Canoe Poling And Paddling WorkshopLearn the Traditional Arts of Poling and Efficient Paddling |
At A Glance
2008 Dates: 6/14-6/15
Tuition: $250
Registration Deadline: 5/23
Registration Information
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Poling up the Allagash River.
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The use of a pole to propel a watercraft likely predates the paddle by centuries. It gives you total control over your boat, allowing you to pick your route with a certainty that a paddle can't match.
With our modern canoes, made from virtually indestructible materials, paddling through rapids has become similar to a bumper-car ride. People race through the rapids bouncing off rocks with impunity. With the bark and canvas hull coverings of the past, such technique wasn't possible without spending most of a day at the foot of every rapid making repairs. With a pole, you're able to slowly pick your way through complicated rapids without touching a single rock. Students in the Earth Skills Semester Program never believe me when I tell them that by poling they can travel the length of the Allagash River without ever touching a rock. But, by the end of the trip and with lots of experience poling, they've all come to realize I wasn't exaggerating. With the current renaissance of wood and canvas canoes, relearning this ancient art allows the owners of these beautiful boats to take them on trips that would be questionable were they using only a paddle.
Poling
The course takes place on the Aroostook River, where the conditions are ideal for poling. Participants find a quiet spot of water that's just a foot or two deep and practice standing in the canoe and shifting their weight. This is called getting your legs. Once everyone is comfortable standing and maneuvering, we begin using the pole to propel our boats forward and backwards, learning to turn with and without power, and to pole in a straight line. Other poling skills will round out the morning.
Paddling
After lunch we'll return to the water and focus on paddling. Working as a professional guide I find myself paddling my 20 footer solo more often than not, and always with a heavy load of gear. So how is it that I can paddle all day and still have lots of energy upon arriving at camp in order to set up camp and cook dinner? By paddling efficiently. I've made my paddling stroke energy efficient, with no wasted movement, and focus on large muscle groups that fatigue slower than small muscle groups. Our initial focus will be on body positioning and leverage, then we'll use this to learn an age old paddling stroke that has been called, among other things, the knifing J, the Canadian stroke, and the north woods stroke. Other strokes we'll cover include the pitch stroke, the Indian stroke, the draw, the pry, and the sweep, as well as answer questions about other strokes that participants may have.
Poling through the mist on the St. Croix River.
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The essence of this workshop is efficiency. Learning to paddle with no wasted movement, and learning to pole and working with the water and not against it can elevate your canoeing to new levels of comfort and fun.
Equipment
You're welcome to bring their own boat, pole, paddle, PFD, or any other piece of gear you've got or want to experiment with.
Getting A Pole Of Your Own
Poles will be provided during the workshop, but if you'd like to purchase one and use it during the workshop we recommend getting it from Pole And Paddle Canoe. I've know Don Merchant for a number of years and his poles will stand up to a lifetime of use, and his pole points are the best available anywhere. We can arrange to have your pole waiting for you when you arrive.
For lots of photos of poling and paddling, please visit our Photo Gallery.
