Pays de L’eau #1 by James Morehead
July 3, 2011
Pays de L’eau #1
by James Morehead
mom leaves us packed with sleeping bags warm wrapped blankets rain slicks boots scarves clothes doubled socks aspirin tums cough syrup decongestant a flashlight a few hugs and kisses dad and i wave goodbye to a dust covered station wagon waiting anxiously for our motorboat taxi waiting to enter temagami ----- base camp holds reminders of home real toilets toilet paper sinks running water real beds mattresses we appreciate them two days before the journey the wilderness on all sides doesn't seem real we wait as other sons and fathers arrive we read and snooze and kick ass in ping pong i wonder why leave this behind to sleep in a tent on a rock? ----- john and marty are in charge of us we help them prepare ten days of food tightly packed wooden boxes they call them wannigans salted meat portioned cereal pancake mix dry milk carefully sorted ordered layers each layer a meal each meal and serving assigned i think we might save time by eating everything before we leave marty smiles he talks with john about portages i wonder if they taste good ----- john leads us to the dock to a line of wooden canoes waiting " don't stand up! step in steady... use both hands for safety stay low " we paddle in rhythmic strokes leaving whirlpool swirls twirling behind us tum this way pull in sweep out
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