A Boy and a Girl in a little Canoe - A Weekend with Ridge Wilderness

OK - how about two "old farts" in a little canoe?

A fabulous weekend on the Chilliwack River with Ridge Wilderness

I remember EXACTLY when I fell in love with paddling.  I was in High School (seems like a hundred years ago) and our wonderful team of teachers coordinated an Outdoor Club for the student body.  One of our many adventures took us on a week-long paddling out-trip to Algonquin Park in Northern Ontario.  I was hooked!  I loved everything...the paddling, the lakes, the back-country camping, night skies, campfires with friends, the peace, quiet and the opportunity to connect to nature.  To this day I think of those very special teachers and the impact they had on my life.  I am grateful. I am also thankful that Rob shares my love of the outdoors and that we continue to bike, hike and paddle as a family.

When Rob and I moved from the prairies to the west coast we were captivated by the ocean and made the transition from canoes to sea kayaks.  I apologize to all canoe purists, as I know they will be horrified and appalled at the thought of transitioning from canoeing to kayaking.  It has been a good move for us.  However, this past weekend, we had the opportunity to return to the river and register in a Moving Water Canoe course with Ridge Wilderness, a fantastic outdoor adventure company based in B.C.  Our trip was led by our very own pride and joy - our son Adam!   It was a little surreal to be in Adam's class - as it seems like only yesterday we were bundling up the kids to take them on their first canoe trip.  Adam quickly proved himself to be an exceptional teacher and guide.  Of course, I am biased!  Moms are allowed to be!

Who would have thought the "monkey in the middle" would be guiding Canoe Courses?

Adam demonstrates

Our day began in a small parking lot adjacent to the Chilliwack River.  As our group gathered, we made introductions and learned a little bit about each other.  We were joined by two wonderful ladies from Squamish.  If you live in BC, you know that "Squamish Girls" don't mess around.  They are usually hard core, fit, athletic outdoor enthusiasts.  Well, Josie and Sasha were poster girls for the "Squamish Girl" stereotype.  Josie was taking the course to improve her moving water paddling skills as she was about to embark on a three week trip in the Yukon, and Sasha was there to learn about moving water because she is heading to the Grand Canyon in October.  Rob and I were there because we thought it might be fun!

Thumbs Up...let the day begin!

Feeling a little intimidated by the sheer, raw athletic ability of the group, Rob and I looked at each other, shrugged, picked up our canoe and began the portage to the put in spot.  It seemed the only prudent thing to do.  Before we knew it we were on the water and the day had begun.  Adam led a wonderful introduction to the skills we would need on the river.  We learned to draw, pry, sweep and J....he teased us a little about our "Ontario Lake J" strokes.  Old habits die hard!  We laughed at our different learning styles.  I was content to simply hold my paddle and lean as per Adam's instructions but Rob's analytic mind needed to think about fluid dynamics, paddle angles, the whys and the hows.  Thankfully, Adam skillfully taught the strokes in ways we could both understand.

The second day of the course took us higher up the river looking for bigger water to practice on.  What a wonderful day!  We played in the eddies, working on our turns and our forward and backward ferries.  We learned a lot about reading the river and the many hazards that might await.

Adam teaching us to the read the river

 Sasha and Josie mastered the skills quickly and quite effortlessly.  Rob and I were not quite as skilled, although we did surpass the group in one area.  We mastered the eddy out - get out - and bail out.  We seemed to have perfected the ability to take on a lot of water - even in a river with relatively low water levels!

Josie and Sasha show us how.

We got this!

Adam worked extremely hard at finding something positive to say about our paddling skills.  He was very impressed at our willingness to lean as we attempted our eddie turns.  He teased the Squamish girls that we were leaning more than they were.  Although I would like to accept the compliment, I would suggest that we had at least a hundred pounds on those girls, and it was simply a question of MASS!

On day two, we were on a faster section of the river and Adam was demonstrating a jet ferry.  With one smooth stroke he angled his canoe and effortlessly moved or "jetted" across the water.  He was actually able to hold his paddle out of the water and spin it in the air.  I noticed that his dry bag was open and the straps were actually dragging in the water.  I was reminded of a power skating instructor from yesteryear.  This kid was so good that he could teach an entire power skating class without even tying up his skates!  I suppose Adam wasn't even worried about his gear, because he knew he would not tip.  Of course, seeing the dry bag open and straps in the water bugged me and I had to point it out.  He gave me a huge smile and said, "I knew that would get you Mom!"

...just like this!

The day went all too quickly as we worked on our skills and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the river.  As we ate lunch, I silently wondered if Adam and the other great guides at Ridge Wilderness knew that they might be the ones to turn a young kid on to paddling and the outdoors, as my high school teachers had done many years ago.  I hope they understand and value the potential impact they may have on a youngster....who knows, one day they may be taking a class from one of their former students.


Giggle of the day:

On one of our many eddie turns, we managed to completely fill our canoe with water.  We are not sure exactly where we went wrong, but our boat was full, absolutely, positively FULL.  Thankfully, we had a float bag in the canoe enabling us to stay upright (although it was not pretty).  The canoe was incredibly unstable.  With each tentative paddle stroke the water in the boat would move and our centre of gravity would shift dramatically.  We were sure that a swim was in our future.  To the disbelief of our group we managed to ferry back across the river without dumping! We arrived at shore just in time to get out and empty the water out of our canoe.  I think we left our guide speechless...... all Adam could say was, "What are you guys doing?"  I wish we knew!

Why is there so much water in the canoe?

Map and Route tips:

Ridge Wilderness offers a wide variety of lessons, courses, and first aid instruction.  They provide programs for groups from 1 person - 250 people and from 1 hour to 6 days.  Whether you are interested in a tandem canoe or a trip in a historic Voyageur Canoe - these guys can make it happen!

Thanks Ridge Wilderness....Bowron Lakes next?


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