We have a special place in our hearts for camp canoes. It would be easy for a camp to let the tradition of using wood canvas canoes on the trail fade away in favour of canoes made of modern materials that require less care and maintenance, but ultimately those alternatives also provide less connection to tradition and fewer opportunities for thoughtful wilderness travel.
Each year we repair and build new canoes for several different camps in Northern Ontario that continue to maintain this tradition. Camp canoes are fun to repair because the damage inevitably comes from use on the trail - what they're made for! - rather than from rotting in poor storage. There is always lots of cracked sheeting and many ribs to be replaced, but after its gets a new canvas, this canoe will head out again this spring, ready for another 20 or so summers of taking kids on life-changing canoe trips.
Each year we repair and build new canoes for several different camps in Northern Ontario that continue to maintain this tradition. Camp canoes are fun to repair because the damage inevitably comes from use on the trail - what they're made for! - rather than from rotting in poor storage. There is always lots of cracked sheeting and many ribs to be replaced, but after its gets a new canvas, this canoe will head out again this spring, ready for another 20 or so summers of taking kids on life-changing canoe trips.
