Whirlwind Prep In Ottawa

OTTAWA - Day Minus Sixteen It’s been a whirlwind week of training here in Ottawa as we wrap up our final preparations before making the long trip to Thunder Bay. After three weeks of individual planning here and there, things really started to ramp up once Erik finally arrived in Ottawa. So thrilling to finally be packing, a little anxious and very tiring trying to cram so much into such a short time with trips to all the outdoors stores, fitness stores, and bulk stores in town.

We set off on our (first) food shop. Armed with measuring cups, a seemingly endless shopping list, and naïve excitement, we began our invasion of the local Bulk Barn. As the hours passed measuring bags upon bags of dried foods, that initial excitement gradually turned to rushed desperation as we hurried to finish our list before completely losing our minds. As hunger filled our bellies, the portion sizes began to grow and grow. After the last bag of granola was tied and we approached the register, the look of horror on the obviously new cashier’s face at the site of our overflowing cart was mildly amusing. The more experienced employee came over to ring us up, telling us how the rest of the staff had been making bets on how much our total would come to – they sadly underestimated. Finally, 9 hours later, we left the store, and spent that night dreaming of bags of food and bins of dried apricots.

The highlight of our week however, was the three day SRT1 white water technician course we did just outside Ottawa. We spent two of the three days at Blakeney Rapids, an awesome little spot on the Ottawa River where we swam laps through the white-water, and worked on a multitude of rescue techniques.

Maybe it was almost too fun…

When Brynley asked our instructor for a tip on standing on the fake strainer in the river, he replied “first you’ll have to stop smiling so much” or she would swallow too much water. With only one final day left until we being the journey to Thunder Bay, our excitement to get on the road and see Lake Superior for the first time could not get any higher.