2nd place
Darlene Dimock
Lori Duthie
Sarah Hayes

misscascapedia@hotmail.com

The Long Journey Home

With the river in sight, I picture my journey coming to an end.
Full of twists and turns, upsets and spills, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
I am home. Here to live, here to die, here to spend joyful moments in and by the river I proudly call HOME.
My journey ends where it began so many seasons ago. I am guided by the lights of a thousand stars and the familiar smells of my youth.
My vessel may not have the spring of youth but possesses the wisdom and strength of maturity. I have traveled thousands of kilometers, faced numerous struggles and today find myself at a recognizable gateway, anxiously anticipating new challenges.
Along side the shores of my majestic home, the Grand Cascapedia River, I encounter a familiar splendor strewn with old friends, some paralleling my journey home, others here to welcome me back to my natal surroundings.
I am overjoyed to reunite with past companions and saddened by the passing of old acquaintances, many captured in a web too strong to escape, some lured by the promise of satiety, and increasingly, others who are given reprise and thus the chance to prosper another day.
Through our many hardships I am comforted by the belief that my river will never let me down. She will nourish my soul with her beauty, feed my body with her resources and challenge my mind with her struggles.
My journey resembles so many, yet it is mine alone. I am the mighty salmon, King of Fish but I am also a child following my parents lead, a teenager in search of my destiny, a young adult seeking new challenges and opportunities, and finally an adult needing to find my way home.
I am the modest fisherman. Like so many before me , I have mirrored the journey of the salmon many times in my life, seeking larger rivers than my own where I could grow only to heed the call of home.
As much as we are all different we are all the same. I am the child, I am the teenager, I am the young adult, I am the adult, and I am the fisherman and I speak for the salmon.
My voice is only as loud as my actions and it is my duty to uphold the balance between sport and preservation, ensuring the life of the salmon, the river and our community.

Written by: Darlene Dimock, Lori Duthie, & Sarah Hayes
83 Rte. 299 Cascapedia-St-Jules