The Jaredite Experience. Canoe Trip 2012

For the Last year our troop has been planning the canoe trip of summer. We wanted to go from Edmonton to Marwayne, down the North Saskatchewan river. We knew going into this camp that the boys would have to do some serious preparation. Since last October we had the boys start doing push ups and sit ups to help strengthen them. We spent the week leading up to the camp watching the water levels. The levels were border line too high so we made a quick back up plan to Meadow Lake Provincial Park Just in case. The river water level was dropping so we tried to bring back the original camp, but after talking with some experts, we decided to play it safe and head up to the park.

Day 1: Tuesday, July 3, 2012
We left the Church Parking lot at 10:00Am and headed North. The Saskatchewan highways of the north are less than what a normal Albertan would call Highway but they work.  We loaded up our canoes and were on the water just as the weather went down hill.
The Wind was blowing hard from the east, which was the direction we were suppose to go, but with loaded canoes and white caps we decided to go west with the waves.

 Our first Camp was BT 4. Nice beach and decent camping area. We spent 2 days here and had a blast. The weather kept us off the lake, but we had back up games. We played a confusion game where 2 boys were leading a chain of blind folded boys to go left, right, forward, and stop. These Commands were given in a different language and the boys had to decide which direction to go to avoid any hazards, or obstacles. This game kicked off our Jaredite experience, with the language confounding. Even though it was raining and wet we were able to get a fire going and our tents set up.
Also, with a bit of time on our hands, I had made up 100 questions from Ether to give to any boy who wanted to participate. The first one complete all 100 questions would receive either a knife or a head lamp.

Day 2: Wednesday, July 4, 2012

The day started with more wind and rain. We were able to get the fire going and we headed out on the unladen canoes and tried to see how we would do. The wind was from the west this day and so our little cove was calm, but when we went around the land to open water, we found some good waves. This proved to be pointless to try to canoe in so we headed back to our cove, and practiced maneuvering, by playing keep away with a beach ball. The boys did very well at avoiding collisions. I even saw some very nice speed burst to catch an unmanned ball. As we all got a little wet, we decided to play some water melon foot ball near the beach. This is were we grease up the water melon and throw it in the water, and 2 teams, who cant bring the watermelon out of the water, try to get it to the other teams end zone. This game proved to be incredibly fun as the watermelon is only slightly buoyant and when it is passed through the water, it will sink out of sight and everyone stops, awaiting it to re-surface and then the game continues. Stupendous game.


Left: Mark Takes the Melon in for the touch down. with Seth, Thomas,Ian, Dean, & Shawn.  
Right: teams wait for melon to surface


So after we all got dried and warm,  we went for a hike and found a bunch of  wild Strawberry's. The boys had a healthy portion of mini berries( very good).We concluded the afternoon with a game of unknown origins, with one empty 5 gal pail set apart 30 feet  from a full 5 gal pail. The water can only be transported by sponge. First team done wins the immunity challenge. Red team lost to a very fast and determined green team.

Thomas, Robert Mcfadsen, Jaymen,Jeffery

To conclude the day we found Rocks, to molten and prepare to have them shine in our vessels.We Painted them with a glow in the dark paint. These rocks were to represent the brother of Jared's rocks.







Day 3: Thursday, July 5, 2012

We started the day very early, took down camp, ate breakfast, and loaded our canoes for the journey up river to the next camp site. With full canoes, our little group of 14 men and 7 canoes forged through the mild waves on the open waters of Lac Des Isles. This was no easy feat, but after a few hours of paddling we made the voyage to the river that would connect us to Lepine lake.  This river started out through reeds and lily pads.  pffff, no big deal, we pushed up the windy calm waters, until we actually found the mouth of the river with a definite current.  This river would compare to a Waterton River, in size maybe a bit smaller with slightly less of a current. We had to paddle hard and as a team to make it past a few of the rapids, but for the most part it was very do-able. 3km took us 2 hours. Exhausted and ready to set up camp for the night, we had some bad news. BT 3 our campsite was burned out last summer, and would not be a very good site for camp. As a group we decided it would be best to carry on to Pierce Lake. Off we went. We traversed across another lake and up a wide connecting wide Stream that took us underneath a bridge then adjoined us with Pierce Lake.

