SUMMER SCHOOL LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
My wife and I have this running joke, sort of. Whether we’re camping, biking or hiking I often (always, she says) tend to keep going, looking for the better campsite or lunch spot just around the corner. Black Feather has been to the French many times—not only did we eat, sleep and play at the nicest spots, they pointed out the river’s natural and cultural history along the way.
FAMILY TIME
“Family trips have a much slower pace in terms of traveling, and the trips tend to be shorter than our regular trips,” says Quon, one of our guides whose two daughters are helping on the trip. In four days we traveled about as far as I’d normally paddle in a day. We base camped for two nights, allowing time for leisurely breakfasts, afternoon hikes, cliff jumping and blueberry picking. For Kate, and most of the other kids, the canoe gets us to the next campsite and the next playground; it isn’t yet an adventure in itself.
DIGITAL EXTRA:To watch a special Canoeroots TV feature, including exclusive footage of our trip to the French River,
go to
www.canoerootsmag.com/0027 or download the Canoeroots app.
Not confident in your paddling or camping skills? Jumping on a guided trip gets you outdoors now. You’ll learn routes you can return to. On the French, Black Feather provided paddling instruction along the way. There was even an afternoon playing in a class II rapid. Pay attention and you can learn to plan a menu, cook blueberry pancakes on a griddle over a fire and Dutch-oven bake a chocolate cake. Help- ing in the kitchen is like apprenticing for your next trip, without the risk of being fired.
SILLY GAMES
Who else but river guides would line the bottoms of their canoes with half a dozen one-by-six-inch planks of lumber? On our rest day, Carl, Simon and a motley crew of scallywags lashed together a pirate ship. After attacking the unsuspecting parents with squirt guns, they ran the small rapids out front of our campsite. It ended as you’d suspect, with each pirate taking a turn walking the plank.
MAKING MEMORIES
With our Black Feather guides taking care of all the logistics like route planning, leadership decisions and meal preparation, Kate and I spent our time swimming, reading, fishing, playing and exploring. When I ask what she wants to do this summer she says without hesitation, “Go back to the French River.” Time and money well spent.
www.canoerootsmag.com 33
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