Canoeing the Blackwater River

(Written by Shanan age 13)

It was a Saturday morning. We had packed a lunch the night before, in preparation for a day of fun.

Today Dad was taking Alyssa, Genna, and me canoeing on the Blackwater River. Genna’s excitement was as clear to see as if she had “I’M EXCITED” in all caps printed on her forehead. She was literally bouncing off the walls in anticipation. Before too long, we set off in the truck to drive to Blackwater Canoe Rental. We reached the place on time, but had to wait a short while for our ride. The shuttle was an old school bus, which we rode to the drop-off point.

One EXCITED little girl

Once we arrived, Dad spotted an Old Town canoe, which we quickly claimed. We loaded ourselves into the canoe and pushed off into the river. Dad told convinced us to paddle upstream first, and that definitely got us sweating! We had no reservations about taking a dip in the cool water after such a workout. Alyssa and I enjoyed our ice cold sodas (a special treat from Dad) and regained our strength before starting off once more. Dad told us that we would turn around after the next bend, and finally, after going around several more bends, we changed our direction.

The water felt great on a hot day

We cruised along, pausing for breaks occasionally, until we stopped for lunch. We ate the sandwiches we had brought, and then set off again. Soon after, we came to a sandy spot where we pulled over. We noticed a group of people who had crossed over to the opposite bank playing in what appeared to be clay. Dad, Alyssa, and I went over to investigate, and sure enough, that’s exactly what it was. Dad and Alyssa started throwing it at me, so I swam back over to the canoe to escape.

It took me a while to warm up, but eventually we all ventured over and made a great time of it. Alyssa and I made face masks for each other, with Alyssa sporting a hook nose. I’m sure we looked a bit like monsters!

All too soon, it was time to paddle the last leg of the journey, so we washed off the clay. However, Alyssa and me decided to keep our face masks on for the rest of the journey down the river. It was definitely a good idea! We got lots of comments on our attractive appearances :) Before long, we reached the end point, and our day of fun was coming to a close. Alyssa and I washed our faces, and then we took the short shuttle back to the parking lot. I think I can safely say that everyone had an awesome time!