The last couple of days...

As mentioned in the previous post, we're currently staying for the next few days at Heart's Rest, and started from the Little Slocan Lodge. I thought I'd fill in the details for the time in between. We left the Lodge on the 24th of May, and biked down to the Slocan Lake docks. From there we loaded up our canoes - generously donated to us from individuals from the New Denver community, and paddled out to Evans Creek Beach. We had some sweet campfire ragers, stayed two nights, then paddled further on the lake to Nemo Creek Beach. A lot of us were becoming anxious after not having showered for three days, so along the way we stopped off at a campsite and jumped off of rocks into the lake. It was freezing cold, but it was a bright day, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! We stayed at Nemo Creek for two nights, and had the opportunity to learn about the history of Valhalla Park - such a beautiful place, who would have thought the forests are all restored land! After Nemo Creek, we paddled further along the lake to Wee Sandy Creek, where we stayed for 4 nights. This was where one of the climax of our camping trip took place. The second night was scheduled to be an overnight solo. The instructors showed us how to set up tarps, then led us into the forests, up near the look-out, and along the beach - where we had to spend a night along on the island by ourselves. For many of us, this was a huge step, and we were all fairly nervous about it - the fact that a thunder storm was in the forecast didn't help reassure us either! And an adventure it turned out to be - from having trouble setting up tarps and freaking out, from dropping our dinner boxes and scavenging food off rocks, animal calls, and encounters with weird animals, the solo night was definitely an experience for all of us! After 8 days of camping, we finally arrived on the New Denver campground on the following Friday, (probably dirty, and smelly), but all feeling a great sense of accomplishment and self-fulfilment. We took off to the waters early in the morning at 7, and had a calm paddle into the village with the morning mist. Everyone appreciated the extra time to finally take showers, do some laundry, and relax after being exposed to the elements for so long. We had a barbecue that evening, and spent the night reminiscing the great time we had. We were at the campground for 3 nights, wrote a mid-term for the school, and then were welcomed to the beautiful home of George and Terresa at Heart's Rest. It's been a heck of an adventure - many more great memories await! STAY TUNED!!