CanadIAN Canoe Camping

Max sent me a link to a video asking if I thought I was capable of navigating class 3 rapids in a Canoe full of gear and one of our two adolescent boys. I mean realistically my answer was “Hell NO!” I could quickly imagine us flipping, getting pinned on a rock, and total carnage, being that I had absolutely no experience Canoeing. Max and the boys did a little adventure two years previous in Canada on a trip without me. I have to admit I was quite jealous of the photos and stories and the boys were begging to do another adventure on the water. I talked myself off the ledge by rationalizing the fear and the risk. Ok…we can likely portage the most challenging sections, Max can double run sections if needed and we can walk around. It’s probably mostly OK and I’ll probably figure out the rest along the way. I hesitantly agreed insisting on helmets and life vests and started to wrap my head around the upcoming adventure.

In the end we portaged, Max double ran, we navigated some rapids wtih near perfection gaining confidence until on the last rapid….Mathais and I flipped the boat…with everything in it, I rode 10 minutes of rapids attached to the canoe, and survived. It was actually pretty fine.

We filled our hearts with laughs, swims, cliff jumps, morning fishing, evening bonfires, long days of rhythmical paddling, some rain and wind, some sun and pure joy, enough mosquitos to keep you on your toes, but not too many to drive you crazy. We slowed down to a pace without screens or distractions. Life was pretty functional, paddle, set up camp, start a fire, cook a meal, crumble into bed. Wake up, cook, repack, paddle, repeat. It reminded me a lot of the beginnings of my outdoor adventures on expeditoins in Alaska or Pakistan. Where life slows down to fucntinal, essential and present.