Paddling down the Red Cedar

This trip started off a little rough as my canoeing partner Alex accidentally lost his moped keys in the river, but from then on it was smooth sailing. The best part about this paddle for me was being able to get into some of the rapids in the river. Although they weren't huge rapids by any means, they propelled our canoe forward much faster than we were able to just from paddling power. Alex and I took our time cruising down the river, just enjoying the scenery and having some good conversation, which to me is really what canoeing is all about, being out on the water and enjoying the company of good people. This whole paddle was a great way to finish up the class, as it was a bit challenging as well as highly enjoyable. It was also nice not to have to fight the current, which was a struggle on the last class paddle with the high winds on Lake Menomin. Of the three trips we took as a class, this was my favorite and it made me want to paddle that river again for sure at some  point in the future.

Canoeing at Willow River State Park

This last weekend my friends and I went on a camping trip to Willow River State Park with the Alfresco Club. We brought along canoes and although much of the weekend was rainy, we were lucky enough to get a whole day of canoeing in that was uninterrupted by inclement weather. Our trip took us across Little Falls Lake and right up to the water fall at the end. In all, about a 4 hour paddling experience. While out on the lake we were able to see a variety of different water fowl including ducks, geese, herons and cranes, as well as catching a glimpse of an owl and two hawks. It was an extremely nice day for paddling as the earlier rain we had gotten kept the air cool and the sun chose this time of day to come out, so the temperature was a very comfortable 55-60 degrees. My canoe partner Evan (in the bow) and I kept our paddling strong by singing an old French canoeing song that helped us keep a consistent , making us the fastest paddlers in our group of two canoes and two kayaks. Overall, it was an awesome experience and it was really great that we were able to get out on the water because we were worried that the rain wouldn't let up, but in the end it did and it ended up being a fantastic day.

Second Day out on the lake

After class was canceled due to the weather on the 20th,we were able to get out there on a cold and windy Wednesday. This time the class put in on the opposite side of the lake, near the cemetery island. I enjoyed this spot a lot more than the previous launch, mainly because of the lakeside landscape. The previous spot was right near campus and as far as scenic beauty there wasn't a whole lot of it to be seen. It was nice to be out on the lake and being able to see nature on the shore rather than buildings and despite the less than ideal conditions, this was a very enjoyable paddle. What really stands out for me on this particular trip was the wind and the waves. It was a bit more challenging, fighting the elements and it was interesting to see how much more speed the canoe could get when our backs were to the wind blowing off the lake. 

First day out on the lake

So I recently looked at my blog and realized my last two posts did not save for some reason or another. So Ill return to the first time we went out on the lake as a class. This first time out turned out to be a lot of fun as well as very instructional. Nick showed us multiple ways to control the direction our canoe was going from both the bow and the stern. My partner Alex and I were able to put these techniques to good use as we experimented with different ways to change directions. We also found ways to increase our speed, by paddling at the same time, then alternating strokes. In all, it was a great first time out for the season and got the class off to a good start.