Spring is in the Air, Why you should plan a Canoe Trip!

Where have I been?

I notice it’s been two weeks since I’ve put up a post, call it writers or bloggers block I’m not sure if that’s an excuse or not. I’ve kind of found it hard to get motivated to put anything out there given the very unsettling events (not even sure if that’s a good way to put it) both half way around the world the Ukrainian war, as well as tragic local events with the drowning of a 10 year old girl. It certainly makes my problems seem very trivial at this moment in time and wish there was something more I could do.

With that out of the way, but never forgotten, what’s up with me you ask, well it’s been two months gone by so this week I went for blood work and dropped off the old urine jug to the lovely nurses at Brantford General. Then on the 28th I go to see my new oncologist I believe his name is Dr. Healy, I have talked with him once as he was the original doctor who called after surgery and gave me the very bad news and grim diagnosis, so strike one, lol. I’m sure everything will be fine, as he was my former doctors mentor. He’s not a NET specialist, but they are getting input from other doctors at the Juravinski centre, so it’s a team effort. Like so many other’s with this disease they know the importance of a good team approach. Oh and Tuesday is treatment day, my butt already hurts insert sad face emoji.

Spring forward to Canoe Tripping

Now with the longer days and warmer temperatures on the horizon, my maps and books, anything to do about tripping is scattered around the house. The river level here on the Thames has significantly gone down, still moving pretty good, but shortly I’ll be on it. My first trip for sure to get my feet wet and back to feeling comfortable in the canoe after the long winter. Now when I say you should plan a canoe trip, always plan it safely and within your capabilities. There’s nothing I love more then taking people out for the first time, even if it’s been a long time since they’ve sat in a canoe. Once your out and on the water there’s a sense of peace and calmness that comes over you. You can add a rush of adrenaline if you choose to throw in some white water, or rougher water, either way I guarantee a smile will appear on your face. If your close to me or even know me just message it’d be my pleasure to introduce anyone to my passion. Even just cruising down your local waterway will make you feel as though you’ve left behind you busy life and open your senses up to what’s all around you, it’s truly therapeutic.

I’ve hiked the banks of the river the last few weeks to check out what I’m getting into and got back into the swing of trying to capture the right picture, one that speaks to you. That will help me out as the camping season approaches and I want to start documenting again once again, I’ll leave a link at the bottom of my post if you choose to watch and get a visual on what I try to explain and words don’t do it justice.

So, back to the title why you should plan a canoe trip, when and what does this have to do with a cancer blog? Well the answer is simple, to me at least, letting a river guide you down its natural path, although many are interrupted by dams now is peaceful and calming. At the same time demanding and adrenaline filled, so it’s up to you how to plan the type of trip you’re after. Now I prefer a little bit of everything thrown into a multi-day trip, along with hard work to remind you how rewarding it is to get to your end goal, whether its that sought after campsite deep in the back country or simply back to your car at the end of a single day paddle. When I’m out on the water I find I can leave my diagnosis behind, always being aware, but it takes a back seat to the beauty all around me.

If your new to canoeing or water, please, please wait til the water levels are lower and river current has been reduced. Now if you are planning a over night trip to one of are beautiful parks I would first start with a route full of smaller lakes and meandering rivers, as winds on bigger lakes can kick up in a hurry and leave an unprepared canoeist in a very dangerous situation. Even better is to go out with someone who has some experience and pick a park that is well marked and mapped, for anyones first adventure I’d recommend Algonquin Park it’s well travelled and if your looking for some solitude you can find it the deeper your willing to push into the interior. That’s why you should plan a canoe trip, testing yourself, pushing yourself out of that comfort zone we’ve all become accustomed too. When you reach that spot you’re after or continue to travel day after day exploring, life itself just becomes so simple and the troubles and stress of day to day life melt away.

My life is completely different than is was just two short years ago, getting away either by myself or with friends is more therapeutic than any drug that could be prescribed to me. It’s only a little over a month to go and I’ll be out again searching for more parts of myself in the one place I know they come…on the water. If you read this and are inspired to give it a try, please just comment I’d be more than happy to take you out, to see what you’ve been missing.

How’s My Health

We’ll leave it at that now for the canoe tripping, but I’ll come back in more detail in another post, just get outside! Since it’s been a couple weeks and I always get asked how I’m feeling, I’ll give ya an update. I have been feeling physically and mentally pretty well, meditation works and besides having an upset gut for a couple days (not fun) everything on those ends have been pretty steady. Hike, jog and body weight exercises all help and along with treatment have kept the cancer from spreading any further.

Thanks to all my readers and anyone who’s new please subscribe, like and comment it all helps drive awareness. I also received some pretty cool news this week, but til it’s all confirmed I’ll keep it under wraps. Cheers, and have a great week.