Natalie Fortier, from Monroe, New Hampshire, is a junior here at UNH and is part of our very own HerCampus team. She’s majoring in outdoor education but hopes to be pre-law. When’s she’s not writing amazing articles for the UNH HerCampus site she enjoys working with young girls in canoeing trips just like she did this past summer!! Check out the article below to she how his campus celebrity paddled her way though the summer!!
What was the trip you did this summer?
Camp Wabun is a canoe-tripping program in northern Ontario. I started attending when I was thirteen, and did lots of shorter trips before going on two bay trips. A bay trip is a six-week trip over 1,000 miles to the Arctic Divide, Hudson Bay, and Ontario.
How did you get involved with this program?
I have worked there the past three summers and this summer I was given the huge opportunity to lead a Bay Trip, something that most staff never get to do. My good friend Katherine and I led a group of eight girls (ages 16-18) on a 1,100-mile trip to Hudson Bay on the Winisk River.
What was the trip like?
It was by far the most challenging thing I have ever done, not only physically, but also mentally. The leadership it required was huge and really intimidating. We were responsible for keeping these girls safe through lightning storms, massive white water, and all the dangers of living in the wilderness for 42 days.
I am super proud to say that the summer was a success, but not without a hitch. At one point, my canoe flipped above a massive waterfall and we almost lost a canoe, 150 pounds of food, a huge amount of personal gear, our medical supplies, and the emergency cash that I was carrying.
What was the most memorable moment from this summer?
The absolute craziest part of my summer though happened two days before the end of the trip. We knew we were in the Arctic, but it didn’t really hit until we were three days from the end of our trip and we saw polar bear swimming in the narrow water ahead of us. It’s a cool story to have now, but was horrifying at the time. When we passed it we were just fifteen feet away from it, and I consider us very lucky that it did not seem to notice us much.
There are many amazing parts of a summer at Wabun, and I see myself working there for as many summers as I can before I need to work a “real job” in the summer. I love the beauty of that part of the world, the amazing wildlife, the rewarding hard work, and the opportunity to spend six weeks without any of the comforts of the modern world. The best part about this past summer was coming back home with eight safe and happy young women.
Are you planning on doing this again?
I do plan on doing this trip again in the future and will most likely work there again this summer. I’m not sure if I’ll be offered a bay trip again but I’m keeping my Fingers Crossed!!!