Day 38, Sep 17, 2012 - Ruby Fernandez

Once upon a time on a beautiful place called Glassy Falls 9 warriors were spending their last day at the Missinabie River. They had been there for 32 days looking for treasures and something majestic called personal growth. The 3 leaders woke up very early and noticed that their ways was going to be difficult. After some time all the warriors woke up and started eating some meals. The orange warriors had gold oatmeal which I have heard gives you incredible strength. The blue warriors ate diamond pancakes which gave them the ability to see the future and plan ahead. As soon as they had their magical powers they packed their ships and left Glassy Falls. The route was hard, on the way they found their two worst enemies (cold and rain). Cold and rain sent their powerful soldiers against them but the warriors had their best armors and defeated them. When they thought the fight was over a huge path of rocks was waiting for them. The warriors had to use their magical powers and crossed their ships through this infested path of giant rocks. Few hours later they did not know where to go but on the way they found a mystical creature that many people have heard of. This creature is a big beautiful animal called “The moose”( wise master). The warriors could not believe what they were seeing and as they approach it the moose did not even move. Some of the warriors thought they were going crazy but as they got closer they realized the myth of the moose was real. The moose told them that their destination was ahead and that they will have a great day. The warriors knew they had to make it, their strength was not the same and they knew a great treasure was waiting for them. After such an adventurous day the warriors got to their destination, Mattice. This place is a singular town some people say is mystical because there is a castle with hot water and gold beds. Other says that there are many feasts and tons of food. Knowing all this, the warriors got to land. Three Canadian friends were waiting for them. They lead the warriors through a path that could lead them to the castle. The warriors did not believe all those stories about this castle but big was their surprise when after crossing a road they saw the castle laying ahead. When they arrived all their faces were lightened up and some of them went to find the fountain with hot water. Others were looking the golden beds that everyone talked about. In the castle they had a great meal full of deserts, fruit and all kinds of meat. After the feast most of the warriors were full and tired. They sat down with Clyde the king and had a long conversation about the next journey. They talked about their fights against the bear bag soldiers, the smelly giant, the branchless trees and the rapid warriors. The warriors are now in their gold beds waiting for the next journey and next treasures ahead. I will keep you updated…. Ruby Fernandez

Day 37, September 16, 2012 - Cody J Presny

We started the day with some free entertainment. To begin with, Sarah found herself in a sticky situation right off the bat. While loading the boats at Big Beaver portage, I walked up to find Sarah calf deep in a pit of mud, and the rest of the group dying of laughter. No hard feelings Sarah, but it was pretty funny. After we all settled, it was time for another round; this time courtesy of Jess… But I digress, today was our second to last day on the river, and I feel like everyone was trying to soak it in (no pun intended). We ran our last CII tech rapids, which made everyone's eyes light up. We made it to our destination of Glassy Falls a little after noon. Today was set aside for one on one evaluations with Jeff. While the evals went on, the rest of us were able to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather and even more beautiful setting. I took the opportunity to bathe in the rushing falls, and relax briefly on the beach. When it was my turn to go to my eval,l I was excited, to say The least. I was very curious to hear what Jeff had to say about me; the feedback I did receive was very helpful and insightful. We ended the night with a magnificent meal of lentils and TVP, followed by a late debrief. what a day. I am excited to see what tomorrow brings as our voyage comes to an end and we reach Mattice.

Day 36, September 15, 2012 - Sarah Welsh

I woke up this morning and it definitely was not like any other Saturday so far. The alarm went off at six-thirty and on a typical Saturday I would snooze it for another two hours, but today I climbed out of my toasty sleeping bag and unzipped the tent door to step into a thirty-nine degrees Fahrenheit brisk September morning. I opened up my crisp dry bag and pulled out my stiff paddling clothes to prepare for another day on the river. We all knew what had to be done to complete the toughest week out here; we had to make it to Big Beaver Rapids. We set out after a hot breakfast, dressed in many layers including wool socks with our sandals (a very strange but efficient method for staying warm). After paddling for about an hour through the rock gardens, layers of clothes were being peeled off as the sun warmed our bodies fast. We came to one small set of falls and got to use our painters to guide the boats for the first time. We arrived at camp and got a little free time which I used to do a little fishing and take senior pictures with Kelly, Jeremy, and Jon. After doing the typical Saturday evaluations and LOW debrief, Jeff assigned new tent groups. Ruby got put with the three guys (bless her heart). And Dalton got stuck with the presence of us three girls. Well, he has it pretty good if you ask me. We finished the night with a cake made from scratch by Jessica and some popcorn as well. As I ay here next to the giant hole in the Taj and freeze my little nose off, I realize that we only have a day and a half left on the river. It’s all a little bitter-sweet, so I am going to try to soak in every last moment of it. I’ll miss my temporary home in the Canadian wilderness, but I am ready to head west soon! Sarah