Day 35

September 19, 2014

            Today was the last day on the river for the group. Our goal was met. We completed our 194 mile Missinaibi River expedition. We paddled to Mattice from the Glassy Falls campsite, unloaded, cleaned the gear and boats, loaded the trailer and hit the road to scoop up our other van. The first stop was Tim Hortons where we ordered twice because we all ate our doughnuts and bagels like we haven’t seen food in a month… and we were in a big hurry to make sure Jeff wouldn’t leave us in Canada. After that it was about a five hour ride back to Hawk Junction where our journey began. That’s when everything really started to settle in… we did a 28 day back country expedition from Hawk Junction to Mattice, and it took us a measly 5 hour drive to get back to the starting point. It’s very obvious Mattice was never the goal. We could have done the trip in half the time if Mattice was the goal. The goal was to gain knowledge, skill, and strength. The goal was to develop. And we did just that. From day one on the river til now, each one of us has gained knowledge. We know how to pick out campsites, hang bear bags, set up tarps, leave no trace, stay warm, and use different stoves and tents, read rapids and more. We gained skill in canoeing. From getting hung up on rocks and looking sloppy to a nice convoy hitting rapids, cooking tasty meals after  to end our long days, portaging efficiently instead of making it an all-day process, to knocking out a mile portage in less time than our first 600 meter one. We gained strength both mentally and physically. From canoeing 8 miles and saying it was a long day to killing an 18 mile day with multiple portages and calling it normal. From cringing and whining about being wet and cold to simply laughing at the matter knowing we can power through it and that our bodies can take a beating. Mattice was never a goal, but being an outdoor leader is, and were on route to that goal.

-Greg Strobel