Andy’s Bistro server Colleen Darbyshire will be among 160 paddlers who set off May 10 from Rocky Mountain House to mark the 200th anniversary of explorer David Thompson’s epic journey to Old Fort William on Lake Superior.

“Everybody is getting excited; it’s just a week away,” Darbyshire said when she stopped by the Fitzhugh’s office to talk about her part in the adventure sponsored by the 2008 David Thompson Brigade Society.

“I’m there for the easy part,” she laughed. “No portaging for me.”

An experienced kayaker, Darbyshire has been practicing paddle strokes in anticipation of the journey. She will be with David Thompson Brigade for seven days and 780 km as the paddlers traverse Alberta on the North Saskatchewan River. 

“The highlight for me is just being out on the water,” said Darbyshire, who was invited to join the expedition a month ago by friends from Hinton, Rick Zroback and Illo Harpee. 

As Darbyshire and others drop off, paddlers from around the world will join the brigade as it continues east, across Saskatchewan and Manitoba. 

The epic 63-day journey will cover 3600 km and end on July 12, on Lake Superior, just in time for the annual Great Rendezvous at Old Fort William.

“The Brigade is a reminder of who we are and where we came from,”?Andy Korsos, chairman of the brigade, said in a message on the society’s website.

Korsos led the effort to rename Mount David in Banff National Park to Mount David Thompson, an effort approved in 2006 by the Geographic Names Board of Canada.