Health
May 19, 2008 11:48 AM
beingwell magazine Spring 2008
By: John Cudmore
Canoe: /ke’nu:/noun, light narrow boat propelled by paddles
“An exquisite example of form and function, the canoe is inextricably twined with our nation’s story. For Canadians, to canoe is to be moved.” - All About Canoes website.
Never mind being moved.
Try to imagine the more idyllic moment - paddling your canoe leisurely on a glass-like lake or river. Either way, it’s tough to imagine a more serene setting as your paddle dips gently into the stillness of the water, moving your vessel forward almost effortlessly along the shoreline.
Few activities lend themselves to enjoying nature and a healthy lifestyle like canoeing. Just consider the thousands upon thousands of waterways available to explore in Ontario. That translates into a lot of potential solitude, open space and fresh air.
“They say a 15-minute walk is good for you,” says Marty Tannahill, a member of the Ontario Recreational Canoeing and Kayaking Association board of directors and liaison the Ontario Camping Association. “Canoeing is much better than that.
It provides physical and mental workouts and truly can be aerobic.
“If you’re starting out, of course, you concentrate on the mechanics. If you’ve been doing it for a while, you can find yourself in sort of a meditative state and drifting away in your own thoughts. Some compare it to yoga,” he says.
“It gets people out and active. It’s physical, but also a mental challenge and for some, it is an ongoing challenge.”
Amanda Kijewski caught the canoeing bug in high school when she and a girlfriend registered for a two-week trip on the French River. Now 23, she is not only an avid canoeist, but a flat water instructor for the association.
“I just sort of stumbled on it,” recalls the Newmarket resident, a graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa. “We signed up inadvertently. I think my mom expected I’d try tennis camp or something, but we thought this was pretty cool.
It was a blessing in disguise.”
Despite an image of peaceful solitude in a natural setting, paddling provides an excellent upper body workout and is terrific for core muscles.
“Canoeing has that stereotype of not really being a sport or form of exercise, but it’s incredible the shape you can build yourself into simply by canoeing alone,” Ms Kijewski explains.
As a flat water instructor of the four levels recognized by the association providing the basic fundamental skills of canoeing, Ms Kijewski encourages newcomers, especially young adults, to try the sport.
“Canoeing has the stigma of being boring and it’s hard to find people in my age group,” concedes the instructor for the Barrie Canoeing and Kayaking Club. “It’s an aging sport so it’s nice to see kids latch on to a new activity or hobby; something that’s fun.”
Mr. Tannahill, a Level II instructor in canoe tripping, lake water and moving water canoeing, has also been responsible for safe canoeinguishene resident, pointing out there are more than 700 certified canoe instructors in Ontario. “In fact, within two hours in a sheltered situation, people can feel safe about it.
“Initially, paddling introduces people to the ability to be able to travel in that mode and, possibly, advance to the next level of challenge. Like anything else, if you’re going to get better, you have to take lessons.”
The skill set lends itself to just about anyone, Mr. Tannahill, a lifelong canoeist But like most activities, skill level takes over at a certain point as the stakes are raised.
Wilderness canoeing offers that chance to be at nature’s doorstep. Aside from provincial parks where permits are required to travel the waterways, public and Crown waters are wide open for canoeists.
“When I go on trips, I take great pride in not only controlling my boat in a skilled way, but getting into nooks and crannies on lakes where normally you couldn’t go (in a motorized boat),” Ms Kijewski says. “Motorized boats are restricted on a lot of lakes. In those cases, it’s nice to know you’re the only one able to be out there.
“It’s a dual thing between the body and the mind,” she explains. “Once you become comfortable in the boat, you forget you’re even performing strokes. You get to the point where you’re just doing it.”
“I’ve had countless experiences where I’ve seen a turtle or fish swim by and that’s something you can’t see in a motorized boat. It sounds clichéd, but it is very interesting and a different view to be that close to nature.”
In part, it is the appeal of nature that keeps interest high in the outdoor adventure class conducted for the past seven years by physical education teacher Marcus Olson at Aurora High School.
The three sessions per year are easily filled with 34 students. His trips to McRae Lake on the southern tip of Georgian Bay, near Barrie, involve a nine-hour paddle making it a true endurance workout. Before participating, each student is required to pass a series of requirements, including a swimming test and given general and specific knowledge before being accepted to participate in a canoe trip.
“There are amazing places you can go,” Mr. Olson says. “Sometimes it takes work. The kids plan it. It’s their trip.
“You may have to paddle in, portage to the next lake and paddle some more. But once you get to that third lake when there’s no one in sight and the water is crystal-clear, there’s nothing like it.
“When you get one of those days when the water is flat, and your paddle is going through the water and you look back and see the water swirl, that’s peaceful right there. That’s the perfect stroke.”
There are not many better ways to appreciate nature and wildlife and to experience the peace and tranquility that comes from floating gently along a shoreline. Ontario is considered the prize in Canada’s wilderness teeming with countless lakes and thousands of miles of untouched wilderness and canoe routes.
And history.
“One of the appeals is that canoeing is a uniquely Canadian sport,” Mr. Olson says. “You think of the voyageurs and native people. Once you start canoeing, you make that connection.”
For more information:
• www.paddlerco-op.com
• www.ontariocamps.ca
• www.orca.on.ca
• www.canoeontario.ca
• www.canoe.ca
• www.rapidmedia.com
• www.myccr.com
• www.wildernesscanoe.org