Tufts University Training

This spring is shaping up to be a busy season on the water and I'm really excited to be working with Peter Sawtell of Seven Rivers Padding.  Today we partnered up and led a canoeing skills & leadership workshop for students in the Tufts University adventure program.  Later this semester they'll be leading other students on canoe trips in the Maine wilderness and need some vital training to get ready. 

Making our way up to the Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire, we met the students on a small lake perfect for this training.  We spent the morning working on hard skills in tandem canoes and all did well.  After lunch we moved onto trip planning, more advanced paddling skills and saved our rescue practice for last, since the pond was cold, the air was cold and the students were not as prepared as they should've been.  Once in the water, they would be cold since they were not equipped with wetsuits or drysuits.  I have to give them lots of credit because they all dug in and completed rescues really well and rather quickly. 

This was a good opener for me this season.  I absolutely love paddling canoes and did not even mind keeping the bow seat warm for awhile today.