Conscious Choice: Canoeing

May 2000

Canoeing

by Tom Judge

For thousands of years, people have been paddling canoes — transporting themselves in lands without roads, fishing to sustain themselves, and treating themselves to the pure pleasure that maneuvering a small watercraft brings to the heart, the mind, and the soul.

Simplicity and portability are perhaps the canoe’s biggest advantages. Other types of craft might take you farther and faster, but where the canoe takes you can’t be measured in miles. When motor or sail boats run out of gas or of wind, a canoe can keep going. When there’s not enough water to float a yacht, you and your canoe keep on moving. And when there’s not even enough water to float your canoe, you can pick it up and carry it to a deeper spot.

A canoe can take you to parts of the world you’ve never seen, though they’re right in your own backyard. The first time I paddled down the main branch of the Chicago River, looking up at the buildings and the bridges, I couldn’t believe my new perspective on the world I had seen every day. Of course, you can take a tour boat or even one of the commuter cruisers that ply between Madison Street and the Wrigley Building (which I do as often as I can), but it’s just not the same. In a canoe, you’re down at water level, a part of the stream itself, not just riding along on top of it.

And then, outside of that main stream, you can find a wetland to explore. Only a canoe can take you into the heart of a swamp or a marsh to let you see the glorious wildflowers and the birds and the mammals that live there, often alongside heavily developed land.

I’ve been paddling for more than thirty years, mostly here in the Midwest. I’ve led trips and instructed beginners, floated casually and shot some pretty hairy whitewater, spent some wonderful times in the Quetico Wilderness, and guided others, with the Friends of the Chicago River (FOCR), through a major metropolitan area. I’ve rafted wild water from the Rio Grande in New Mexico to the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. I’ve shared backwaters in the Florida Everglades with manatee and alligators. And just last summer, I spotted moose on a river in Newfoundland. But there are worlds more to paddling that I’ve never yet taken up.

My enthusiasm belies the fact that I’m a convert to paddling. I wasn’t born to the sport like the children of athletes who follow in their parent’s footsteps. I didn’t grow up on a wild and free-flowing river. The only river nearby when I was growing up was the Calumet, and that probably would have dissolved any canoe that dared to float on its polluted waters through the heavily industrialized Southeast Side.

I’m also not a super-competitive guy. I don’t have to be the first and the best at everything I try. There are plenty of canoe racers out there who have that competitive spirit. They range in competitiveness from those who stop for lunch in the middle of a marathon to those who compete on a global level in world championships and Olympic events. But their sport is alien to me, and you’ll have to find out more about them elsewhere.

I’m in love with the simple, two-person, seventeen-foot, open canoe. I’ve paddled decked boats and I’ve been in lots of rafts, but I still prefer the tandem canoe, built for carrying people and gear rather than for speed. There are lots of other very worthy craft out there in the canoe world: C-1s and C-2s, kayaks (in a canoe you’re supposed to kneel, in a kayak you sit), one-person craft, sit-upons, rafts, downriver racers, big Voyageur-style canoes, long and bulky freighter boats, and still others. And my choice isn’t necessarily the best. Everyone who takes up canoeing will have to make the same choice that I did. Because we’re all different people from different backgrounds, there is a tremendous variety in choices — and preferences. Whatever your choice of canoe, however, the basics of canoeing are the same.

Learning the basics

Look in the sports section of any large bookstore, and you’ll find lots of good books on canoeing. The Red Cross publishes some excellent material on the subject. There are some good videos out there, such as Bill Mason’s Path of the Paddle, that can help newcomers to the sport. And two consumer magazines also serve the self-propelled watercraft market, Canoe and Paddler. I happen to subscribe to both of them, although they are very different in their focus.

You can and should learn nomenclature and get some ideas about the sport from books, but no one ever learned to canoe from reading a book or magazine or watching a video. The only way to learn to canoe is to do it.

Of course, you probably don’t want to learn entirely by trial and error. A wiser first step is to find a club with an instruction program. The American Canoe Association (ACA) certifies instructors in many different types of canoeing. To retain that certification, the instructors have to teach a certain number of classes. The ACA has local chapters, including one in the Chicago area, as well as a national office. Check with ACA to find out more about classes in your area.

FOCR is a good place to pick up the basics on a less formal level. You can sign up with or without a canoe or a canoe partner. If you’re inexperienced or a complete novice, FOCR will assign you to a more experienced partner.

Some trips lend themselves to beginner practice more than others. For example, you may not want to be in the main branch of the Chicago River dodging sightseeing boats if you don’t yet know how to handle a canoe. The Skokie Lagoons, on the other hand, may be just what you’re looking for; they offer plenty of room and the trip includes a lot of time on the water. Though Friends of the River trips are not formal classes, the guides will help you and give you tips, and you can pick up some very useful coaching.

