Hurray! June 28 and Grade Six was finally over. John's cousins in Rae had called him a few weeks ago to see if he could go on a canoe trip with them and their grandparents. It was kind of exciting but a little bit scary since this canoe trip was going to be at least four weeks long!

They planned to paddle all the way from Rae to Hottah Lake on an old canoe route called the 'Idaa Trail'. John didn't know a lot about the trail.
"People have been using this trail for hundreds of years to get from Fort Rae to Fort Norman," explained his mom. "They travelled by dog team in winter and birch bark canoe in summer. Your grandparents used to travel on that trail with their families when they were your age. Now they want to show you and your cousins the important places on the way."