Wander or bust

"I didn't pack any shoes other than my flip flops" my friend mentioned casually, as if we were about to embark on an evening stroll rather than a five day canoe trip that would have us hiking, canoeing, and generally partaking in activities that require proper shoes. "I also didn't bring pants."

The four of them stopped unloading the car to look at her in disbelief. I turned away and considered the uphill path that we would have to trek to get to the lake, silently weighing my options as the sky started to growl and I heard my friends cursing, yelling to each other about covering our bags and food supplies. As the first raindrops started to fall I knew there was only one way forward and that was together. I reached into my bag, pulled out my extra pair of sports sandals and handed them to her. Before she could thank me, April's favourite pair of purple leggings flew through the air and landed on her face. "Don't mention it"

We arrived at the dock just in time to see two couples pulling up in their canoes. Their hair, like ours, was plastered to their sculls but their eyes were ablaze with laughter and their pruned hands waved at us madly in between paddle strokes. As I helped one of the women out of her canoe she told me that it had been raining for the last week and that it didn't seem like it would be letting up any time soon. She almost toppled onto me as she exited her boat, the sweet smells of sweat, dirt, and lake water rising up from inside her raincoat. This would be us in five days, would we be so happy?

I noticed Kyle standing on the end of the dock, staring at the dark blue lake we were about to set out on. The image was remarkable, unlike anything I'd seen before. The water was as dark as the sky before midnight, reflecting a low layer of dense clouds that were rising up from the menacing forests and spilling down over the lake. In the distance I could see snow capped Alpine mountains.

I inhaled the cold air and let it fill and calm my shivering body. I had wanted to see Canada and here it was in all its magnificent, calendar worthy glory, constantly reminding us that nature does not bend to our will and that the best photo opportunities will always happen when your camera is buried deep in your water proof pack.

I settled at the front of one canoe and broke into a grin as I gripped the smooth wooden paddle, dipping it with purpose and feeling us push forward.
We were laughing into the silence, nowhere to go but North.