Bushwacked

I just got back from an intense 5 day trip to Temagami...the camping/portaging haven for outdoor aficionados looking for the hardest core challenge of their lives. Well at least that's how it felt. After 5 days of living out of a pack and tent, paddling through solitary lakes and hiking over beaver dams, cliff faces and bogs alike, I must say that I have been through quite the adventure. Being a rookie "portager", Temagami was no walk in the park. Even Algonquin seems like a breeze after this trip. Poor Dean had to carry the 50 pound canoe on his shoulders the whole time and yet still managed to keep a smile on his face. He's an amazing example of sportsmanship and humility. It's amazing what you can learn about people in this kind of environment where physical and mental challenges are so in your face and when teamwork is so crucial. A person's character can really show through...both good and bad. But, we managed to have an amazing time and not kill each other despite the many frustrations and difficulties along the way. More than anything, I feel proud of all of us for working so hard and proving that our relationship with nature is a delicate, yet powerful one demanding a tremendous amount of mutual respect. Stay tuned for pics to come...

Choparoo part II

Well, I finally did it. After 3 years of growing my hair back to the luxurious long black mane of yesterday, I went and chopped it all off! I just walking into Coupe Bizarre and said, "give me a Mia Farrow haircut" and the rest is history. It's odd how we become so emotionally attached to hair. Maybe it's a product of our socialization or media images of beauty. Who knows. I wanted to challenge any fears I had about chopping it all off... Once it's done, you realize it isn't so bad; actually it's quite liberating and amazing. I think many of our fears in general work the same way. The anxiety is in the anticipation and the uncertainty. I'm always seeking ways to push myself to the limits. While hair is not necessarily a measure of my willpower, it certainly is an interesting phenomenon that some women fear losing that certain image they've become accustomed to and feel so safe with. I feel like Linus ditching his security blanket. It was Linus right? Anyway, my once adored tresses are now sitting in a bag, bound in a ponytail. I'm saving it for the cancer programs or something to that effect. It's so weird seeing something that was once so much a part of me looking like some limp appendage severed and hastily dumped into a bag. Kinda gross. Me on the other hand, I couldn't feel more new.