HI/AYH (Hosteling International/American Youth Hostels) has some top-notch canoe leaders and offers one-day and weekend trips. You don’t have to have a partner to sign up, nor do you have to own a canoe. The Young Sierrans also used to offer canoe instruction, but I haven’t seen their publicity materials in a while. You can check local outdoor magazines for more listings of local canoe clubs and what they do. Be aware, however, that most of the canoe clubs in the area require you to have your own boat. If you’re just getting into the sport, you may not be ready, yet, to buy your own craft.

Clothing and gear

Pretty much all you need to start canoeing is already in your closet. But if you get to be a real river rat, you’ll want to invest in some paddling clothes to help you dress for the weather. You’ll need clothing that will keep you warm even if you get wet from rain or an unexpected swim. Old-fashioned wool can do that. Although wet wool feels clammy, it will hold in your body heat. Polypropylene or polypro garments will also keep you warm if they should get wet, and they’ll let your own body moisture pass through if it should warm up and you begin to sweat. For spring or fall trips, plan to wear wool or polypro.

For pants, I recommend wool in cool weather and cotton or nylon when it’s warm. Nylon or similar fabrics dry remarkably quickly, so you may want to buy those. Blue jeans tend to stay wet when they get wet, so I avoid them when paddling.

Don’t forget your feet. If the weather is going to be cool, wear wool or polypro socks. Your feet are more likely to get wet than any other part of you, thanks to wet grass or muddy shorelines, so you want to protect them. Some people wear shoe-pacs (rubber boots with leather uppers), but wool socks are much cheaper and more readily available.

I usually wear canvas shoes, like tennis shoes or deck shoes. They’re cool, they aren’t bothered by water, and they dry relatively quickly. You need something on your feet if you have to wade to pull your boat off a rock or go into the river for some other reason.

A hat or cap is a must; you’ll be getting lots of sun. I usually wear a baseball-style cap, but the choice, of course, is yours. If you wear glasses, even sunglasses, you should have an eyeglasses strap of some sort to hold them in place.

And be sure to bring a complete change of clothes. Some people bring along an extra shirt and pants, then have to put them on over soaking-wet underwear. Sometimes, you can leave them in a car to be there at the end of the trip. If that’s not practical, be sure to bring something waterproof to carry them in. A heavy-duty plastic bag with a twist-tie closure will do if you don’t have a drybag.

What should you take with you in a canoe? A canteen or water bottle is a must. And take something with which to tie it into the boat. Bring enough water and drink it throughout the day.

One rule of thumb: Never bring anything in the canoe with you that you’re afraid to get wet. If you have a $1,000 watch, leave it at home. You can keep necessities in a small personal drybag or an ammo box. You don’t want to lose your wallet or car keys in a tipover.

That said, cameras are nice to bring along. You can take your regular camera in a waterproof bag, but you lose time getting it in and out. And you’re at risk of getting it wet whenever it is out. But there are many waterproof models out there that take good pictures.

Once you have some basic instruction and the right gear, you are on your way. The possibilities are endless. In canoeing, you can become one with your craft. The boat moves with you, becomes part of you. There’s no noisy motor droning in your ear, no sails and ropes to harness the free winds. Just you, your muscles and skills, the boat itself, and the world to explore.

Rules of the...River

1. Nobody ever drowned on a portage. If you’re not sure about what’s ahead, stop and take a look. If you’re still not sure, carry the canoe around the obstacle.

2. A straight line across the water means trouble. From upstream, water falling over something such as a dam or a waterfall looks like a straight line. Get off the river and check.

3. Know the river you’re going to paddle. It may look placid, but moving water has lots of tricks to bring paddlers to grief. Paddle within your ability.

4. Always bring a full set of dry clothes, including socks, shoes, and underwear.

5. Don’t wear or bring anything in the canoe with you that you’re afraid to get wet.

6. If it’s in the canoe, make sure it’s tied in. When the canoe tips, you’ll be too busy saving yourself to salvage belongings.

7. If you tip over in moving water, always stay upstream of the canoe. If you get caught between a canoe full of water weighing a more than a ton and a rock or other obstacle, you’re in big trouble.

8. In a two-person craft, always paddle on opposite sides. Learn to steer that way and you’ll spend more time upright.

9. Lean downstream and toward obstacles you hit. If you wind up sideways against a log or a rock and you lean away from it, you’ll be sitting on the river bottom immediately.

10. Look for the letter V formed on the surface of the water. If the V is pointing upstream toward you, there’s an obstacle there to avoid. If it’s point downstream, that virtually always means there’s a channel there to ride through.

Getting on the Water

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