Well, we’re back.

Etienne sur le grand lac

After a rainy night and morning spent at Chief Wooden Frog Campground in the Superior National Forest, we’ve made it back chez nous! Our ideal site was taken, so our brigades put in an extra impressive effort to finish paddling Wednesday afternoon. After our time away it’s nice to get back to the relative luxury of our familiar site, feu de camp, cuisine, brigades, becosses, and plage. Not to mention the bit of sun that came out as we arrived back home!

Montreal canoes by un grand arbre.

The past week has been exciting, difficult, fun, and we’ve learned a lot. We paddled a wee bit Saturday night and camped over night at a site sauvage (that is to say, no established tent pads or pit toilet!) before paddling Sunday  and a long day Monday (with breakfast in Canada!). Tuesday was break day where the two brigades had the chance to sleep in and take advantage of their sites. The Montrealais did solos: a few hours spent solo with just a snack, a backpack, and their own little point of wilderness. Grand Portagiens stayed on their island due to extravagant winds, but worked on batir une communaute, building our community. Many of Grand Portage even braved the rain and wind to go for a swim in the bay of Depth Finder Island! It was an impressive swim team, they went in at every chance they got. Isabelle and L’Ecossais win the prize of plus propre, cleanest Voyageur. They washed with soap, shampoo, and conditioner twice on the voyage!

Grand Portage takes a break in two places at once! Right on the American/Canadian border. (Left to right: Marianne, Felix, Balayette, L'Ecossais, Paul, Isabelle, Luciole, Isa)

Both brigades were awake with the sunrise (some by 4:30!) Wednesday morning for a long day of paddling, but luckily le vent was calm and we made good time!

Montreal at quatre heure et demi! (4:30am)

What with paddling, cooking, eating, swimming, blueberry and wood-gathering, canoe-singing, game-playing, tent-pitching, fire-building, french-speaking, laughing, and fun-having, we’re a bit tired! Thursday afternoon we’re unpacking and relaxing before getting ready for a final day on Friday and one last feu de camp.

Ludovic with ancient rock pictographs- paintings that were here before the Ojibwe people.

We look forward to seeing parents samedi matin for the parents program, and heading home with plenty of photos, bug bites, stories, new friends, and great memories.

An album with more photos will follow soon!

Le grand rendez-vous. Montreal and Grand Portage meet up to paddle together on the last day.