The Big Day!!

August 25th, 2012 is drawing closer by the minute!  For those of you who are celebrating our wedding with us, this blog will have all sorts of information regarding things to see and do on the Island, what to expect on the day of the wedding and much more.  

Simply click on the "Wedding Festivities"  Tab above to take you to the wedding page! 

We're so honoured to have all of you in our lives and look forward to celebrating such a wonderful event with our loved ones.  Happy summer!

One Year Later...

A year ago our little apartment in Toronto was stuffed to the gills with gear and bulk-purchased food.  The food dehydrator hardly ever stopped and every square inch of wall space was covered with lists; things to remember, things to buy, things to take care of.  Things.

Almost 365 days later, not much has changed.  Our space in Thunder Bay (much larger than our last apartment!) is a pile of boxes, to do lists and the chaos that comes with packing up and moving out.  This time, it's not a summer-long expedition, just the prep for a fabulously adventurous time across most of Canada.  Tree-planting in Northern British Columbia, a canoe trip in Algonquin in July, WFR recertification in Nova Scotia, Maine for all of August....all culminating in our wedding on August 25th!  Although it is a different kind of adventure, we are equally excited about the people we will meet, the sights we will see and the thought of moving back into our little old tent!

One of our goals for this past winter while Dave picked away at teacher's college, was to create a hard-copy, professional testament to our expedition.  After many hours of work and editing, we have been officially published in KANAWA'S spring issue, 2012!!!  Kanawa is Canada's paddling magazine and they have done a large article on the canoe trip portion of our Labrador adventure.  There is no online version of the magazine, but the magazine can be found at most large news stands. We are deeply honoured and thrilled about this publication.
Here's the link for the magazine:

 Kanawa Magazine

We wish everyone a safe and happy summer!  Rest assured, the next expedition is already in the works....but that's another story.   Be well and take care.  Love, Adrien and Dave

Epilogue, Take One

Here we are, nearly two months post expedition, digesting away.  Coming down off the largest trip of our lives has been an adventure entirely on its own.  We are still, after all this time adjusting to a life that is not so simple and definitely busier in many ways than our 87 days of trip.  Be that as it may, perhaps the largest obstacle we're up against to date is what to do with all our stories, photos and thoughts.  Trying to find a way to preserve this adventure is daunting.  We've never written books, made movies or photo journals.  What is a fitting posthumous memorial for something that has changed our lives?  How do we immortalize something in a way that is within our scope, yet satisfying for anyone, including ourselves to remember this  journey?  Time will tell....and for now, there is a new video up on our video page to enjoy.  Just click on the video titled "Trailer". Back to the drawing board.  

Relearning to Relax

Hard as we have tried to prepare ourselves for the inevitable shock of returning to "normal" life...it hits like a sack of bricks.  Every time.  It has been an  interesting week of feeling like our trip was a dream and never happened.  While visiting with friends and family, telling stories and catching up on the last few months of summer festivities we are left feeling a bit dazed, caught in the surreal sensation that we never actually went anywhere.  Everything here is the same as when we left.  Labrador already feels like a distant memory, getting fuzzier by the day.  Life is so easy!  There are no struggles, no serious decisions, we have sofas to sit on.  Our entire summer was dedicated to moving forward, inch by inch, moment by moment, living completely in the present joy. Predicament. Puzzle. Frustration.  Victory.  All of a sudden there's a lack of things to do.  Making breakfast and getting ready for the day takes a fraction of the time!  We eat lots of food, enjoying every bite but feel a bit sluggish and heavy because it isn't followed by extreme physical exertion.  We've gone biking, but felt very silly the whole time....it was so simple, no packs, no gravel, just a joy ride for no reason except "fresh air" and exercise.  There are more people and houses than we know what to do with and after being surrounded by nothing but space we're feeling a bit closed in.  There was more room to breathe at the cottage this weekend as we launched the rowboat back into Balsam Lake, just like we did 3 months ago.  It felt wonderful to sit in our old friend who waited patiently in the dark garage for us....dreaming up the next adventure.  Our muscles remember how to row, it is effortless travel for both of us.  We stand on the dock, looking the direction we rowed away towards on May 22nd....feeling that the lake, so large before looks tiny, almost insignificant compared to what we have now experienced.  Out in the wilderness, we feel small and humble...moving through the environment.  Back in a world of pavement we feel like giants, all struggles have been conquered.  The biggest challenge now is not being challenged.

An Interview With CBC!

Greetings everyone!   Here is an interview with the Labrador Morning show based out of Happy Valley Goose Bay.  It's quite funny to hear ourselves on a radio station that we listen to so much.  Enjoy :)

http://www.cbc.ca/labradormorning/episodes/2011/08/04/ontario-couples-great-labrador-adventure/

Homeward Bound

Somehow, after so many days, so many bug bites, granola bars, bumps, bruises, sun sets and breath taking views.....we're finished.  Just like that!  Yesterday we officially left Labrador behind as we crossed the Strait of Belle Isle to Newfoundland.  Unlike the Hollywood finish both of us had envisioned, we found a bench in the sun on the lee side of the ferry and wearily watched the white caps roll by.  At this point we're tired in a way we've never felt before.  It is a deep fatigue born of constant movement, effort and problem solving.  There are few pieces of our gear that haven't been repaired with duct tape, held together with a hope and a prayer.  Our stove is a miracle in that it still boils water.  Dave's thermarest has been flat for 2 months now, but we still blow it up every night knowing that he's tired enough to fall asleep before it deflates completely.  Our brand new tent 90 days ago is now a graveyard of countless bug bodies slayed in the night...and smells accordingly.  Socks are rotten.  We are down to one spoon.  But there is nothing that can even compare to the sense of satisfaction and pride we have in our accomplishments.  We have done exactly what we set out to do....see the people, cultures and environments along the path of our expedition.  A life-changing experience, one never to be forgotten and surely to be retold many times over.  Even if we own the world's only pair of biodegradable sneakers life couldn't be better.  Eating machines 1 and 2 are ready for take off. 

A Few Pictures From the River