bags around the five rapids, this was a grueling workout for all of us. As you push yourself to the limits and get outside your comfort zone, you discover how strong you truly are and allow for yourself to grow to heights you never before imagined. Legends, warriors, and other well-renowned figures have reached their great potentials through hard-work ethic and pushing themselves to the limits while persevering to get stronger. We finished up the latter portion of our canoeing journey down the Grass river and into Tramping Lake where we left the Provincial Park area and had to find an unmarked campsite. Yesterday was a day a great growth, courage, and perseverance; making me very proud of our group of ECOEE 2013. As we continue to leave our footprints on our experience and encounter lots of experiences, I say ‘Keep on, Keepin’ on!’  ~ Norris Andriuskevicius

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