Canoeing & Tug-o-War

by Joey McLellan
Canoeing Instructor 

Canoeing has been a vital activity to HoneyRock. Throughout the years, HoneyRock canoes have transported campers through the Northwoods, journeyed across Lake Superior, and helped kids enjoy the beauty of whitewater rapids. 

Inheriting this rich tradition of canoeing at HoneyRock was a thrill to me and I have decided to continue this tradition by bringing even more fun to the canoe area! During the one week session, I experimented with doing tug of war. The campers loaded up into two big canoes, a rope was connected between the two canoes, and they tried to pull each other's canoe. The campers loved Tug of war and it turned out to be a great addition to canoeing at HoneyRock. 

I also was inspired by a quote from Pierre Trudeau to add a different type of fun. Trudeau states "What sets a canoeing expedition apart is that it purifies you more rapidly and inescapably than any other travel. Travel a thousand miles by train and you are a brute; pedal five hundred on a bicycle and you remain basically a bourgeois; paddle a hundred in a canoe and you are already a child of nature." The quote inspired me to focus on campers having a canoeing experience that makes them a "child of nature." I did this by taking silent trips through the rivers near HoneyRock and getting campers fired up about future whitewater trips. 

We recently took our first whitewater trip to the Wolf River and the rapids were so much fun! I hope more campers get excited about the whitewater trips and I can continue to add to the great tradition of canoeing up at HoneyRock!