Mother-Daughter River Trip

As many of you know earlier in September we took some friends on our annual Fraser River Float Trip.  Two of the participants were a Mom and Daughter, who had never done a river adventure before.  Mom, Teresa has had a number of outdoor/camping adventures pre-kids (she's got 3 of them) and her daughter, Kennedy is 7.5 years old and was pretty much game for anything!

I thought it would be fun for them to share their perspectives on the trip, in hopes of encouraging other families to get out of their comfort zones and enjoy some paddling adventures!

Kennedy - I loved it (the Fraser River trip).  I hated waiting to get into the boat while they were packing because I loved being on the water.  I would definitely go again.  I liked the first stop - it was a really sandy island and I liked running and making foot prints in the sand.  I had the only foot print that size.  It was nice having another kid on the trip too.  His name was Owen.  I'm glad I wasn't the only kid.  The water was cold but it was really hot out.  We had campfires outside on the beach.  The moon was really bright the last evening.  It gave us light.  We roasted marshmallows that night.  And Auntie Nikki made chocolate and caramel cake.  Our canoeing buddies caught a sockeye fish.  They had it for supper that night.

Enjoying their first river trip photo:Nikki

Teresa - I was very excited about going on this paddling trip since it had been years since I had done a trip like this - prior to kids.  I was very grateful to be able to go with friends that have all the gear and experience!!  Being able to take my daughter on such a trip was an excellent opportunity that I hope we get again.  I love being outdoors and active and this trip was it!  We had amazing weather and I even got a burnt bottom lip - don't ask me how that happened since my daughter didn't get burnt and I don't remember applying sunscreen to her lips! 

Paddling on the river was very peaceful - especially in the bow - and the views were amazing!!  Taking a try at steering the boat from the stern was a great learning experience.  I can't wait to get another opportunity - though it is definitely more work!  I too, like my daughter, would get impatient while the boats were being loaded - I couldn't really help too much and was eager to get back on the river. 

Seeing Owen, the three year old on the trip, made me excited for bringing my youngest next year.  It was great seeing Kennedy love her time on the water, ask endless questions to all the adults around and enjoy exploring the new campsites each evening.  I hope she will remember this trip as well as I will.  I can't wait to have another experience like this with all of the rest of my family!'

Teresa aka Mom, trying her hand in the stern photo:Nikki

Baby Steps - Kayaking with a 2 yr. old

We welcome back, guest blogger, kayaker and Mom, Lori Neufeld!

Mom, Lori and Finley checking out Cook's Creek photo: Dan Neufeld aka. Dad

Kayaking with my 2 year old has forced me to change my way of thinking.  Around here, high flows are crucial for good river runs and 60 000 cfs need to be pumping through Sturgeon Falls for great surfing.  But those levels aren't exactly toddler friendly.  So Dan and I searched high and low for the perfect paddling destination for Finley and we ended up finding it in a friend's backyard.  Cook's Creek is hard to spot on a map, but its shallow waters and slow moving current were ideal for introducing  Finley to kayaking outside.  Dan and I weren't sure how Finn would react to seal launching into the murky waters, but we were pleasantly surprised!

Dad, Dan and Finley photo: Lori Neufeld aka. Mom

We spent all morning paddling/drifting downstream and towing Finley back up.  A small restriction in the river provided enough current for Finn to get a taste of moving water and she asked to do it again over and over.  (see the video clip below)  I couldn't have asked for a better day with my family!  We've spent a number of days on the water with Finley since then.  One step at a time Finley's learning all the small, yet important elements of kayaking that I tend to take for granted.  She loves to rock the boat back and forth, practice low braces and get pushed from one person to another.  She watches us carefully and tries to mimic what we're doing.  Her Fun 1 and Werner Amigo are still a little big for her, but she's very stable in the boat and can easily reach over the sides to dip her blade in or stare at her reflection.

Father-daughter bonding on the "river" - love it!  photo: Lori Neufeld aka. Mom

As a working mom, I feel blessed every time I get out on the water.  But there's something extra special about going paddling with my family.  I will always be drawn to warm, sunny days at Sturgeon Falls surfing the big waves, but I look forward to spending more time on smaller rivers with mellow flows, watching Finley take her first strokes.

Cooks Creek Paddle from Dan Neufeld on Vimeo.

Columbia Gorge SUP Challenge by Eli Fischbuch

Last month, was the Columbia Gorge SUP Challenge in Hood River.  This two day weekend event was packed full of excitement and races.  All the pro paddlers were at this race – like Connor Baxter, Kai Lenny, Danny Ching and it was very cool to be at the same event as them and to see them race.

 

Down-winder start photo: Taine Fischbuch

We arrived in Hood River a couple of days early and when we first drove into town the wind was HOWLING. There were big waves on the river – this is why this race is so popular but I have never seen anything like that before. I really wanted to get on the river to practice paddling in those waves but we realized that I couldn't just jump on this river by myself.  Luckily for me some paddlers from Vancouver that I have met at other racers were there and took the time to take me down the river a couple of times and give me some tips. I am really grateful to them for taking the time – thanks to Jason Lexa, Yannick Michaud, Tim, Dave, James and co.