We found a niffty camp site on the south side of the lake. Nice beach and access up to a slanted area underneath some spruce and poplar trees. There was little growth of grass or other veggitation so that clean area became home to Lloyd 3rd. This  was not a designated camp site, however with some minor touches it could be. the young men brought huge rocks from the beach up to the common area for our camp fire barrier. There was lots of dry wood and area further up the hill for tents. Our Bear vault became an old pine-less spruce tree where all our buckets of food  were soon hanging from any available limb. Because this site had no facilities, it was imperative that a latrine be built. We had to be very innovative as no one brought a shovel. After a little improvision using a paddle, a stick and a hatchet, there was a hole deep enough for a few piles of rubbish. We had a little bench, branches for cover and lake front view. Prime Real estate for any Latrine. After dinner everyone was exhausted and ready for bed. Before bed, Shawn Cousins gave a wonderful devotional on the Aaronic Priesthood. I was very impressed with his fireside. There could be no stronger way to present the importance that the Aaronic Priesthood plays in every aspect of preparing young men for the future. The spirit was there to testify. For all those in attendance, I hope they remember the feelings felt.
 We were on the water for around 12 hours this day.
Day 4: Friday, July 6, 2012
Today was a lazy day. We were very slow to get out of bed. By 1000am the camp was busy with activity. We were making breakfast and preparing for another day. We concluded to use this camp site our final night, as it was a great location with fine amenities.  We piled in our unladen canoes and headed out. Our destination was sandy beach, for lunch and then let our bodies, weather and time determine where to after that.
The beach was nice and busy. The camp ground seemed like a nice place to take the fam for a good time. We got to the beach and enjoyed lunch and then a little game of watermelon foot ball. This time we had to end due to a break in the game ball. The melon had split wide open. Oh well, it was the best tasting piece of sports equipment I have ever ate.
After an hour or so we headed back to camp, where we continued our Jaredite experience. Darius talked with us about the final battles among the Jaredites, and we would get to re-enact them (kind of). We  separated into our colors, with red team being Coriantumr and Green team was Shiz. Beans and straws divided out the battle began. There were 8 battles and each team won 4.  Green team starte out with the blitzkrieg  attack that took red team extinction in seconds. To finish off the ammo we had an all out, no holds bar-go till you are out of beans- assault. The close up shots to open skin can do some damage. My neck was pelted. At one point, everyone thought it was a good idea to gang up on me. Well I got my fair share of welts from that little engagement.
Obviously we did not work the boys hard enough, as there was alot of singing and noise making late into the night.

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TEAM SHIZ Left to Right:Jeffery, Ian, Grayson, Dean, Shawn, Joey

TEAM CORIANTUMR: Left to Right: Strong John, Seth, Jaymen, Mark, Micah, Thomas, Darius, Robert

There are many more pictures that I would like to add, but there are restraints.
After Bean wars, John,  Jeffery, and Shawn finished up the 100 questions and I was forced to give up some prizes. Great Job Guys! There were others who participated, and they did a good job as well.

Day 5: Final Day. Saturday, July 7, 2012.

Back on schedule we were up, ate, packed up, cleaned up, and on the water before 8am.

NO wind, only heat. Even though we made great time we all were exhausted. The lakes were calm and mirrored the surrounding shore line. The river that took us 2 hours to go up, only took 15 minutes to go down. Our canoes cut through the long lakes as if they were air planes, moving through the bluest of skies, leaving a single line behind us. We were at the trucks around noon. Most of the boys hate canoeing, well they enjoyed the river but will not do lakes. Really too bad, as it was physically demanding, the sites and beauties that meadow lake provincial park had to offer transcend the minute pains induced by a little hard work.
Before we ended our trip we stopped at a little musem in Good Soil to meet all the requiremnts for the venture badge.

I am very proud of all the boys and the efforts that they put in and the challenges that they conquered.