Ben and Tyler successfully sink their canoe.

There are some new pictures up from canoeing last week. The guys practiced how to perform a T-rescue and played the J-lean game. Everybody got a handle on the T-rescues very quickly and we moved on the J-lean game which teaches you how to brace and maintain balance in a canoe. The goal is to fill your canoe with water without tipping the canoe. Tyler and Ben successfully completed the game and while the other guys were getting the hang of it, we had to head back to basecamp because it’s still May and the water was freezing!

When the weather gets warmer and the trees are greener, how do you know the summer’s going to be something more exciting than average?
One clear signal is bruises on your arms from gunwhales. Probably your shoulders are getting sore from portaging. Or maybe it’s when you start having dreams about trail…

Speaking of, I had a dream the other night that we were portaging across a floating bog. It was causing us some problems, so we found ourselves a stream. We had an inflatable mattress instead of a canoe, so we all hopped on and started kicking. So ridiculous! I suppose this means that I’m thinking of you all, and that even if something is challenging while we’re forging our way through the wilderness (the floating bog part), there is always another solution (finding a stream and using an air mattress instead!). Sure, chances are good that we won’t run into that particular situation, but we will have lots of chances to solve problems in innovative ways—it’s the Voyageurs way!

A big thanks to all the parents that could make it to the meeting the other night—I really appreciate all the help you’ve offered for us in the next month (wow, it’s less than a month now until we get on the Voyageur bus and head north!!).
It was great to get a chance to talk more than the brief introductions we had at that first meeting at Cathedral.

Earlier this week, we had our first paddling lesson, which I think went very well! The crew learned the different parts of the paddle (grip, shaft, throat, blade, and tip), as well as the functions of bow and stern paddlers. Then we got knee-deep into the Mississippi and everyone got the feel for how the paddle strokes feel in the water. I taught the C-stroke and the J-stroke—do you ladies remember what each of these strokes does? Get ready for our first in-water paddle session early next week! I can’t wait! There’s just something wonderful about being on the water, and I hope you’re as excited as I am!

“The sun climbs over the pines. Over the spruces. Over Saganaga, Kabetogama, Nistowiak, Namew, Athabaska. And ten thousand other places with no names. The North Woods calls. The river pulls, the paddle whispers. I listen. And gradually … gradually the mist burns away.” -Douglas Wood, “Paddle Whispers”

Next, we portaged the canoes down to the lake and went out for our first paddle.  We went over some of the basics, but the main point was just to go out there and get comfortable in the canoes (and have fun of course).  By the time we got back to the docks after being out on the water for about an hour, you could see immense improvement in all of the boys.  However, we have a long ways to go.

Once we got back to Base Camp and put the canoes away, we went upstairs to look at some maps.  Instead of setting the maps up for the boys and letting them off easy, we decided to let them put together the set of maps, which are like a puzzle.  Chase captured about 30 pictures from overheard that show the boys progress (and struggle), hopefully we can get those up on the site. Once the map was assembled, we let the boys go and start planning their route.  Since this was the first time looking at the maps, we let the boys get comfortable with them and start picking some spots they want to see.

We were really proud of the boys for all the hard work they put in today, let’s keep it up! Paddle tomorrow again at 6:30, see you there!

There is a work opportunity for 12 to 18 people on Saturday, May 26 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm or so. The job is to help clean up after the Apple Duathlon which is held each year in Sartell. Voyageurs have been doing this for 3 years and they have had a lot of fun while at the same time making a strongly positive impression on the volunteers who organize the event. The Medical Director for Les Voyageurs, Dr. Mark Halstrom, is one of the organizers.

This is on a first come basis. I will send you an email response.

Fred
fredrupp@cloudnet.com

After the Boot Shack, we made the trek across St. Cloud to Saver’s on Division Street.  We went over the equipment list and made notes on what a good thing to buy there would be, and what a bad thing would be.  For example, buying items such as your button up long sleeve and short sleeve at Saver’s is a great idea.  On the contrary, buying your rain gear there would not be a very good idea.  Each member of the crew bought multiple items, which included long and short sleeve button ups, nylon shorts and wind breakers.

Overall, we had a great night of shopping and laughs.  On Thursday, we will be doing our first crew paddle, should be an awesome time!

Of course, what would a Voyageur meeting be like without a good paddle to accompany it? We set out on a casual little jaunt down the Mississippi to shake off the rust on our flat water paddling skills. Our next official meeting will hopefully look to nail down a calender, meal plan, and the focus of our future meetings.

The summer is approaching fast for the boys, and it’s just begun for me. It’s time to put our seat belts on and get ready for the ride!

- Remer

-Ali and Greta

p.s. these pics are from tonight… try to guess which hand is your daughters because after the trip they will be covered in perma-dirt!

Monday night we went canoeing for the first time. The guys learned how to do the J-stroke, power stroke, draw, and pry. Everyone did very well, although we still need to practice a lot before we are ready for trail. We also got the maps out for the first time and looked at the options we have for our trip. The crew has really began our trip on a good note and I appreciate everybody’s hard work.

A couple of things that people can be doing at home are sanding your paddles and purchasing your boots. When sanding, remember to use medium or fine grit paper and only do the side without the LVI logo. Make sure you get all of the varnish off. You can hold your paddle up to the light to see what spots are left. Also, the boots are in at the Boot Shack and you can go buy them any time now. It takes a little longer than you might think (maybe 30 or 45 minutes). If you guys want to do either of these activities as a crew we definitely  can.  Just let me know the next time we meet.

In addition to flipping canoes, we’ve discussed the level of difficulty we will look for in our adventure north. Desired highlights are cliff jumping, bush crashing, a night paddle, and having really challenging days. Tomorrow marks our first paddling lesson. I will cover the basics of paddling, the function of each person in the canoe, and how the different strokes move the boat. Learning to paddle with more than a month left before we leave gives us a plethora of time (between our other crew activities) to gain a solid understanding of that major aspect of the trip. The more practice we get now, the sooner we can start learning about whitewater and the strokes required. I am really looking forward to it, and I hope you all are, too!

I’m impressed with the improvement I’ve seen this week, and I know we will continue to have an awesome time as a crew, enjoying our adventure together and learning wilderness skills and how to work together as a team. 

Keep up the hard work!

Your guide,
Clare 

Our tentative calendar is up PLEASE check it out!  We will go over it at our first meeting this Wednesday (May 16th) so make sure to write down and bring with any conflicts that you have.  Also don’t forget your paddle! We are going to sand them so you can go get them painted! We will be meeting at McDonalds off of highway 15 so we can car pool out to base camp together.  See you soon!

Kelsey and Ally