Finding Awe at The Massasauga Provincial Park

I recently listened to an Ologies podcast episode about Awe. By the time the episode wrapped I knew I needed to find some awe, and that even though it’s possible to find that in everyday life, I desperately needed a change of scenery to make that happen. 

Good thing I had a camping trip coming up. 

One thing that stood out to me in that podcast was the mention of who you experience those moments with as having a big impact. 

It has been 9 months since I went camping with Darrell and the dogs. 

Moments of awe are always better with them around.

Today as I sat under the bug shelter, hiding from the rain, we four mergansers and four Canada geese swim around our little bay, eating, preening, and taking breaks on shore.

It was such a small and peaceful moment. They absolutely stole my attention.

There have been moments throughout this trip that I’ll cherish. Watching Milim experience all this for the first time. Talking with Darrell about all the things while the rain pattered around us. Seeing Panda and Erza play around the campsite. 

But then tonight…

Well, it was magic. As the rain started to fall again and we slowly trolled back towards camp, a faint rainbow appeared.

Even a faint rainbow is something incredible. 

But then the sun began to set and not only did it light up the sky, giving us a magnificent sunset, but it lit up the rainbow. A full rainbow where you could see all the colours.

And then a second one, ever so faint. 

We were both scrambling to take pictures and just then pausing to just take in the incredible sights around us.

The dogs slept peacefully in the boat, waiting to get back to camp. 

But I was in awe. 

After nearly 24 hours of rain, we were treated to overwhelming beauty in just a few minutes. 

And while taking it all in, I caught another pike. 

Another neat moment.

Awe is so important. I try to find it each day, but sometimes you need to change things up. 

And our visit to the Massasauga did just that. 

This rambling is from our August long weekend trip to The Massasauga. It turns out that I’m better at writing while I’m in camp than when I return home and have to focus on everything else. For this reason, upcoming posts may not be a full recounting of our trips, but more of a snapshot in time during the trip.