The agenda for the weekend
is relaxed and flexible, to allow you to experience
what happens in a beautiful place
by or on the water, when you are quiet and open. There
is no structured guidance; it is best to “just be” on
or by the river, without direction from someone else.
Each person’s experiences will be unique.
Some may feel they are simply relaxing, while others
feel they are connecting with Nature, or with what
they call Spirit. Still others just like being
there. There are no “right” “wrong” nor
prescribed outcomes
For three days and two
nights, you will be sharing a tent and canoe, camping
in “primitive” areas
along the river. The days will include leisurely
meals, some canoeing, as well as time for swimming,
walking, reading, personal reflections, or simply
listening to the wind and watching the clouds.
As an alternative,
instead of traveling along the river, you could
be “base-camped” in
a wooded area, beside a river, and go for a day-trip
on the nearby river.
As needed, you will
be given instruction in canoeing and low-impact
camping skills. Canoe Reflections
LLC supplies most of your camping gear and food – you
will only need a sleeping bag, and your clothes
These skills allow one
to enjoy and respect nature while leaving little
or no trace of having been
in the area. Campfires are small or non-existent,
noise is kept minimal, left-over food is packed
out, and vegetation is carefully walked around
or through. Where no outhouses are available, we
will dig “catholes” away from the river.
Both the Manistee and
Thunder Bay rivers, which flow in Northern Lower
Michigan, are Class I – the
easiest of all –gentle stable currents, no
rapids, no scary anything! These serene rivers
have only been gently touched by man – there
are few cabins and occasional road noise, some
fishermen and canoeists.
- June 11-13, 2010
- July 9-11, 2010
- Sept
17-19, 2010
