Now that prep has wound down, here is a glimpse at the last couple of days.
Last week, all the guys were given the week off to spend with family and friends, but we gave them an option to practice their whitewater skills. Two seperate times a group of them paddled a portion of the Sauk River which helped strengthen their ability to read river features and enhance their reaction time when paddling in a swift current. It was a lot of fun doing something different than flatwater.
This past Sunday was the final big meeting for the crew. We all got together and packed our personal packs. It went very smooth and felt nice checking the last item off the to-do list. After packing, we headed out to Basecamp for our crew date with the girls crew. Crew dates are a long standing Voyageur tradition and are a great way to break the ice before sitting in a bus for 12 hours.
Even though we didn’t schedule any more meetings, yesterday morning Jackson and Grant ambitiously drove to basecamp bright and early to attempt the portage record. The record is the furthest distance to carry a canoe without setting it down. It must be completed by a first year participant before they leave on their trip. The two of them DEMOLISHED the record bringing it from 7.5 miles to a whopping 9 miles, portaging for just over 3 hours straight! Absolutely mindblowing, amazing work Grant and Jackson and shoutout to Jacob for walking it with them, keeping them motivated and hydrated!
Last, but not least… Bus Packing. By 11am this morning all the guys’ hard work packing was officially loaded onto the bus. And as of 4pm today we are only 24 hours away from departure!! We have an exciting month ahead of us!