18 September, 2016 (Kolin O'Keefe)

Woke up to the sound of rain hitting the rain fly. Early start to the morning and I don’t know about anyone else, but my motivation to move was pretty low. We all still managed to get moving, got all of our gear packed, and hopped into the van, a familiar yet forgotten feeling. To me, it was exciting because I love to go on long car rides (like a big puppy). We drove for several minutes till we got to a Tim Horton's to pick up breakfast. Realizing I had forgotten my wallet in the other trailer, Tyler graciously bummed me some $$$ so I could get a hot chocolate. It was our first time in 28 days that we had eaten something other than back country food. It warmed my insides as well as my soul. Got to stop at a gas station after about 1 hour of driving to go to the bathroom, load up on snacks, and stretch the ole’ legs. I got my diet coke which I have been craving for over 1 month now! It was delicious to say the least. Later we arrived at Wawa, a small Canadian town of 3,700. We got the opportunity to walk around and get groceries. Tyler, Cody, Joel, and I stopped at a small food vendor called Mona’s Kitchen. We all got poutine, a mix of fries, gravy, cheese, peppers, pepperoni, and mushrooms. It may or may have not been the greatest thing I have eaten in a long time. Afterwards, we went to Pancake Bay to where we would be camping for the night. We later conducted a debrief about our 28 day adventure. For the most part, it seemed like we were all conscious of our goals we had set for ourselves at day 1 of paddling as well as working towards them. After some time, we set up camp and got ready for Jeff to take us out for dinner, his treat. We went to a gift shop while we waited for Jeff and Ryan to make reservations. I ended up buying some 100 percent Canadian Maple Syrup and a post card for my parents. I bought myself a Baja Joe. Guess I’m a true hippie now. We went to the Voyager Lodge for supper and on our way we saw our first black bear trying to cross the road. After we passed it up, we backed up our van to get a closer look. It took off in the other direction after that. We were all convinced that Jeff scared it off. After this, we were treated with yet more poutine and appetizers galore. We ate to our hearts content. I had a grilled chicken wrap with fries. Some individuals had “The Meat Pie.” Which seemed like quite the Canadian delicacy. Also, I have never seen someone eat more fries than Alex did tonight. Have mercy on your soul Alex… and your lower intestines. We get a bit of a later start tomorrow, so getting to sleep in a little bit will be refreshing. Until next time!