Ria Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 My wilderness canoe-tripping boys had quite a summer. One dodged forest fires in western Ontario (almost had to be evacuated, but they managed to outrun the fire by paddling 45 kilometers via lake, river, lake, all while burning embers and white ash were raining down on them), heard wolves howling, saw moose, bears, and mink; one ran incredible white water and rounded a bend in the river only to come face to face with two wolves on the shore; and Matty really did paddle 500+ miles to Umiujaq (between the 56th and 57th parallels, it is on Hudson Bay) and swam in the Arctic Ocean (ie, he stayed in for about 10 seconds, lol)....after 7 weeks in the wilderness they finally arrived in Umiujaq, which is an Inuit villiage (pop 387). An elder approached them and said something in Inuit. The boys shook their heads. He tried again in French. Again, the boys shook their heads. Finally, he grinned, looked at these 10 young men and said, "Welcome home, boys." Perfect end to what sounds to have been the trip of a lifetime. As for my Marine son, he called his twin this morning and is ok, but please, please pray for his friends and one family in particular. You might remember I said a sniper had fired on my son's patrol. Well, a few days ago the sniper struck again. Dan was not out with that patrol, but these were all his friends. Two young men were hit; one of them did not survive. I can't describe our emotions...and I know there are a group of guys in Afghanistan who are beyond knowing what to feel right now. So, good news and bad. I'm glad to be home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeautifulLife Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Oh my! It sounds like your sons definitely had the summer of a lifetime! Were they with a guide or on their own? I will continue to pray for your son, his friends, and their families. My DH comes home in 44 days, and I am so looking forward to not being constantly worried about him anymore.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Oh my! It sounds like your sons definitely had the summer of a lifetime! Were they with a guide or on their own? I will continue to pray for your son, his friends, and their families. My DH comes home in 44 days, and I am so looking forward to not being constantly worried about him anymore.:grouphug: 44 days! Wonderful! You must be SO excited!!! :) The boys go to a wilderness canoe trip camp...they are in sections of 6-10 boys and 2 staff...just 8-12 people on their own for 6-7 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 What an incredible trip! Sorry about the sniper, truly. I remember how hard it was for my brother when the other two guys in his car died in Iraq--my brother survived with shrapnel in his hands. I will definitely pray for your son and his friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Wow, what an amazing adventure. And you are such a brave mum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Wow, what an amazing adventure. And you are such a brave mum. :iagree: especially with the bolded. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 :iagree: especially with the bolded. :grouphug: No. Please, no. I am not brave. I try not to cry a lot of the time. If you ask me about Dan, I'll act like his deployment is no big deal. I'm lying. I've found that running helps, but once I hit the 3-mile a day mark I got tendonitis in both ankles.Ouch. But I still run because without that outlet I'm not sure where I'd be. Let there be no mistake: my days are spent trying to be the mom I should be (now that my boys are home) and wife I should be....because if people knew how I felt, well, my family would be pretty dysfunctional. And yes, for those who are wondering, I do talk to dh. But we are both stressed beyond words. Last week I was home and the doorbell rang...I was so afraid....shoot, that doesn't even begin to describe it...but when I tried to explain it to dh, he started to cry. That's our life. How can you make this normal? There is no normal for us anymore. :( Probably more than you wanted to know, eh? Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeautifulLife Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 44 days! Wonderful! You must be SO excited!!! :) The boys go to a wilderness canoe trip camp...they are in sections of 6-10 boys and 2 staff...just 8-12 people on their own for 6-7 weeks. Yes, I am impatiently counting down the days!! The camp sounds amazing; my son would absolutely LOVE to do something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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