Canoe Trips

July and August are peak months for canoe trips. We have been sending people out on a steady basis with lots more guests still to take their trip. It has been just perfect weather: warm days and a little rain at night.

Last Saturday our daughter Shawn (Tanner's mother) returned from her annual gals' canoe trip. She has been doing this for several years now with a bunch of friends from Sandstone. It always amazes me that we don't see more women's groups taking canoe trips.

I think that people have the perception that canoe trips are really tough, rugged events. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is all in the planning. Shawn's gals aren't counting miles. They travel short hops each day and leave plenty of time for swimming and fishing. Because they are not rushed, meals are a real social event. Over the winter they get a lot of pleasue planning these meals along with the rest of the trip. Each trip has them spending two nights in one spot so they can just explore the lake they are on. On Saturday we saw a group of tanned, rested women coming off the canoe trail.

Women's canoe trips are nothing new. Back in the 1930's Katie Burns along with Ruth and Violet Merry used to take their own trips. In those days there wasn't the lightweight equipment we take for granted now. I have seen pictures of the three of them portaging their canoe together. I was recently able to read the journals these three gals kept on their trips. They would have been a fun bunch to travel with. Nothing seemed to bother them as they explored this area by canoe. And it was really exploring because the maps weren't nearly as accurate as today.

Now days we have a lot of emphasis on outdoor activity. I can highly recommend a canoe trip to give you a little exercise and help you get away from all the hustle and bustle of daily life. Bruce and I are going out just after Labor Day with another couple to canoe back to Saganaga from the north side of the Quetico. I can hardly wait.