Plan an Expedition: Paddling Trips (Canoeing &

Introductions Participants –
Your Name
Your Unit & location
A goal for this workshop
Canoe or Kayak or both?<br>

Planning a Paddling Trip So, your Scout Troop has decided they want to do a paddling trip.

What do they need to do to make that happen?<br>

Planning a Paddling Trip – Some Questions Start with some questions:
Canoeing or kayaking? {Flat-water only; Not whitewater}
How long of a trip? – Daytrip; weekend camping; multi-day adventure?
Where to go?
When to go?
Who gets to go?
How many people are going?
What equipment do we need & where do we get it?
How to prepare & train?<br>

How long of a trip? Daytrip – Easiest. Probably local (Central NY).
End-to-end or out-&back. Maybe you don’t even need to haul boats on vehicles.
Destination Type: Creek, River, Canal, Lake
Weekend camping –
Local (Central NY), or possibly Adirondacks (for a 3-day weekend)
Destination Type: Creek, River, Canal, Lake
multi-day adventure –
Going somewhere big! Possibly out of State. Maybe out of the Country.
Requires expedition planning.
Prepare for the others, by doing the easier trips as practice/training.<br>

Where to Go Paddling - Daytrips Get a guidebook –
Ponds and Swimming Pools
Creeks
Owego Creek
Catatonk Creek
Cayuga Lake Inlet
Rivers
Tioghnioga River
Chenango River
Susquehanna River
Chemung River
Otselic River
Delaware River Canals
Erie Canal
Cayuga-Seneca Barge Canal
Lakes & Ponds
Cayuga Lake
Cayuta Lake
Dryden Lake<br>

Guidebooks “Take a Paddle – Finger Lakes”, Rich & Sue Freeman (2004)
“Canoe/Kayak Launches near Binghamton, NY”, Ray Baker (2011)
“Adirondack Paddler’s Guide”, Dave Cilley (2009)
“Canoeing Algonquin Park”, Donald Lloyd (2000)<br>

Where to go paddling – weekend camping Camping for canoe and kayak trips in Central NY is much more challenging, in particular finding campsites in proximity to boat launches.
Susquehanna River – Grippen Park, Endicott, NY to Hiawatha Island, Owego, NY. Camping on Hiawatha Island (camping for Scout groups only! Contact -- http://watermancenter.org/ ) Or camping at Hickories Campground, Owego, NY
Tioghnioga River – Marathon to Whitney Point. Camping at Lighthouse Landing Campground, Killawog, NY http://lighthouselandings.org/camping-rates/  “We do overnight canoeing, camping trips for Boy & Girl Scouts (camping is free)” 607-423-5639
Tioughnioga River – Whitney Point to Chenango Forks. Camping at Chenango Forks State Park.
Otselic River – Willet, NY to Upper Lisle. Camping at Upper Lisle Campground. 607-692-4612
Erie Canal – various segments. Camping at various locations.
Cayuga Lake – Out-and-back loop. Camping at Camp Barton, BSA<br>

Where to go paddling - Adirondacks There are a number of classic canoeing areas & routes in the Adirondacks.
Cranberry Lake
St. Regis Canoe Area – Upper, Middle & Lower Saranac Lake
Forked Lake – Raquette Lake – Blue Mountain Lake
Lows Lake – Sabattis Scout Reservation
Fulton Chain of Lakes – Old Forge to Eighth Lake<br>

Multi-day paddling adventures These are true canoeing expeditions, and take extensive planning & preparation:
High Adventure Base / Boundry Waters, Minnesota
Allagash River, Maine
Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canda
St. Lawrence Seaway sea kayaking
Costal Atlantic sea kayaking

If you are planning one of these adventures, you will also want to practice by doing several paddling day-trips, plus at least one weekend paddling+camping shakedown trips.<br>

How far to go? General rules of thumb for how far to go paddling each day are –
3-5 miles = short daytrip (beginner)
7-10 miles downstream (average beginner daytrip; or avg. day)
10-14 miles (intermediate to advanced day)
14-17+ miles (advanced day; hard)

How far you can go in a day depends on a number of factors:
strength of the paddlers, downstream vs. upstream, wind & wind direction, weather, weight of gear carried, nr. of portages.<br>

When to go? Fall –
water-levels moderate (may be low-water in early fall).
September generally ok.
October weather & temperatures may vary; could be too cold to paddle without wet-suits.
Summer –
water-levels may be low.
Temperatures & weather generally good. Watch out for thunderstorms.
June – August generally ok
Spring
Water-levels high; water temperature may be too cold.
Watch out for spring thaw run-off. Creeks & rivers could be fast moving.
Increased risk of thunderstorms.<br>

Training for adult leaders Take a BSA swim test (same as for Scouts)
Safety Afloat – Required for paddling trips. Online at https://my.scouting.org – {revised Feb. 2022} under Expanded Learning>Program Safety



Safe Swim Defense – Required if you are going to do swimming activities. Online at https://my.scouting.org - under Expanded Learning>Program Safety
Paddlecraft Safety – Nice to have, if you can find a training course.<br>

