Summer's End

With only a few days left until I go away to university, I sat down to reflect back not on this summer, but all the summer's I've had before it. This is the first time in my life that I can remember where I did not have some crazy trip or adventure in the middle of nowhere. Last summer I did the Kanaaupscow River, in northern Quebec, before that it was the Kesagami, and in the years before it I did the Coulonge/Noire crossover, sea kayaked on the north shore of Quebec, paddled the Wind and Peel rivers in Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories, as well as the Clearwater, the White, the French, the lower Dumoine, the Spanish, Quetico. I've watched mother bears with 3 cubs wander along the river, seen a wolf cub lost and lonely on a beach, huddled in a ditch under a tarp trying to hide from a thunderstorm, seen the northern lights on a summer's night, watched the sun rise over a mountain, and visited every province and territory in Canada, even Nunavut (barely). But that's all done now. And I haven't left it behind completely, I still miss it, I miss waking up at dawn in a smelly wet tent, with rain pouring down outside and a 12 hour day on the water ahead. I miss portaging, and wet feet that never truly dry out, and cold days where every scrap of clothing you have isn't enough to keep warm. But I've made my decision, and I am pleased with it. If I want to go as far as I can in skiing, I'd have to train year round, and taking July and August off to travel just doesn't help that. But one day, I'll return. I'll return to the world of adventuring, and visit a few more places that most people haven't even heard of. I don't know what I'll do, but whatever it is, it will be awesome.