{"id":9298,"date":"2025-07-17T12:08:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T16:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/?p=9298"},"modified":"2025-07-31T12:24:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T16:24:33","slug":"christian-island-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/2025\/07\/17\/christian-island-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflection: Tour de Simcoe Christian Island"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Journey to Christian Island<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\nTrip Summary
\n<\/strong>
\nWhat an incredible adventure to meet and connect with new people on the Island!<\/h5>\n

What stuck with me most came from a conversation early in the trip. I asked a local what the community needs most, and he said, \u201cThe youth need something to do.\u201d That phrase echoes across many places, not just here. But maybe the better question isn\u2019t just about what youth do<\/em>, but who they\u2019re\u00a0becoming<\/em>\u2014and how we can support that journey without trying to define it for them.<\/p>\n

To everyone who supported this trip\u2014thank you. Your generosity gave us more than just a ferry ticket and campsite. It gave us perspective.<\/p>\n

Read on for specific details from each of the 3 days of this journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t

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Daily Summary (Days 1-3)<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t
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Day 1 – the adventure began with a 3 PM ferry ride to Christian Island, bikes and gear in tow. We had some bike trouble on the way over, but a kind stranger helped us out. After arriving, we accidentally overshot our turn but eventually found our way to West Beach. The trailer was heavy and the barrel pack added to the challenge, but we made it. After setting up camp, cooking rice and eggs, and cooling off with a swim, we realized we were on a site reserved for First Nations families. We happily gave it up for two women who had come for the powwow, and they invited us to their campfire that evening. We moved into the woods where the mosquitoes replaced the biting flies, and settled in for a breezy night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Day 2 started quietly with a solo beach walk before biking into town for breakfast at Tangibles. There, we met Angela\u2014someone I\u2019d unknowingly corresponded with before the trip\u2014who serves on the Economic Development Board and helped fund the campground. After a great meal made by Brooke, we explored town and then headed to the powwow grounds just outside of it. There were vendors selling honey, syrups, and handmade goods, and Parks Canada staff sharing about local wildlife. The Grand Entry of the powwow was powerful\u2014men, women, and children in full regalia, with a clear respect for tradition. As the day got hotter, we headed back for a swim and some rest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Day 3 was the grind. We packed up and began the uphill 3 km trek back to the ferry\u2014what had been an easy coast in now felt like a mountain. The heat was intense, the road was rough, and the weight was real. I had to walk the trailer up steep sections, with Jeremy shouting encouragement from behind. We got barked at by a dog (caught it on video), and Jeremy had a standoff with it and a car in the middle of the road. Eventually, we reached the top and coasted into town, tired but relieved. At the ferry terminal, we waited about 35 minutes, reflecting on everything we\u2019d experienced. The ferry ride back felt like a deep breath.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":9350,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collingwood"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yfc.ca\/highlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}