The Canoe trip to northern Manitoba was one of the best experiences that we have ever had. It was amazing! Neither one of us knew what to expect when we arrived, so every aspect of the trip was something new. After a seven hour flight, we were met at the Winnipeg airport by Archdeacon Larry Beardy from the Diocese of Keewatin. We spent the night in a hotel in Winnipeg with four First Nations youth from northern Ontario. The six of us became good friends, and we started our journey together. The trip to Troy Lake, out first campsite, was about a tenhour bus trip. We started in the morning and arrived after supper. We stopped and had a tour of a sturgeon hatchery in Grand Rapids on our way to Troy Lake. We found it really interesting how the rivers are stocked with sturgeon. We also got to feed the fish and learn more about them.
The actual canoeing didn’t start until Monday morning, we had Saturday night and Sunday to get to know the other 26 paddlers, and the staff. We had a Eucharist service on Sunday morning with the bishop of Keewatin. Bishop David Ashdown made a staff out of a tree branch and also a cross out of 2 paddles. These 2 symbols were to stay with the canoe trip for the week.
On Monday morning, the canoes arrived and we started canoeing. The first thing we did was carry the canoes through the woods to a calm spot in the river. We traveled for about 8 hours, or 35 km on the first day. The river was beautiful, and calm. There were a few little waterfalls and springs in the woods and on the tanks that were gorgeous. We switched canoe partners everyday, so we eventually got to paddle with almost everyone. We paddled again on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday we had a tour of the Kelsey Generating Station (Manitoba Hydro). We learned about the water generating power and some of the effects on the river, such as debris. Thursday was a very cold, windy day, so it was not safe to go paddling. We started out in the evening, but turned around and headed back to shore. We just finished canoeing on Friday evening. It was such an unbelievable feeling to know that you just finished paddling 120 km. Everyone was so happy to finish and we had a large BBQ dinner at the end of it with parents, although not our own parents of course, and relatives.
That night we all went to Split Lake Reservation and billeted with other youth. We had our closing ceremonies and a dancegettogether.
In the evenings we had an evening prayer service and a culture discussion. Kirk and I were the only nonnative youth on the trip. There was one nonnative adult, he was the doctor. It was an experience in that aspect as well. We realized what being a minority felt like. We learned about native culture, and were told legends and stories. Everyone there was really nice to us and accepting of us, and we both made so many good friends that we hope to keep in touch with.
The bus left Saturday morning and we were on our way back to Winnipeg, then home. As much as we couldn’t wait and share our experience, we didn’t want to leave. We became close to all of the people on the trip and hope to see them again some day. Thank you very much to the Diocese of Nova Scotia and to the Diocese of Keewatin for making this possible for us! It was the trip of a lifetime.
Lindsay Kelland and Kirk Leinweber
