I think I'm going to keep posting photographs for my blog updates... Feast your eyes on this!

No Way Corvee is now in Washington. Yesterday we met a Cherokee elder named Walk in Water who generously shared her beautiful collection of fur trade/Cherokee culture related items. Before we went to hit the hay, she gave each of us a historic bead to keep. Apparently the "skunk beads" date back approximately 300 years - such an awesome gift!! 

So the sun is shining after a couple days of cold and wet weather, and we're having a day off in Thompson Falls, Montana. This little town is beautiful and has some very friendly residents roaming about. I had a well needed shower this morning at the local highschool - the water was warm and I'm feeling fresh!
On the drive in yesterday, Katie, Matt and myself went for a walk around Kootenai Falls. It was nice to have some quiet time in such a beautiful location. I managed to "baptize" myself under one of the small falls. Matt went a step further by taking off most of his clothing and dunking his body under the falls entirely! 
What else have we been up to... Fort Steele was a neat spot. There were lots of Clydesdale horses, extremely scenic views of the river and mountains, and a good time shared with Jaco Finlay and some delicious mead! Anyway, so far, so good and I can't wait to get paddling again tomorrow :)

So we're finally in Invermere and it is beautiful!  This is my first time seeing anything west beyond Winnipeg and I can't believe how wonderful Canada's landscape is!  It really is breathtaking...
Things are going well out here. We're still figuring out how to organize all our gear as the days move forward, as well as how to use our canoe.  Today some members of our brigade unintentionally flipped the canoe over and the weather did not make the experience any more pleasing with the cold temperatures and rain.  I have been sleeping under our canoe every night thus far to get the full voyageur experience, and it's actually pretty comfortable (once all the boys put an end to their antics). However, tonight I think I'm going to sleep in a tent and avoid any rain that could occur.
That's all I have for now, hopefully I'll have some photos up for the next few posts! Cheers :)

Wow.

So we leave this Saturday! Feels like the weeks have just flown by and here I am packing things at midnight, hoping I don’t forget anything! Words cannot express how excited I am!! Can’t wait to partake in this once in a lifetime experience!

So all the big, terrifying things to sort out have finally fallen into place; our vehicle is ready to go, we have a trailer, and our canoe is waiting for us in B.C.!  Now all that’s left are the little things, like food and supplies, which (granted) will add up to be another big task to tackle.
 
As you may or may not know, some members of No Way Corvee are in a folk band named after David Thompson himself.  They have been playing around Thunder Bay informing people about what we are doing this summer, as well as raising funds for our adventure.  So with that in mind, I would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who has supported us, particularly the LU Forestry students who hired our band to play at their ring ceremony and the LU Outdoor Recreation students who hosted us at their gathering also. Every bit goes a long way, and to speak on behalf of the David Thompson Band, you are all so very awesome!!

With the exception of one more essay, I have essentially finished another year of university.  I find my excitement for this trip is definitely rising to a whole other level now that my head isn’t buried in assignments!  The lack of snow on the ground is raising some excitement also - I saw a butterfly this afternoon! Woo!

Here's another Youtube link to a good tune (why not?).  Ohbijou is a wonderful Canadian group - their music makes me reminisce of summer!  I've seen them twice in the Bay and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.  Cheers : )

Hey Everyone

So this is my first attempt at a blog, and I must say I'm kind of excited! I found deciding on a title really challenging though, especially with options like "Leslie the Logger's Ludicrous Ledger and Lengthy Laundry List", haha! Unfortunately I'm going to keep it simple for now and stick with "L. Jane".

First thing's first, the fundraiser we had last Friday was a great success and I have to give a big thank you to everyone who came out to see us! I was undeniably stressed and anxious to see the turn-out, so when such a large number of amazing people showed up and supported us it was just incredible - thank you!!

The idea of me paddling along one of the same routes Koo-Koo Sint did so long ago is really starting to solidify in my mind...  this will be my biggest canoe excursion and my first time viewing the west coast and all it's beauty - words cannot convey how excited I am! Basically I keep having moments where I think to myself "this trip is really going to happen!!", which is often followed by a deer in headlights expression of sorts. It's going to be awesome. Of course I realize the amount of paddling will be a challenge, but I welcome it with open arms (and no doubt soon to be sore arms!). And I will sing, for as long as it's applicable:

Oh, and here is a link to a cool transparent canoe I came across: http://www.clearinflatablekayak.com/clear-canoes.html. Isn't it WILD?

Cheers,

Leslie