Canoe Trip
By Lisa Derksen

At first I was dreading the fact that we had to start the year off on a five-day canoe trip with complete strangers – but it was amazing.  We split our group into 2 and headed off into opposite directions.  The weather was incredible, and along with life-jacket tans and cliff jumping, we had some good times getting to know each other.  While the other group was lucky enough to stay dry, we had not one, but three canoe tippings.  Though paddling all day was tough, we entertained ourselves by singing anything we could think of – from Disney to Broadway.  One of favourite nights was sitting around the fire for hours singing whatever songs came to mind, and laughing at our guides (especially Kelly’s dancing!).  We learnt the secrets of brushing with ash, and all about the legend of Bill Mason and his tent. 

            What was really amazing about the whole experience was the way God brought our group together.  We spent time looking at the passage of Romans 12 and talking about community and what it means to have a God-centered group.  There were many good talks around the fire and in the canoes, and friendships started to form. 

            There’s something incredible about going to bed to an amazing sunset and the sky full of stars, and then waking up in the middle of the wilderness that makes you realize how big God is and how beautiful His creation really is.  God showed me His power through His creation – I remember feeling exhausted from paddling for hours against headwinds, and repeating over and over a verse in Isaiah 40.  God gave me the strength to accomplish something I didn’t think I could do, and overwhelmed me by His beauty, power, and His desire to reveal Himself to His children. 

Canoe Trip
By Rachael Remple

            The canoe trip was amazing! The weather was great for us. We only had some rain in the evenings – if at all – and we toasted during the sunny days God provided. We all got great tans, that’s for sure.

            Nobody tipped any canoes in our group....Yay! Although there were a few near misses. Floatillas were popular, especially on our longest day when we paddled for 22 km. In total, we covered about 70km in 5 days. I feel so proud about that accomplishment, as all of us did. Even though it was hard and we were sore (I felt like my arms might fall off the first night), we pushed through. That goes for the portages too – we pushed through. Did you know that canoes are heavy? That was fun.

            We saw two bears (one swimming), two big elk (one swimming), and a lot of dead fish (not swimming). We went through “The Labyrinth” at Shoal Lake, which is comprised of tons of islands that animals swim to and fro.

            Thank goodness our guides (Drew and Jolene) were experienced otherwise we would still be canoeing around in there. It was cool, too, because our campsites were on these islands.

            Our bathroom facilities were lovely creations called “Thunder boxes” (wooden boxes with a hole and a lid) or the bush. And let's not forget that none of us had showers! There’s no better way to get to know each other! You actually get used to the smell after a while.

            So, to summarize, these are some highlights.... we had a “fish throwing” incident, a crazy thunderstorm (in which my tent collapsed), an abundance of raisins in our diet, sunburns, hydrated everything, wildlife, wicked currents to fight against, nasty eggs, no WET G, wind, good campfires and good times were had by all.

            It was a truly great experience. We sure were stretched, both mentally and physically. God really blessed us, and I know I’ll remember it forever.