offthetongue
Every Kid Needs a Creek I learned most of what I know about canoeing from two guys, Brad and
Hawk. Brad must have been in his early 50s. He wore tan khakis with his shirt cuffs always rolled halfway up his forearm. I’d now peg him as the lawyer or the stockbroker type. Every Saturday morning in the summer of ’79, he and I would load his
Grumman, tent and sleeping bags onto his orange Jeep and head around to pick up Hawk, who’d be waiting, always in a white shirt, green pants and a red wool toque. Hawk was an Indian, although today I know better and he’s a native Canadian. He was a skilled woodsman and was without question always the sternsman on our adventures. Together the three of us explored every inch of our local creek. That was the summer I turned eight years old, and my friends Brad and Hawk were three-and-half-inch-tall Fisher Price Adventure People.
I hadn’t thought much about my adventures with the boys until a fall
paddling trip to Hearst in Northern Ontario where I met Yves Lepage, a man who loves canoeing. Yves has been involved locally setting up a Friends-of association and
forming partnerships with the Ministry Natural Resources so that his local river can be designated for Canadian Heritage River status. Yves’ local river is the Missinaibi, one of the longest free-flowing protected river corridors found in North America. As far as canoe routes go, it’s one of the classics. Surprised this popular waterway wasn’t already a Heritage River, I asked
Yves why it has taken so long for the Missinaibi to make the honour list. “When we were kids, we were told the river was dangerous. Our moth-
ers told us we weren’t to go near it. So we were scared of it. Afew of us, when we got older, began canoeing and realized what an asset we have here running right through our town, but most people don’t know this. It has taken people from away to come and teach us about how important our river is.”
There’s no doubt that my mother would have said the same if we lived
near a large river or lake. But we didn’t. We had a small creek in the valley behind our house. In rubber boots with a short run, I could jump across, but for Brad and Hawk in their small plastic canoe, the creek was a roaring class IV river, and the ponds were lakes. Because of those two guys and that small creek behind our house, I did-
n’t grow up afraid of rivers and lakes. Instead, my passion to paddle and explore grew as I did—and luckily, so did the canoe. When I was home for Christmas, I asked my mom if she’d seen Brad or
Hawk around lately. She said she hadn’t heard about them in 25 years or more. So I went online to eBay to see if I could track them down. Am I crazy? Maybe. But who wouldn’t spend $75 to do another trip with the guys who taught you love canoeing.
CANOEROOTS
Scott MacGregor Publisher/Editor-In-Chief
Tanya MacGregor Design/Accounts
Tim Shuff Editor
Jon Holmes Ad Sales
Phil Norlock Circulation
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Disclaimer: The athletics and activities described and illustrated herein are performed by trained athletes and could result in serious bodily injury, including disability and death; do not attempt them without proper supervision, training and safety equipment. Rapid Magazine Inc., is not responsible for injuries sustained by readers or failure of equipment depicted or illustrated herein.
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CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT 1536796 Contents copyright 2004 by Rapid Magazine Inc. ISSN 1492-6725 RAPID CANADA’S WHITEWATER MAGAZINE
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