July 8th, 2007

As we left Hinton, I felt rejuvenated from our time at Entrance Ranch, the First Nations blessing and from the support of the West Athabasca Watershed Bioregional Society and community members.

The run from Hinton to Whitecourt is one of my favorites. There is great scenery, little human intrusion, and some easy whitewater. We encountered a group of German tourists being led by a British expat and his Canadian wife. Continually "leapfrogging" them, we bantered back and forth becoming fairly friendly and learning about their reasons for being in this part of the world.

I wasn't surprised that Tim (the British guide) had a lifelong dream to be a Canadian - inspired by tales of the gold rush and the Voyageur from reading history books as a kid. Tim was accompanied by six Germans who had a similar romantic view of Canada - although, they were happy enough to hire a guide rather than seek citizenship. It was interesting to note that each of the Germans had paid upwards of $2500 CDN to embark on such an adventure - a five day canoe trip from Hinton to Whitecourt.

Many parts of the world don't have access to wild and remote rivers like the Athabasca. As Canadians, we ought to have a sense of stewardship over these mighty rivers. We need to preserve them for the world. And for ourselves too.