By Courtland Kerr, Faculty

This past week, our students explored iconic parts of the Canadian Shield on their Outtrips, with adventures to The Massasauga, Algonquin Park, Georgian Bay, and the Madawaska River. This year, I was on the Grade 12 canoe Outtrip in Algonquin Park, starting on Canoe Lake and finishing on Lake Opeongo.

I had the pleasure of tripping with alumni and Director of Advancement, Kim Morton ‘88. Spending a whole week together was a new experience, and I did not know what to expect because our previous encounters were brief, cordial, and usually with a task at hand. Needless to say, Kim is no slouch in the outdoors. After all, she is an RLC alumni! Kim has been on various Outtrips with the school and her own trips, such as the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. This made Kim an asset on the trip. She demonstrated how much she cares about our students and our school, whether ensuring the students were well-fed and warm or motivating them on rough portages.

What made tripping with Kim unique was that I got to spend time with alumni on an adventure and hear about experiences through her stories as a student on Outtrips, such as when her cohort sailed canoes with a tarp on Georgian Bay. I love hearing about what tripping in the past was like, from the kind of gear used to where they travelled and how the teachers used to be. Some things never change: canoes are always heavy, the land is beautiful, and the teachers try to make the experience fun, whether or not the rain complies!

What makes trips special when alumni are around is a shared sense of community from past to present, from rainy paddling to tough portages and awe-inspiring morning sunrises. Kim has shared the same experiences and feelings our current students have just had on trips. Nostalgia is a powerful feeling; it takes us back in time and helps us relive pivotal moments in our lives, and through Kim’s stories, our students could see why Outtrips are so special. In a few final words, it was amazing tripping with Kim, and if you get the chance, spend some time with alumni–outdoors if you can!