Canoeing

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Canoeing on the Crooked River

Canoeing is one of the most traditional activities at Birch Rock. Aside from being an important part of the daily activity offerings, the skills learned in canoeing are essential to successful and fun canoeing trips.

Through the early 1990's, the canoes at Birch Rock were of traditional wood and canvas construction. One of these is still at camp, hung below the porch of the lodge. Through the 1990's the fleet of canoes was replaced with more modern canoes for use at camp.

The canoeing badges are: the Penobscot, Abanaki, and Passamaquadi.


From the 1992 Canoeing Report in the Biroca Blast written by Justin Ingold

Picture this, if you can... a calm morning. No, strike calm, we are talking serene. Peaceful. Beautiful. Now wait a second. Let that sink in... Got that? Alright, now add four young, eager to learn, men to the picture. They are paddling quietly across this lake (McWain). Can you see the mist? Can you hear the loons? This is how my mornings started. This is what kept my clock ticking.

 YOU HAVE GOT TO DIG CANOEING!

What can I say? What can I do to get the image across? Poetry? Maybe a song? We had fun. Ask the boys. Ask Cyrus Gorman or Thomas Joyce, both of whom showed up EVERY DAY to eventually get their second canoeing badge (Abnaki). Ask Tristan Grew, Shawn Edwards, Jamie Grantham, Bret Ingold, Jo Takase, or Lenza Latendress, all of whom battled the elements with only their first canoeing badge in their sights.

 THESE BOYS WERE DEDICATED!

Rain, wind, hail (but not lightning, right boys?). They saw it all. What draws someone to canoeing? Propelling a canvas boat through the water, close enough to see it, but not to feel its magestic grasp envelope your sun haggled body. I think it has something to do with instinct. People have been doing it for years. I accept it. Ask questions later. For the time being, follow your bliss (or do whatever "floats your boat"). Canoeing has a lot to do with the natural flow of energy that circulates throughout the universe... I'm sorry. I've go to stop. Activity reports are not supposed to mention energy flows in any application to the universe. I'm in too deep.

     I love canoeing.
     It is a part of me.

This year, the boys previously mentioned did a wonderful job. They proved their knowledge of the sport to a tee. (Not tea, the drink, but tee, like tee-shirt or golf tee.) (Golf tee's are spelled T...E...E, aren't they?) (Give me a break. I teach canoeing, not golf) (Not to bag on golf. I'm sure it can be fun too. But not on a lake.)

Everyone should try canoeing sometime. I can't promise that you'll love it, but you have to respect it. You'll probably respect it more than you respect me after you have plowed through much of this report.

I would like to end with a quote. I don't know who said it, but it is appropriate.

   "Life is what you make of it."
      PADDLE HARD
     GET PLENTY OF REST
        and
     HOLD YOUR HEADS UP HIGH

Love, Justin