Exploring The Great Outdoors

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Canoeing can be a great way to see the wilderness, enjoy its peace and quiet, spend time with your family or friends, and get some exercise. If you’ve never tried it, maybe this summer is the time to start.

Before your first canoe trip, it’s essential to do some planning. There are the commonsense preparations you’d make for any boating trip:

• Wear life jackets and sunscreen
• Bring water and snacks
• Let someone know where you’re going and when you should be back

Experienced canoers also offer these tips:

• “[W]e always take two canoes, one adult in each one,” says Sherry Gavanditti, who takes frequent canoe trips with her husband and two teen daughters. This is “better and safer”, she says, but more does not always mean better: “[A]void canoeing with large groups, as most people are not experts at navigation and when everyone is in the water with paddles splashing around and canoes hitting each other, something is bound to go wrong.”
• “It’s a good idea to allow extra time,” says Don Perkins, a long-time canoer in New England, “especially since canoeing in the dark is not a pleasant experience for most.”
• Practice dumping, advises Elizabeth Doyle, a former guide at Outward Bound. Why would you intentionally tip over your canoe? “[I]t’s important that everyone be aware of what it feels like to suddenly wind up in the water and for the whole group to know what to do if that happens.” This can help overcome fears you may feel the first time out.
• More ways to deal with fear: “[P]lay around,” says Ms. Doyle, “Try standing and wobbling the boat, see if you can tip it without using your hands, sink the boat and paddle it when it’s bobbing under water. Turn it upside down and hang out in the air pocket beneath it. Have fun with the canoe!”