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Canoe Poling Instruction in Southern Ontario from Paddle Canada (certification)

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Feb 3, 2015
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Location
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Unknown to many, Paddle Canada does canoe poling instruction. There is enough interest around to warrant this. There are only a couple of instructors in Ontario and I think that this may be the first time that open courses have been posted here. The point of this skill is far from being an archaic pass-time. Every professional canoeist in the past poled when the need arose and it did a lot. The fur trade by way of canoe would not have existed without poling. To anyone whose highways were rivers the pole was the means by which they could travel in both directions and as importantly, control the speed of descent in swift water. Rapids would not be run at paddling speed if the manoeuvring required was too great. Trippers today are out for adventure. These people had to save their boats, supplies and their lives. When water is too shallow to paddle you can still pole. Often you can pole where you would normally line or track. It is a skill that got lost because of a disconnect between those who paddled as part of their life and those who began to teach it for recreation at summer camps and Scouting. It did not "die out" because it lacked value. The places where poling still exists (like New Brunswick, the Gaspe and the New England States) were the places where the log booms came right through the towns or in the communities that had guiding services for sport fishermen as far back as 150 years ago. The public saw poling and the people that started passing on the canoeing skills to recreationalists (hey I made a word!) were the professionals. It is a tool that should be in every canoe tripper's skills toolbox. I pole my local river here in Guelph as long as it is not frozen and it is creatively challenging at every level of flow. At best canoes may be able to use it three months of the year and little pumpkin seed kayaks can float it a little longer. Here is a video from this February with mostly less than a foot of water and often much less. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SsL..._channel=JeanLefebvre
Mirri Polers.JPG
This photo shows a group on their second day of poling instruction going down a river with current and avoiding rocks. Some of these individuals had NEVER been in a canoe before. So it is really easy It is a lovely way to see the river and lake shore and it is very valuable skill. Can't beat that!
Introduction to canoe poling course dates: Saturday 23 June 2018, Saturday14 July 2018, Saturday 11 Aug. 2018. All three course will be held in Guelph because that is where I live BUT, I have two ideal locations for this type of training (we all know that location is everything). They are full days at around 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a limit of five participants per course (a/p P.C. rules) and it will run with three. Cost is $100 per person and I supply the poles for the day. If you are interested please go to https://www.paddlecanada.com and then click the "Get Instruction" pull down (find a course; go down and click on "canoe"; region: "Ontario"; course type: "Skills"; discipline: "Canoe Poling"; Course name: "Canoe Poling Skills Introduction") and the info should come up. You do not have to be a Paddle Canada member to take a course. You can also contact me directly here. I am "Steve" on this site.
I have taken on the daunting task of trying to get poling skills back in the hands of Ontario canoeists. You folks can lead the way.
Thanks Stephen Coutts
 
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