This past weekend was our canoe poling intensive, and we had a great time. Students got the chance to get the basics down, and then knock out the first six miles or so of poling up and downstream at our local Brattleboro stomping grounds on the first day, where we endlessly entertained some of the folks using the walking trails along the river. One group stopped and watched for about fifteen minutes as we worked our way up a particularly tricky rip. Everything is more fun with an audience right?

Sunday was spent upping the ante a bit with some stronger current just below a dam on the asheluot river in new Hampshire. It’s always fascinating to me how quickly people can take to something new if they have the drive and you make it fun. Poling a canoe upstream is hard work, but incredibly rewarding if you come to it with the right mindset.
Great weekend, great company and a lot of learning going on.