Thoughts from Headwaters Canoe Shop

[Robin]

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.

 

[Penns Woods]

Great report and beautiful pictures. Your words get to the heart of keeping traditions alive. Well done !

 

[samb]

That one's had a tough life......long may it continue!

 

[dutchlennart]

I so wish there was a good varnish/ oil that would preserve the wood and keep showing the different colors

 

[lowangle al]

From what I have read, one of the camps using w/c boats, uses them to teach respect. First you need to respect your canoe, then respect for other things will follow. Also, the tripping style needed for w/c boats on moving water is a safer more thoughtful one. Going to one of those camps must be a great experience for those fortunate enough to attend.

 

[Robin]

I’ve met a group of kids from Keewaydin in Temagami many years ago. I watched a small but stocky young lady carry that 17’ Prospector across a portage. She gently let the the canoe down without any damage. The next kid had two canvas packs, he dropped them as it looked like he was taught, looked at my pack with my Connecticut address and said “Manhattan here” and promptly lit up a Players cigarette.

 

[jdeerfoot]

In 2017 a buddy and I encountered a Keewaydin group coming upstream on the Kopka Rv. They were doing a 28 day trip in their old w/c boats. I asked one of their trip leaders how their boats were holding up. During the time frame of this trip, mid-July to the first week of August, there was little rain and the river was getting lower by the day. He stated the boats were tougher than most would think and during the winter any repairs or rebuilds were taken care of. What really amazed me was their gear - wooden wanigans, full sized Hudson Bay axes, 50 cal ammo boxes, etc. Despite all the traditional gear, they had a Sat phone (in the ammo box) which they allowed us to use to contact our outfitter regarding the malfunctioning Sat phone he had rented us.