Two years ago, I went kayaking on the saint-Lawrence river and discovered a really nice camping where you can pitch your tent on a platform on the rocks. It's really hard to book this place, especially on weekends. This year, I absolutely wanted to experience this place so I booked 5 months in advance.
I brought tons of food, snacks, drinks, papers and a pen. I won't be doing hiking, I won't be exploring, I won't have fear of missing out. My goal was to just do nothing, to not plan ahead, and to just be. I wanted to know what it was like to be disconnected from social media, internet, work and not talk to anybody, whether it was in person or by text. I'm not sure if I'll be able to not talk to anybody, since I need to at least go get ice at the store and I will run into people and it's not polite to not say hi, especially in the country. But I will definitely try to disconnect.
My first day was quite scary. I drove 7 hours to get there and I was pretty excited until I realized how windy it was by the shore. I had a hard time setting my tent up. I managed to do it after an hour and I put all the heavy stuff inside my tent so it won't fly away. I had the most exposed spot as it was closest to the water. I must admit I was on social media talking to my mom and friends, sending pictures and sharing my fear and excitement. The night was so windy and rainy that it woke me up. I was afraid that my tent could not stand since I had a lightweight tent that I got for backpacking. Luckily, I made it through the first night in one piece.
The following 2 days were sunny and calm with a bit of wind but the weather was pleasant. I spent my days watching whales and observing marine life. I saw mostly minke, rorquals, belugas, porpoise. I thought I saw an orca but it was probably something else. I think whales are my favorite animals, they are so majestic and mysterious.
In the evenings, I would just build a fire and stare at the sky for hours, just wondering what's beyond. I could hear the whales once in a while and to think these giants are swimming by so close is a fantastic feeling, it makes me feel so small and insignificant.
I had to turn on my cellphone once to look for the nearest store to get ice, and noticed a voicemail. It was my client and I did text back. I couldn't resist checking my e-mails at the same time. I'm not so proud of myself. I also googled stupid things like, where to put ice in a cooler, and what kind of whales I'm seeing. It's amazing how close they get sometimes. Other than that, I was mostly disconnected.
I got bored at times of course, but it's part of the adventure to see how I could entertain myself without social media and internet. What I love about camping is that when it's cold, you're cold, when it's hot, you're hot. The sounds of nature wake you up, you hear the whales in the morning and the birds singing, etc. Keeping clean isn't so convenient...just the way humans used to live. Humans used to take risks and live in danger. Now we're just machines without emotions. It doesn't matter that we're sad, as long as the economy runs. We build houses and cities that isolates us from nature. I think it's important to remember a time we did not even exist yet, and maybe we'll understand ourselves better, and not just what society wants.
I had less stuff to write about than I thought. I guess I'm just unbothered. I'm here, with the whales and that's all that matters. People must think it's weird for a girl to camp alone, but who cares! It's really a magical part of the world here.
