On our 25th wedding anniversary, our kids gave us a canoe.
We had always wanted one but other things seemed to take priority every time we considered it.
The kids found a classic, old Pentowna, and sanded, lacquered and painted it bright red.
We were delighted with our gift and it has come to symbolize the journey we’ve been on together these 30+ years. Although we haven’t become ‘master paddlers’, we do manage to get the canoe on the water every summer.
A few years back, our son proposed a little paddle in his neck of the woods – Peace country.
Being a capable, experienced outdoorsman, he assured us that we’d have no problem paddling the calm section of the Peace River he had in mind and that our limited paddling experience would definitely not be an issue. (The fact that he was a circuit ranger for three years at Bowron Lakes should have been the red flag….)
We loaded our backpacks that night and went to sleep hoping for clear weather.
We woke to sheeting rain and did the only logical thing – hunkered down with a big pot of coffee. At about noon, we felt it was decision time and since someone in the house naively thought they might have spied the tiniest glimmer of lightening sky, we set off for the river.
This endeavour required one vehicle to be left at Taylor, our take-out spot. To make this work, half of us were left at the put-in spot somewhere downriver of Hudson’s Hope and had to wait for the rest to deliver the vehicle and return.
We waited for a very rainy hour huddled under an extremely small tarp someone had the intelligence to toss in at the last minute. It was too wet to start a fire and getting bored huddling close together, stamping our feet, we ate our lunch and waited some more.
Finally, the others arrived we launched our canoes and we were away. (There was little, old me – paddling the Peace!)
Thankfully, the rain stopped and we meandered along, enjoying the scenery. After a while, something began to happen.
The vast countryside, the size and history of the river, the stillness around us – it all got me thinking.
I’d known about the Paddle for the Peace for some time.
My son and I had had several conversations about the plan to build a new mega-dam on the river at Site C. The image was always so distant in my mind as I thought of this project being ‘way up north’, out back beyond everything.
The thing was, we were paddling past lush farmland, densely planted with crops, incredible clay banks and forested hills. It was nothing at all like I had imagined it.
As we paddled along the exact spot destined for Site C, I was overcome with the absolute beauty and mysterious calm of the place.
Then, immediately filled with sadness at the realization of the consequences of this enormous project.
After five or six hours of paddling, we were seriously regretting eating our lunch while waiting for our paddle to begin.
We pooled all of our mashed granola bars and soggy trail mix for a quick snack.
There was still a long way to go and dusk was beginning to settle in.
At this point, most of our entourage was whining and begging to know “How much farther?”
My son, leader of this little paddle would only reply “Just around the bend…”
As darkness began to slide down around us, the owls woke up and started calling back and forth across the river.
The hollow, mournful calls drifted across and over us as we wearily paddled on. The powerful sound filled the air around our canoes and we couldn’t help but absorb it like a tonic.
After eight hours of paddling even my enthusiasm tank was on empty. I was never so relieved to see the truck parked (truly) just around the bend. Afterwards, in real Peace Country style, we enjoyed a midnight feast and toasted our epic Paddle on the Peace. (more than 60 kilometres — who knew?)
I carry this journey with me and it is vividly etched in my mind and heart.
My husband and I will celebrate another anniversary shortly and the canoe will go in the water.
This summer, we will welcome a new grandchild.
I can’t help but hope that he or she will have the privilege of paddling the Peace and experiencing first-hand the magic of this special place.
If you are interested in the “Site C” project, energy conservation and the Peace region the library has some great books.
Try Peace Out by Charles Wilkinson, Voices from Two Rivers by Meg Stanley and The Peace by Donald Pettit.
Sue Kline is a weekend canoeist and community librarian at the Summerland Branch of the Okanagan Regional Library.
