Why high schoolers should do Les Voyageurs

First+year+crew+coming+home+picture.

Callan Miller

2020 First year crew coming home picture.

Les Voyagers is an organization for high schoolers that create multiple trips for people to go on that are super beneficial for young adults.

Les Voyageurs does many different trips, and they keep expanding. The most popular trip is the first year trip that they do for high schoolers. It is a month long trip, that is in Canada near Lake Winnipeg. On the first year trip, you and eight other boys/girls go with either 1 or 2 guides and travel through the lakes of Canada.

You spend months preparing for the trip by making your food to practicing portaging. The whole trip is technology-free, and you just have eight people to talk to the whole time. Throughout the trip, you paddle from lake to lake and follow the route that you planned. You also do a lot of portaging, which is when you carry your canoe and backpacks on land to another lake.

During the trip you change a lot physically, mentally and emotionally. Many people do it every year and every person I have talked to absolutely loves it.

“I had so much fun on my first year trip, I would love to do it again”. (Nolan Miller)

Preparation is a huge part of these trip, I am mostly going to talk about the first year trip because that is the one I participated in. Preparation starts months before the trip starts, first you start by meeting you crew mates and guides. The first meeting is always awkward because you don’t know any of your crew mates. After the first 2 or 3 meetings, you get to know everyone and become comfortable. You start learning how to tie knots and figuring out how to set up tarps, tents, and clotheslines. Then, you learn how to dehydrate food and prepare your food. You have to make all your food for the whole trip, which is food for 9 people for 30 days. You then learn how to paddle and portage the canoes and train for the trip. You also have to figure out your route to get from the drop off point to the pick up spot. About a week before the trip you pack all your packs and get ready to leave.

“I think everyone should give it a shot because it is such a good experience”. (Nolan Miller)

 

First year crew leaving
2020 first year crew leaving for the trip. (Callan Miller)

Leaving is the scariest part of your trip, you all get onto the bus to leave and you have to say your goodbyes to your families. There are normally 5 different groups that go up at once, it’s a very emotional time for lots of people. While you are heading to Canada, you think to yourself what did I get myself into. Once you get to the destination, all the crews go their separate ways and never see them till the end of the trip. The first couple days go super slow and make you miss home, but once you fight through those first days and realize that is your life for the next 25 days you have a lot more fun. If you keep a positive mind through the trip you will learn a lot and have a lot of fun. It is a super hard trip mentally and thats why people enjoy it so much because you become more thankful for all the little things. The trip is one of the biggest learning experiences that a teen could have. The trip is filled with fishing, paddling, swimming, portaging, and having as much fun as you can in the wilderness.

Cool picture on trail of a sunset at camp
Sunsets on trail are so beautiful (Callan Miller)

After the trip coming home is the best feeling in the world. After no social interaction besides your crew mates, it is the best feeling to see your family and friends. Then everything seems so fast and hectic when you get back, it all seems so different. It is the best to look back and remember everything you went through during the trip.

Walking rapids on trail.
Walking rapids between lakes on Les Voyageurs first year trip. (Callan)

There are more options for trips to do that Les Voyageurs guides. The next step after the first year trip would be the far north trip. There are multiple options on where you can do your far north trip. All options are different and have different days on trail. The far north is the step up and is more challenging than the first year trip. Les Voyageurs has been trying to get more trips for other people in the future. All the trips are super good life lessons for every individual. If you want to see what the far north trip is all about check out this Video

1st day drop off spot for first year crew.
This was the Brew Crews drop off spot on day 1 (Callan Miller)