What kind of training do we need? Take a BSA Swim Test
How to paddle (paddling strokes for canoeing or kayaking)
Getting in & out of a boat (launching & docking)
How to steer the boat / how to paddle straight
How to portage / carry a boat
Emergency procedures practice
T-assist / T-rescue (aka. canoe-over-canoe or kayak-over-kayak recovery)
Swamped boat drill (for canoes)
Wet-exit (for kayaks)
Distressed swimmer rescue<br>

Logistics – What gear do we need? What equipment do we need:
Boats – Canoes or Kayaks
Paddles
PFDs (Personal Flotation Devices)
Boat Trailer ?<br>

Logistics - Where to get gear / boats, etc.? Camp Barton, BSA
Has canoes, paddles, PFDs and a trailer available for rental.
Cornell Outdoor Education – outfitting
Canoes, Kayaks, paddles, PFDs. Deals for scout groups, but still $.
Commercial Outfitters:
Puddledockers, Ithaca, NY
Canoes, Kayaks, SUPs, paddles, PFDs
Eastern Mountain Sports, Ithaca, NY
Kayaks, paddles, PFDs; $$
Southern Tier Kayak Tours (STKT) – http://stktours.com<br>

Logistics – Hauling boats Generally there are 2 choices for hauling boats:
Trailer – If you trailer, you need a vehicle that can pull a trailer, and you need experience driving with a trailer. {Don’t do it, if you’ve never tried it before.} Capacity: 6-8 boats (canoes or kayaks)
Car-top
Capacity: 1-2 kayaks or 1 canoe per car.
Whichever you choose, learn how to tie-down a boat to a trailer or car-rack (horizontal tie-downs; ratchet-straps recommended). Use an additional safety rope over trailer. Use additional front and back tie-downs on cars.
If you rent from Camp Barton or Puddledockers, you can launch directly to Cayuga Lake without trailering boats anywhere.<br>

Safety Considerations Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) - Scouts must wear PFDs in canoes & kayaks. Coast Guard regulations say that you have to have a PFD in the boat with you. BSA rules say you have to be wearing the PFD.
Water temperature – hypothermia
A good rule of thumb is, if air temperature + water temperature is less than 120, then you should be wearing a wet-suit.
Sunburn – Use sunscreen (re-apply regularly). Wear a hat with a brim (preferably one that covers ears). Wear sunglasses. {One of the Outdoor Essentials is sun protection.} Recommend wearing a long-sleeved rash-guard or over-shirt (under the PFD).
Dehydration – Keep drinking water bottles accessible. Protect drinking surfaces from dirty water that might come into the boat. Remind scouts to drink regularly.
Blisters – on hands are not uncommon. Paddling gloves may help. Try to keep hands dry.<br>

Safety Considerations - environment On the water – watch ahead, read the river.
Rapids – portage around
Rocks - avoid
Strainers (downed trees hanging over/into river) - avoid
Monitor the weather. Storms typically move west-to-east. Watch weather radar. Or use NOAA weather radio. Watch the sky.
In case of thunder or lightning, get off the water. Wait the storm out. Wait 30 minutes after last occurrence of thunder. Lightning drill, if necessary.
Wind can make paddling much more difficult. It can also make a boat more likely to capsize.<br>

22 “Sweet 16” of BSA Safety Qualified supervision
Physical fitness
Buddy system
Safe area or course
Equipment selection and maintenance
Personal safety equipment
Safety procedures and policies
Skill level limits Weather check
Planning
Communications
Permits and notices
First aid resources
Applicable laws
CPR resource
Discipline See Guide to Safe Scouting;
SM Handbook, Chapter 9<br>

Packing Gear – In Canoes Canoes have lots of space for gear
Lots of gear can be heavy.
Expect to get wet. Canoeing and Kayaking is a wet sport!
Double-bag everything to keep it dry.
Use: portage packs, dry-bags, contractor bags (heavy-duty garbage bags), Ziploc bags (quart/1-gal/2-gal), Dollar-store storage bags.
Keep personal & emergency gear accessible. Personal dry-bag & water bottle.
Coolers for food.
Do you have to portage (carry) – How will you carry all of the gear & boats?
Tying down vs. not tying down gear in boats?<br>

Packing Gear – In Kayaks Very little space for gear.
More like backpacking (or bike touring)
Expect to get wet.
Double-bag everything to keep it dry.
Sleeping bags & tents/tarps must be small.
Use: dry-bags, Ziploc bags (quart/1-gal/2-gal), Dollar-store storage bags.
Keep personal & emergency gear accessible. Personal dry-bag & water bottle.
Consider using a sag-wagon (car) to carry camping gear.<br>

Troop Meeting Program Ideas How to paddle (ground school)
Learn parts of a boat (canoe or kayak); Parts of paddle
Packing gear for paddling – how to keep it dry.
Communication – signals (boat-to-boat) & talking – coordination in the canoe.
Roles in canoeing – Front is power (& watching water ahead); Back is steering (& some power).<br>

Merit Badges Canoeing MB
Whitewater MB
Exploration MB<br>

Closing: Thank You!

Contact information:
John Udall
email: <jsu1@cornell.edu>
phone: 607-592-0838

Please fill-out the evaluation form for this course.<br>