The day I missed the train

I realise that I've got rather a lot of blog entries to do and that this one is going to be particularly short and sweet...and also woefully inadequate. The Ski with the Cree trip finished on Friday with a lunch in the Cree Village Eco Lodge from which we were transported by minibus back to Moosonee to catch the train south. I decided not to go. Why not? I suppose missing a train is always a possibility, but there are always so many good reasons for why that is not a sensible option. This time I had an opportunity to deliberately miss it - and in doing so opened myself up to a completely different experience. I was walking down the street on Saturday morning when Philip pulled up, ordered me (in the nicest possible way) into the passenger seat, told me to check out of the ecolodge and said we were going back out to his camp. This was the place 14km downriver where we had stayed during the ski trip. I wasn't quite prepared to be given a thicker parka, gloves, a helmet and my own skidoo to drive out there...but that's what happened. It was wonderful out in the bush with Phil and his family. Quite a different experience to being there with Ski with the Cree. Both were amazing experiences in their own way, but very different. I feel incredibly privileged to have met such wonderful and generous people here.