Canoe trip for kids

[Betty]

I'm thinking of organizing a two-week trip to the Boundary Waters of Minnasota with my daughter and some of her classmates in the summer. Have you ever organized such a thing? How did it go?

 

[Lorax]

Two weeks with kids?

Two weeks with lots of kids, most of which have no experience with this type of travel?

Two weeks of "What was that noise!?", food allergies, layover days due to wind and weather, portages and keeping track of gear, emotional meltdowns, route planning, cooking, making and breaking down camp and last but not least..........


........keeping inventory on the TP rations?


You are much more brave than I could ever hope to be!

 

[ChadTower]

You'd better bring a way to charge cell phone batteries or half those kids are going to lose their freakin' minds within 24 hours. Text messaging withdrawl in kids these days is as scary as detox.

 

[Bobby]

If this is a first-time thing, I might recommend a one-week trip. My sister's church takes a group of teens to the Adirondacks every year, and that is plenty long enough for them.

 

[JDSport]

We go on a camping canoe trip for a week every summer. Although it is just family their are about 30 of us and 12 of them are under the age of 17. We have a lot of fun, but we are family. It would depend on their ages.

 

[Bambi]

I never organized one, but I went on one when I was 13. There were 4 adults very experienced with canoeing, one in each of 4 canoes, and 8 girls. We met each Saturday for 8 weeks ahead of time so we could all be schooled up. It was the best!

 

[Betty]

I really like the idea of "schooling up" the group ahead of time. That way everyone can know what would be expected ahead of time. Any problems with any of it, and they can bow out gracefully.

 

[le Metis]

Suggest a week or so before the trip that some pre training is in order...

Suggest
T rescues
paddle strokes for both the stern and bow
emptying a swamped canoe
using throw ropes
swimming in a PFD
keeping a weather eye
effective portaging

speaking of PFD's, I would also suggest not using those cheap, orange horseshoe collar ones found at Wal Mart. Use a vest type, Class III PFD will little, to no ride up....

 

[Joe S.]

Excellent, excellent suggestions, especially learning how to portage a canoe. It will be a challenge for young teenage girls to get a canoe up over their heads.