Day 23, Semptember 2, 2012 - Jon Manuell

Today I awoke with a lot of excitement due to the fact that we would finally have a full day on the Missinaibi River. It has taken twenty-two days from Horn Field to now that we arrived for a full day on the river. The morning was slightly chilly but it felt great knowing fall is fastly approaching. The group is becoming much more efficient which relieves a lot of tension once beginning our day on the water. I was quite anxious to hit our first rapids today and once we arrived, Jeff gave a quick lesson on rapid riding techniques and how to let the current take us right in. There were several struggles at first with some tough first hand lessons on what not to do but overall I was very proud of how we took on the challenge. Being in the back of the pack today, I couldn’t help but think about how hundreds and even thousands of years ago different Indian tribes and traders were using the same river we were on today and throughout the rest of our journey in Canada. It also amazes me how little of a difference the river has changed and such a small impact of years and years of travel. As we traveled down towards our campsite, an osprey greeted us which was a fantastic sight. At the end of the paddle, we were able to navigate the last rapids of the day with slightly more confidence. All canoes successfully made it down the Long Rapids and our camp was at the bottom. Once at camp, Jeff gave a lesson on participant risk management and also complimented our group for being on schedule and being up and ready to go in the morning. After lessons, the LOWS gave us some free time for people to hopefully be productive, Sarah caught her first fish and the rest of us took our time as needed. Dinner was next, followed by Real Talk Canada with myself as the special guest. It was really good being able to voice my reasons and background of why I am and where I came from. During the real talk I was asked what my favorite bird was, which I replied an owl. Moments later an owl flew overhead which was an experience I won’t soon forget. Great day overall, excited to see what tomorrow brings. Jon