There we were, sitting in a tiny rib boat, tearing across the open water, our jaws clenched against the pounding beat of the waves. My two boys looked like strawberry marshmallows in life suits designed to ward off the bitter cold of the St. Lawrence River, not far from the town of Taddousac, Quebec. I was shifting uncomfortably, trying to find a way to comfortably squeeze my large frame between their tiny bodies. The air was freezing, and we were starting to overheat in the bulky watertight suits.

But one of my favourite things about adventure travel with kids is that any discomfort disappears the instant something awesome happens. And, sure enough, it did.