Lessons from a Canoe Trip: Part 2

Jonathan and I learned a lot on our canoe trip.  The following are some additional lessons we took away from our adventure down the Manistee River.  No doubt these lessons will stick with us, not only when we canoe again, but throughout the rest of our lives. See part 1 for the first half of the list.

7. Teams, even two people teams, are more likely to do great things than individuals.

8. Everyone has a role on the team, some steer from the back others scout the water from the front.

9. You can do better than you expected when you focus together on both the goal and the obstacles in front of you.

10. Don’t be too selective about where you will camp. Better to grab the first acceptable place instead of waiting for the perfect spot. Otherwise you may canoe a lot longer than you planned.  Your back will get really sore and you will discover that you haven’t found a better spot than the first one you saw an hour earlier.

11. Inside a bend the water is shallow, slower and there are fewer obstacles but you have to fight the current to get to it. On the outside of a bend the water is deeper, faster and full of trouble and the current takes you there unless you are diligent.

12. Don’t camp at campsites next to highways unless you like to hear traffic all night (and parties across the way).

13. Be nice to fly fishermen even if they are not nice to you.

14. Set your tent fly up correctly, no short cuts, because it may just rain like crazy and flood out your tent on the first night.

15. Always take adventures when you can because you will learn something new, grow as a person and have lots of stories to tell for years to come.