Canoeing in the Summer

In the summer, it can be difficult to find fun, cool activities to do outside. Swimming is probably the most obvious activity, but after a while that can get a little old. Many people enjoy boating and skiing. I love to go whitewater rafting, but in Indiana it’s hard to find somewhere to raft that isn’t too far away. Another activity that is relatively easy to do in Indiana is canoeing.

My first experience canoeing was quite interesting. One of my friends decided she wanted to take a few of us canoeing for her birthday. A few people turned into a rather large group. There ended up being enough people that we had to take 3 canoes.

I was a little apprehensive about canoeing at first. I had never been before so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was really worried about tipping the canoe over, but once we got on the water, I felt much more comfortable. Canoeing actually turned out to be very relaxing.

Since people usually canoe in calm water, there isn’t a lot of work to do while canoeing. The two major responsibilities are to paddle occasionally and steer clear of the shore. For the most part our group did a fairly good job of this; however, with three canoes full of teenage kids, there is bound to be some excitement.

Two guys in one canoe decided they wanted to get out and swim. They were able to get out just fine, but getting back in the canoe was the problem. As they were trying to hoist themselves back into the boat, they accidently tipped it. Unfortunately, the place the boat tipped was very deep. They were half-heartedly trying to turn the boat right side up, but they couldn’t touch in the deep water. The boys thought it was funny, and the rest of us were sure the boat was going to sink. Once someone threatened the possibility of snakes in the water, the boys flipped the canoe right over and jumped in. I doubt there were any poisonous snakes, but it was a good enough threat to get them back in the boat.

A little while later we came up on a long rope tied to a tree. We saw many people taking a break and swinging off the rope into the water. By that time the boys had forgotten all about the snake scare, and they were the first from our group to volunteer to swing into the water. Once the rest of us saw them use the swing and successfully make it into the water, we all decided we wanted to do it. We probably spent a half-hour at this particular spot just taking turns swinging into the water.

I think everyone that went canoeing that day had a really great time. The great thing about canoeing is you can take your time and just relax. There isn’t a lot of danger or many things to worry about. It’s a great way to be outside even in the hottest weather and still stay cool.