Canoe Trip:

Important knowledge:

·        There is a group rate 20 or more people. (6 or more canoes)

·        Reservations must be made in advance to ensure the correct number of canoes and kayaks are available

·         Camping must be reserved but the actual site is first come first serve

·         Reservations for Canoes should be for the fiberglass canoes not the metal canoes. These are a little more expensive but are much cooler and stable.

·         Each Scout should fill out a waiver for each trip (2) Morgan’s Wavier Form Here

·         The Sunday trip will probably have more Kayaks than canoes. Usually only a couple of canoes piloted by adults or Adults/non-swimmers will be used on Sunday.

 

 

Reservations

We usually like to go Canoeing for the August Campout. Generally the 2nd or 3rd weekend of the month. There are two different places to canoe. Morgan’s Canoe Livery’s have sites in both Ohio and Indiana. The Indiana site (Little Miami River) is across the river from Ft Ancient and down the hill from Camp Kern in Morrow. The Indiana site is just south of Brookville Indiana (Whitewater River). This site is around 1 hour from Springboro. The Indian site always seems to be a better trip. No matter the weather the river height is usually high enough that the canoes do not get grounded as does often on the Little Miami.

 

Planning should occur at the start of July. The trip will normally be 3 weeks after summer camp ends. We like the Morgan’s canoe livery on the Whitewater River. The Reservation should be made for at least 20 people. We should be able to change this once the attendance is confirmed the first week of August. The reservation should be made for the 16 mile trip on Saturday and the 5 mile trip on Sunday. The reservations should be made for 5 canoes and 10 Kayaks (20 People). This may fluctuate depending on the scouts attending. Scouts who do not pass the Swim test for Summer Camp must ride in a canoe with with an adult. Some scouts may opt for a Canoe on the Saturday trip instead of a Kayak due to the length of the trip.

 

 

General Information

Each scout should bring a sack lunch for the 16 mile trip on Saturday. One of the Adult canoes should carry a lockable cooler which can be tied to the canoe in case of capsize. The Sunday trip is short and does not require the scouts to eat on the river but it is suggested to bring a second sack lunch for Sunday so when you get off the river you can eat lunch on the way back to Springboro.  Each scout should bring at least a 1 quart water bottle for the long trip. We will be on the water for 6 hours and even a quart does not last the entire trip. The adults may want to bring a gallon jug to refill bottles if necessary.

 

Planning for the evening Saturday meal should be low impact. The campsite is located next to the river and the road leading down the hill has a very tight switcback which makes it difficult to pull the trailer. It is suggested to do open fire cooking and only take one patrol box for cleanup and a stove for the Sunday breakfast.

 

Activities on the River:

16 Mile trip: The trip starts at the livery and goes under 4 bridges before the takeout point. There are two livery businesses on the river so depending on the departure time the river could be very busy. Suggestion is to be on the river by 10am. This will make the take out time to be around 4pm. There are several places on the river to stop and eat lunch and/or swim. Before the 8 mile takeout the river widens and there is a large birch tree on the left bank with a rope. The bank is very steep and requires a rope to climb the edge. The tree is situated so it is simple to climb out onto a 2 foot diameter branch. This is a safe place to use a rope swing. The water is very deep and if a scout looses their grip they can only fall into the water. You will pass the 8 mile take out and come to the Whitewater Livery takeout point, the river narrows to the trickiest place on the river.There will be a lot fewer people on the river past this point. Past the iron bridge (3rd Bridge) will be a narrowing in the river. The bottom comes up so that the river is very shallow all the way across. The channel created by this creates a sweeping fast flow to the right. This is a nice area to stop the canoes and let the scouts body surf the current for around 50-70 yards and be able to walk back to do it again. The 16 mile takeout is about 300 yards past the 4th bridge. You will have to go up to “Camp Swampy” and ask to have the van sent for pickup. The van should arrive in about 30 minutes.

 

5 Mile Trip: The start of 5 mile trip will usually require the canoes to be carried for 25 yards to get past a low spot. Once this low spot is crossed there will be a long paddle thru slow moving water. Once past the first long left turn bend will be a split in the river. The right side is very shallow and the left side is very fast and narrow with a “rapid” like feel. Between the two areas is a small grassy island. Park the canoes on the right or slow part of the river and walk to the left of the island. This area is excellent for body surfing on your back. We usually spend 30 to 45 minutes at this location. The rest of the trip is generally low impact canoeing and goes by very quickly. It is an excellent opportunity for all the scouts to try a Kayak. They can get experienced at Kayaking without getting too tired. The take out point is at the livery where we camp

 

Cost of the event:

Camping is $5 per person

Each canoe is divided by 2 and the people using Kayaks pay the entire price for the rental