Earthquest and Ulcers

Our 15 year old son Sean will be going into grade 11 next fall.  He is a “keener” – loving everything. His arm shoots up in a "pick me pick me" kind of way every time there is a request for a volunteer, participant, member, accomplice, whatever ... and he is happy, happy, happy all of the time which, as I understand, is pretty unusual for a teenager.  When the opportunity came along to sign up for Earthquest, http://www.earthquest.ca/  an outdoor educational program in his high school, there was no question in his mind that he would enrol.   He received his acceptance letter yesterday.

Now I have a stomach ache.

 I have to sign a waiver that states that  I won’t be able to file a lawsuit if his beacon locator fails should he be hit by an avalanche,  or if his ocean kayak flips and he’s eaten by killer whales,  or if he falls into a crevice on a glacier,  or if his mountain bike goes off the edge of the trail and he lands in a raging creek 60 feet below.
I can hardly type these words.

We go for our first parent/student meeting with the leaders of the program, Moe and Barrie Reid, on April 28th.  http://www.earthquest.ca/home#!__instructors .  They were the leaders when Sean’s dad (my husband) took the program.  He, my husband, will be attending his 30 year high school reunion this July.

 Sean’s first expedition is August 15.  I am hoping not to turn into a nervous, hovering, panicking, worrying and tense mother but I fear that ship might have sailed.

This is Sean last summer on Okanagan Lake