Originally published in Lake of the Woods Area News, Volume 54, Number 3, Summer 2024
Everyone must believe in something. I believe I’ll go canoeing.
Henry David Thoreau
The canoe has a long history in North America, especially Canada. For many centuries before the arrival of settlers to this country, the birchbark canoe was critical to the lives of inland Indigenous people for hunting, trade and travel. For West Coast Indigenous people, it was the dugout canoe that enhanced mobility. For the Inuit in the Far North, it was a close cousin, the kayak.
Modern recreational canoeing, as we know it today, began in Canada in 1850 when Ontario craftsmen started to build plank-style canoes out of cedar. Eventually, the joys of canoeing caught on with the general public, and by the end of the 19th century, the canoe was dubbed the “poor man’s yacht.”
Nowadays, countless thousands of people from all walks of life enjoy the multitude of benefits which recreational canoeing provides. Our area is a wonderful place for canoeing enthusiasts with its many thousands of lakes and rivers and streams waiting to be explored.
When you look at our area and study its geography, you might conclude that Mother Nature designed the canoe first and created the ideal land for it.
There is no doubt that our everyday lives leave a pretty heavy carbon footprint. That could be eased a bit by choosing canoeing over more resource-intensive forms of recreation. The survival of the boreal forest in its present glory in our area depends on getting a handle on our carbon dioxide emissions. Hotter, drier climate will bring more wildfires and insect infestations, which, together with lower rainfall, could have the potential to destroy the boreal forest as we know it.
Obviously, the problem of climate change is much bigger than we can solve by adopting non-motorized forms of recreation but it’s a joyful paddle stroke in the right direction.
Canoeing’s rewards go well beyond environmental benefits. There are a myriad of other reasons to go paddling. It’s fun and provides physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits. Being outside and close to nature lowers your stress levels and get you closer to nature, helps you sleep better and make you a happier person overall.
Paddling is terrific exercise. It improves your cardiovascular fitness, toning your muscles without aggravating your joints.
Canoeing also provides time for self-reflection and reconnection with nature. It can be a meditative experience which allows you to forget the hustle and bustle of daily life and relieve any stress you feel.
Kids enjoy canoeing’s delights. A canoeing and camping trip helps youngsters develop confidence and resiliency, improve their social skills, and learn important life skills. With proper planning you can get beyond the range of cell phone towers and spend some quality time without electronic distractions.
Our many smaller lakes, rivers and creeks are tailor-made for the canoe. By seeking out those waterways you can avoid the dangers of wind and waves on large stretches of open water. Sticking to smaller waterways also keeps you close to shore most of the time. The riparian zone, the interface between a waterway and the land, is where the biodiversity is highest and where you are most likely to have memorable experiences with wildlife. For that reason and safety considerations, even if you happen to be on a large body, the best experiences will be close to the shoreline.
Slipping through the water by canoe can be almost silent, dramatically increasing the chance of close viewing of wildlife. Many of the most beautiful campsites, waterfalls, quiet streams, rock paintings, are best accessed by canoe. Beautiful campsites abound and often you will have an entire lake to yourselves.
Humans long for experience in the natural world. An hour, day, week, or month of travel by canoe can reconnect you with nature and let you enjoy nature in its full glory. Experiences with nature are good for our bodies and minds and help us to appreciate and understand the importance of the environment, biodiversity, and why we must cherish and protect them.
If you want to add more excitement to all of the other pleasures and benefits of paddling, perhaps whitewater is for you. Whitewater adds a real element of excitement to canoeing. Whether it’s part of a longer canoe trip or just a few hours spent at a rapid or series of rapids, maneuvering your way safely through a challenging rapid is a thrilling and satisfying experience. Part of the fun of running whitewater is learning; learning a whole new set of paddling skills, learning to read rapids to determine if they are safe to run and learning to plan the best route.
Canoeing in fast-moving water requires an entirely different repertoire of paddling techniques. The paddling skills and knowledge of how to read rapids are best learned from an experienced whitewater paddler or instructor.
Some very threatening rapids can be perfectly safe to run and some relatively docile-looking moving water can be very dangerous. Knowing which is which can mean the difference between a life-threatening experience and an exhilarating one. The need to know what you are doing cannot be over-emphasized.
In this area most of the river systems are referred to as “pool and drop” in which sections of relatively flat water are separated by sharp drops which are frequently quite short. Many of those sharp drops are too steep and rocky to run safely but the ones that can be run provide a lot of fun and a welcome relief from portaging the canoe and gear. Although portages are necessary on most canoe trips, they are usually regarded as an experience to be avoided if possible. Sometimes, if a rapid cannot be run, the canoe and gear can be maneuvered through the rapid using ropes or “lined” through the tough spots. Lining presents its own hazards as it often involves tricky footing on slippery rocks, clambering along steep shoreline, and crawling over fallen trees.
Photography and fishing are hobbies which dovetail nicely with canoeing. A few casts below seldom-visited waterfall or rapid stand a good chance of providing a little excitement and some delicious fish for the next meal.
Canoeing and camping near the shoreline ensure an abundance of opportunity for memorable photographs which will bring back fond memories for many years.
