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"Ice-y Change a-Coming!"


It was another full week at Arnes. We sent the Apprentices on their Lake Trek. For those of you who don't know, the Lake Trek is one of the three adventure parts of Forge. It involves the team of Apprentices and leaders walking across Lake Winnipeg to Victoria Beach. It takes three days and you spend two nights sleeping on the lake in a fire heated canvas tent. It’s definitely an interesting time, to say the least. In fact, it can be quite life changing.

Last year, my team’s Lake Trek was quite an adventure for me. The day we left I was quite sick; I had a pretty bad head cold and was feeling really out of it. A part of me, however, was still super excited and ready to go on. We prayed and pushed off some time after 7:00 am and headed into the white and beyond. I often struggle with taking the time to stop and think about myself and life. I constantly feel the noise grab for my attention. I realized just how much my attention had been taken by other things the farther we walked from shore. For me the trip was a good time for reflection and really looking at my life up to this point and what I wanted to make of it in the future.

It goes without saying that when you put a bunch of young adults out walking for hours that some funny stuff happens. Whether it be singing the song “Waterfalls” way too loud or finding out one of your tent mates has brought an entire backpack full of snacks, some interesting things happen on the lake. One of my favourite moments was just before leaving the tent for the final walk before we reached our destination. If I’m being honest, I was feeling quite sick and mentally done. I grabbed a Halls for my sore throat and it had a bunch of encouragements written on the wrapper, telling me to fight for it and to keep going. I started laughing and shared it with my tent mates. It was exactly what I needed at the moment; from a Halls wrapper, of all things!

The Lake Trek is more than just a walk across the lake, it is a chance for something special. It’s different for everyone but, in the end, I think it’s your choice what you get out of it. For some it’s more of a physical challenge and for others it’s more of a mental battle.

During those three days I made the commitment to leave behind the old me that refused to live life full on. To fight to live my life as real as possible and be raw. I didn’t realize the impact it had on me until months later. I realized that something really did change for me in those three days. It wasn’t just words coming out of my mouth, but rather, a piece of my heart being shared with a trusted group of people I had walked through life with over the last few months. Something, that even now I’m still figuring out, changed in me. The Lake Trek is a once in a life time opportunity I highly recommend! Congratulations to the Forge Apprentices for completing the Trek! We look forward to hearing your stories! What are you waiting for?!

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