MOC

This weekend I made another escape from the city and went away with the McGill Outdoor Club on their newcomers weekend. The Club owns a house about 70km outside of Montreal that can sleep anywhere up to 80 people- it's like a small hostel. Located in a very small town, the house is perfectly situated between the mountains and the lakes to make it an ideal weekend getaway for students. It's actually very impressive; the student society itself own the house and are paying of the mortgage with the money that we give to be a member and go on trips etc which I thought was incredible. 

We were bused up to the house on Saturday morning in a proper yellow American school bus (!) and there was a traditional scramble on arrival as everyone tried to stake a claim on the best beds. We all headed out on a hike at lunch time and the scenery was incredible. It's the perfect time to venture out of town and see the fall colours at the moment and I was not disappointed. In climbing to the top of some of the local mountains we saw the most incredible panoramas of the forests, dotted with glowing reds and burnt oranges. Everyone who was not from Northern America was so excited, something the locals found pretty amusing. We came across a beautiful lake which gave pictures even the most amateur of photographers could be proud of!

Back in town we went to stock up supplies for the evening (I think we might have bought the local shop out of beer if I'm honest!) and found crates and crates of pumpkins sitting outside- a sure sign that autumn is upon us!! Even in the city, it is not uncommon to see crates like this at the side of the road, ready for halloween!

Later in the afternoon we were informed that it was compulsory to head down to the river for a swim, and, since the weather was phenomenal this weekend, we were only too willing to comply! The water was freezing but so fresh it was worth it. Some people were canoeing, others slack lining or playing frisbee and the rest of us just lay in the meadow and chatted until the sun started to set. 

Feeding 90 hungry newbies is no mean feat, but the MOC execs did a stellar job and we all sat down around the fire to chilli and smores- its a hard life! The rest of the evening was spent around the fire, singing, listening to some incredibly talented people play the guitar, chatting and drinking beer- very relaxed. Just before midnight some of us headed back down to the river to do some stargazing since there was so little light pollution and we were rewarded with numerous shooting stars!

The next day, after a much better sleep than I anticipated, was more of the same. Another walk, another swim and an incredible nap in the meadow whilst being serenaded by the lovely Antoine. I was so relaxed I even managed to get sunburnt- rather embarrassing for late-September in Canada!

The weekend was short but sweet and as usual it was a shock to the system coming back to a pile of university work on Monday. It takes a while to get used to holidaying for such short bursts of time at the weekend and refocusing every Monday before lectures. But at the end of the day, I wouldn't have it any other way!!