Regularly my Dad and I (Ms. Nobleza) go canoeing and camping for three or four days and nights. If you haven't ever been canoeing or camping, here's some information:
Preparing for the Trip: In order to spend three or four days completely in the wilderness, you need to prepare. The Namekagon River is in northern Wisconsin and there are no stores, doctors, or cell phone signals. I prepare by:
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To the left are pictures of our supplies and me with our packed canoe ready to start our trip! |
Canoeing: Canoeing is fun once you get the hang of it. You have to always sit in your canoe otherwise you will topple over and your stuff will get wet! Canoeing on a river is nice because the river has a current. My Dad and I usually go about 15 miles a day canoeing, which includes some time to stop and fish. The river current (without us paddling) goes about 2-3 miles an hour. Canoeing is good exercise for your shoulders and arms! To the right is a picture of the river map. We started our trip at County K (to the very right of the map...you can hardly see it) and ended at Riverside Landing. |
Camping: We camp in a tent on the ground. The Park Service has made "primitive" camp sites for us. "Primitive" here means that they have made a little landing for our canoe (usually made of wood or rocks), mowed some grass for a tent, provided a camp fire tin, and dug a hole in the ground and placed a toilet on top of it for the bathroom (don't forget to pack your toilet paper!). Here are some pictures of the things they provide:
Camp Fires: When canoeing and camping, it's important to always put up your tent when it's still light (we usually like getting to a site by 4-5pm so we can set up and swim before dinner). Your tent and a camp fire are two essentials. A camp fire is nice because when it's dark it provides light and heat, plus it makes your site feel home-y. Fires are sometimes difficult to start and should only be started in the fire ring. We use paper and then small kindling to begin the fire; once the fire starts going, we put on the larger pieces of wood. My job is to collect the wood; I scout out the camp site and surrounding woods for sticks (good for kindling). Once I've found enough kindling, I move on to the larger pieces. One night I found a big log and dragged it to the fire ring and my Dad chopped it up for our fire! |
Flora and Fauna: The river is beautiful and contains many different types of flowers, plants, and animals. Along the shores of the river are wild flowers including Black Eyed Susans and many different types of trees including pine, cedar, oak, and birch. At our camp site I found these fuzzy mushrooms (picture to the left). I've never seen mushrooms that look like this or are so big. I wonder what kind they are. While I didn't get many pictures of the animals, we saw deer (they come to drink at the river and if you're quite as you are canoeing you can see them!), ducks, muskrats, fish (carp, northerns, minnows, and bass), toads, frogs, eagles, wood peckers, hummingbirds, dragonflies, Daddy Long Legs, and many other kinds of animals and insects. |
Fishing: My Dad loves to fish! He starts by preparing his fishing rod with the appropriate line (8 lb line for a river because the current is so strong) and a lure. He then casts out his fishing rod into areas that are good for fish. Usually he is looking for areas that have:
- a few weeds
- a rocky bottom (the river alternates between sandy and rocky bottoms)
- deep enough for a sink hole
My take aways from this trip:
I encourage you to try camping, canoeing, or fishing too! I would recommend you go with someone who has gone before, though, since it can be difficult if you don't know what you're doing! You can canoe right here in Chicago down the Chicago River! Find out more here. If you want to fish, you can fish Lake Michigan or the Chicago River! (Just remember to get a fishing license). You can find out more here.
- I can have an adventure and a great vacation without going too far from home.
- Spending some time in nature relaxes me.
- Our country is beautiful!
I encourage you to try camping, canoeing, or fishing too! I would recommend you go with someone who has gone before, though, since it can be difficult if you don't know what you're doing! You can canoe right here in Chicago down the Chicago River! Find out more here. If you want to fish, you can fish Lake Michigan or the Chicago River! (Just remember to get a fishing license). You can find out more here.