VA paddler wrote:
God knows she, nor I, are looking for her to have a pristine canvas-and-cedar canoe experience. She just wants to have some independence and do something that challenges her skill set and comfort levels.
Much as I love it, tripping with dad will just allow her to rely on dad.
Some of the camps that run these trips cost what I paid for a year at college, though.
I agree some of the more canoe tripping immersive camps are seriously pricey. At that cost we could do family paddling road trips anywhere; spring break trips in the Carolinas, summer trips to Maine and winter break trips to Florida. Probably all three trips for what some camps charge.
We have encountered boys and girls Keewaydin trips during our family paddling travels. The kids were well organized and seemed knowledgably supervised, but not pampered in any way. The challenges included a lot of lift that bale (wannigan) and tote that barge (WC canoe). Probably not for every youngster, although from what I’ve heard and read many of their participants come back year after year and, much like Scouting, progress through the ranks to longer and more difficult trips.
I can’t help much with suggestions for an appropriate canoe camp for your daughter, hopefully other folks will continue to offer recommendations from personal experience.
Our sons were of course reliant on us at first, but even as pre-teens became increasingly self-sufficient. “Here’s your tent, you’ve help set it up before, go find a good spot” with reminders about checking for slope, drainage, widowmakers, etc as needed. “Where do you think the tarp should go for shade or rain?” “Can you filter some water while I get this ready?”
“It’s cook your own pie iron pizza tonight, get a fire going burned down to coals” (Always, every single time, “This is the perfect pie iron pizza”, “No, THIS is the perfect pie iron pizza”. I don’t care what the east German judges said, mine was perfect; I like a little black crust around the edges.
I will offer this; my sons went into age/size appropriate solo boats around your daughter’s age, actually a little younger, first on easy day trips, then on easy and progressively longer/harder campers.
They had paddled bow in tandems on two-canoe family trips from a very young age, and while they enjoyed those trips and became proficient paddlers they were noticeably happier as Captain of their own ship. They had previously enjoyed the being-there more than the getting-there. Getting there in their own boat, under their own power, was far more rewarding.
Now in their thirties they both still paddle, and even as young teens did their fair share of gear hauling and camp chores. In that regard we quickly became an efficient and cooperative tripping cohort; they knew what to look for, and what to look out or, on water and on land, and what to do and how to do it in camp.
Maybe look for an age appropriate solo canoe for your daughter. Something used would cost less than any away camp, and she could accompany you on trips in her own boat.
FWIW my boys started their solo paddling experiences in a 10’ OT Rushton pack canoe and a 10 ½’ Dagger Tupelo pack canoe and – gasp – a 13 ½’ Wilderness Systems Piccolo kayak while the missus and I (at first) paddled our tandems bow backwards and carried most of the gear.
I have said this before, but paddling with our sons in solo boats was a greater joy for everyone. I could see more than just the back of their head, and could better hear what they were saying. Turns out they are remarkably and curiously observant, and the conversations afloat are distinctively different than those at home, or even in camp; perhaps it is something about paddling alongside each other.
EK_0021 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
EK_0044 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Wet exit capsize practice in the Piccolo, no PFD. He eventually grew into those ears.
EK_0043 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
When they outgrew those little boats and were ready to carry self-sufficient gear they moved on to used hull rebuilds, customized for their more teenage physiology and paddling preferences.
DSCF1670 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Which included doing some of the work on their newly customized boats.
DSCF1586 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
If a suitable sized boat of her own is of interest I’m sure folks here could provide some “Keep an eye out for a used . . . . .” suggestions. Hull weight matters; paddling width and length-to-waterline ratio matters even more in a kid sized boat. Not a short, fat, slow pumpkinseed, guarantee to perish any possibility of paddling pleasure.