The van and trailer are packed,
piled high with life jackets, safety gear, sleeping bags and duffels and a
wind-up dancing robot hastily adhered to the center console. All the food has been stowed away and all the
mandatory pre-trip “smiling in front of the car” pictures have been taken. As we pass over the St. Croix River, heading
southeast though Wisconsin on our way to Skokki Lagoon in Chicago, the van is
fairly quiet. We have been preparing for
this trip for a long time, although most of the leaders on the trip wish we would
have had at least another two days to pack.
We had our pre-trip meeting and have been talking about logistics for
months but it still seems like we are unprepared for the challenge we are about
to take on. We are setting out towards
uncharted territory. As that feeling of
uncertainty and apprehension buzzes around the van there is another feeling as
well: excitement. Our van, affectionately named Scarlet, will be traveling over
3200 miles to 7 different cities and will be serving over 2500 participants. This
is an incredible opportunity, for us as leaders and for the people we will be
serving. Over the course of one month we will be traveling across the country
with six, 24-foot Voyageur canoes in tow, stopping in different lagoons and
rivers and taking all different types of people out for boat rides. It is going
to be a lot of hard work, cramped hotel rooms and long car rides, but it's all
going to be worth it for the experience we are bringing to our participants.
“No pessimist ever
discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new
doorway for the human spirit.”
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