Two weeks ago, I managed to get away with friends for our 4th annual canoe trip. Due to the various schedules involved, we planned the weekend four months in advance but a ton of rain the week before nearly canceled the trip. It went off as planned, but the weekend was a far cry from the prior year. All our pics and a brief video are all up on the Derecola Archives, so be sure to check ’em out. Included below are a few notes from the weekend.
- Our group grew from 4 to 7 this year. More people always means different group dynamics, but I think everyone got along well.
- We opted for the 24 mile trip instead of 29. We avoided the poison ivy and had a much more relaxed trip.
- The river was pretty high/fast due to all the rain. This meant we didn’t have to paddle a whole lot but with the water dirty and cold, we never jumped out to swim.
- Aside from a thunderstorm around 5 am, the weather was absolutely perfect (high 70s and sunny with a cool breeze).
- Eric and I were the only canoe that didn’t capsize. This is a far cry from last year when we went into the drink three times before lunch on day 1. Choosing not to bring liquor probably had a lot to do with it.
- We ended up camping way too late… again. We were shooting for a specific camp spot and by the time we got there, it was already taken. The next few were also taken so we didn’t get out of the river until around 6. That’s relatively early if you’re getting home from work, late to camp if you want to pal around for the afternoon.