Parent & Kid Canoe Wilderness Course – August 12-15th, 2024
This Course is now Full, but if you would like to be added to a waitlist, email us Here
Join us on a Canoe Wilderness Course for 4 days & 3 nights of canoe training & lessons for being safe and having fun in the wilderness. This course/adventure is designed for a parent/guardian and child aged 7-14* to be paired up in a tandem canoe for a series of white-water canoeing & wilderness skills.
Dates: August 12-15th 2024
Location: On the Churchill River, upstream from Missinipe, SK (Barker Lake & Devil Lake area)
Cost: $995+GST per pair** (parent & child). The price includes all instruction, food, and group camp gear.
Participants are responsible for bringing personal camping gear for tenting, and suitable canoe and canoe equipment for paddling. Canoes can be rented from us at an additional charge. Please speak with Geoff about what length & type of canoe you will be using.
The course starts Monday afternoon (2-3 pm) at Devil Lake Campground. Devil Lake is located 8km up the road from Misinippi SK, on the Churchill River. After a quick meet and greet, we will prepare to pack the canoes for a 3-hour paddle to camp that will include 1 short portage. The course ends on Thursday afternoon, (2-3 pm)
*Age exception can be made, please call Geoff at 306-586-8631 or email at [email protected] to discuss
**In order to achieve paddling comfort for both parent & child, we can only take registrations in pairs. There will be no sitting or kneeling in the middle of the canoe, each person will be paddling either the bow or stern end of a tandem canoe. If a parent has more than one child and cannot find a willing participant to register with that child, we do have the option of pairing a child with an instructor for the course. Registration for a single person is $395+GST and there is a limit to these spots.
Course Information
Taking your kids into the wilderness for a canoe trip is a fantastic way to spend time outdoors. With a canoe, you are able to haul more gear and kids don’t get as fatigued as when you go hiking or backpacking so it’s a great way to get into the wilderness earlier. Plus, you will learn some great skills that can transfer to backpacking or other outdoor adventures later in life.
After taking this course, you will have the skills to safely plan and take your family on your own canoe excursion on many of the great rivers and areas we have in Canada and Northern Saskatchewan. In addition to canoe skills, we will be teaching safe camping skills, meal planning and preparation, and bushcraft/wilderness survival skills.
This course will be taught on the beautiful Northern Shield, on the Rivers and Lakes of the famous Churchill River System. After the first night in the hamlet of Missinipe, we will be camping in one location for the duration of the trip and paddling and playing in gentle rapids. There will be some R & R (rest & relaxation) time built into the course to allow time for fishing, reading, games etc.
The water is wonderfully warm this time of year, the daylight hours long, and the bugs are at a minimum.
Skills covered by this course.*
All the skills will be taught to both you and your child, so you can realize your abilities, and limitations, for safe wilderness canoe tripping.
- Paddling Class 1 rapids in a tandem canoe with your child.
- Swimming and water safety in lakes & rivers.
- General Camping skills such as
- Campsite selection & set up
- Packing, loading, and travel in a canoe
- Meal Planning, packing, and preparation
- Trip planning, risk management, and safe practices
- Wilderness First-aid tips & training
- Fire Building, safe saw & axe use
*This is a course and group participation and proper behaviour and attention are required for the safety of the group.
Instructor Group
There are 2 instructors for this course, each with many years of canoe tripping and wilderness experience. In addition, each instructor for the course has a specialty to share with the group.
- Colin Frey is a master Outdoor Wilderness Specialist and Wilderness First Responder, he will be the main programmer of the camp skills.
- Geoff Horn is a master paddler and will be the main programmer of the paddling & water skills as well as the camp & cooking skills.
Both instructors have years of experience with teaching both parents & children to be safe in the outdoors and have traveled extensively with their own children in the wilderness.