Day one started out with the technical course race.  This was supposed to be the downwind race day but the wind had totally died down so they moved the downwind race to Sunday. This race was four laps with one lap being a mile long and had a lot of buoy turns.  It was a very long race for a course race! Even though there was a lot buoy turns, a lot of people were on 14 foot long boards.  I was on my 12’6 Naish javelin LE and was using my Werner Grand Prix S1000.

Eli rounding the buoy photo: Taine Fiscbuch

The groms went before every body else and they did two laps. There were tons of kids in this race which was neat to see.  After them it was the open women and the junior girls, they did four laps also.  After they finished it was the open and junior men. There was probably about 60 plus people in this race.

At the start I was really close to the people beside me so when the horn blew and I tried to get my first stroke I immediately hit the rail of the board beside me. I barley even got my blade in the water.  I went to try to paddle on my other and that was no better.  It was like this for a few more seconds and then I finally got a solid stroke.  By this time I was in the tail end of the middle pack. 

By the time I made it to the first buoy I almost came to a stand still because there was about 25 people trying to turn to go to the next buoy.  When I finally made it around the first buoy I actually passed a couple of people.  It was still a full out sprint to the second buoy even though there was a lot more paddling to come.  When I did the 180 degree turn around the second buoy I got into a nice pace for the longest stretch of the race.

When I started my fourth and final lap I started to get really hot and a little tired but I knew I had a little more gas in me to finish the longest course race that I have ever done. I was pretty tired at the end but felt good to have been a part of this race. 

The elite paddlers raced after the open races and it very exciting to watch them. All the pros were introduced before they went down to the beach. We got to watch Werner Paddles team member Lina Augaitis take second in her race – exciting!

Lina Augaitis going around the buoy with Annabel Anderson and Candice Appleby photo: Taine Fischbuch

The second day of this event was the down winder.  I woke up in the morning hoping for wind but sadly there was not even a breeze in the air.  I went down to the event site and there was still no wind.  After the skippers meeting there was still no wind.  But when we were driving to the start of the race the wind start to pick up and you could start to see little bumps in the water.  This was awesome because that is all you need. 

By the time the race was supposed to start the wind was really picking up – it wasn't as strong as when we did our practice runs but still much better than Saturday.  The start line was even more packed full of people because they had the men and women go at the same time.  I started to think that I might have an even worse start than the first race.  The horn went off and I jumped onto my board and started to paddle. To my surprise there was no body right beside me and I could get a good stroke in.  With this great start I headed to the middle of the river because you have to go around a buoy plus the wind is stronger in the middle of the river.  After I made it to the middle of the river I start to get into a nice rhythm and I started to surf a couple of little bumps.  I was having a lot of fun doing this, for a moment I forget that I was even in a race. 

About half way through the race the wind started to pick up a little more and made some bigger waves.  With bigger waves I had to focus a little more on not falling off my board.  While I was doing this I was keeping my head down and a huge sailboat just came up behead me.  This surprised so much that I almost fell off my board.  The good news is that this made me realize that I had to make way back to the south side of the river. When I finally got where I wanted to be I was basically towards the finish of the race. I just had to paddle around an island and then to the beach, so I started to paddle a little harder.  Then I made it to the last buoy I almost fell in turning around it but luckily I did not.  Then I made my final sprint into the finish line and sprinted up the beach to the finish line where I managed to finish second out of the junior men.  

Fraser River Canoe Trip - Kid & Beginner Friendly

The "Mighty" Fraser River may be one of the most under-utilized and under-appreciated waterways (by paddlers) that I can think of and it's one of my favourites VERY close to home.

The Fraser is the longest river in British Columbia, named after explorer, Simon Fraser.  The first nations name (which I actually prefer) is the Sto:lo River and it flows from, Prince George, BC through city of Vancouver, BC to the Pacific Ocean.

Teresa and Kennedy

I was first introduced to the idea of paddling on the Fraser, by my husband, Mark and in our early dating years I thought he was crazy.  The idea of paddling down this particularly river frightened me and thankfully I got over this and ventured out with him one weekend.  I am happy to report that there have been many more Fraser River trips since then and the most recent was experienced by experienced, novice and first-time paddlers, not to mention, 2 kids (7 yrs old and 3.5 yrs old).

Our youngest paddler, Owen!

A bunch of our "motley" crew

 I love the beautiful sandy beaches and the non-technical aspect of the section between Hope, BC and Chilliwack, BC.  Hazards on the river are namely wind, power boats, immersion and some bridge pilings (all pilings are completely avoidable).  This year, the anglers in our group, happily enjoyed the record sockeye run and Mark ("Englishman") got the title of successful hunter this trip!

Mark with his catch!

Janyne trying out the stern position during her 2nd trip down the Fraser

We typically do the trip in September and October as the river is running quite high during the summer months and most available campsites will be under water.  Friends and family have an open invitation to join us particularly if they can gather a few more experienced paddlers, our goal is always to have as many experienced paddlers as possible so we can share the adventure with those that would be unable to do so on their own.

Group shot (L to R): Morgan, Owen, Mark, Liz, Mark, Kennedy, Eric, Teresa and Janyne

I hope you enjoy a few photos from our recent trip.  Thanks to Janyne, Teresa, Kennedy, Eric, Mark, Liz, Morgan, Owen and my husband, Mark for sharing the adventure and the beauty of the Fraser River with me recently.