Palmer Rapids – Lower Set – July 24, 2012 Photo by David White
As fearful as I was before we left on this adventure, and as high as my expectations and hopes were – this White Water Experience far exceeded all of my expectations.  This would not have been possible had it not been for the amazing staff at Paddler Co-op. Thanks to Jodie and Spike for their time in answering all of our questions and planning our program to include our needs and wants with flexibility, cooperation and professionalism.
Kyle-Instructor	Aaron-Instructor	In addition, we were truly blessed to have had two unbelievable instructors to deliver this program to our youth and our leadership team together.  Kyle and Aaron were an amazing team, working together to teach us the skills we needed to accomplish our goals.  Their focus was clearly to provide us with a safe, fun, professional program with an emphasis on building self confidence, teamwork and interpersonal skills.  They encouraged all of us to try new things while always providing a safe environment and a way out.  They enabled us to individually strengthen our skills at our own pace while still working as a team and being sensitive each individuals needs.  With the help of Kyle and Aaron, we all lived the “Do Your Best” philosophy every day. Kyle and Aaron became one of our team as you can tell by the shirts! 🙂
Kyle in action Snake Rapids – Raquette Aaron in action Palmer Rapids – Lower Set Kyle explaining how to navigate through the “Rattle”
One of Scouting’s outdoor goals is that leaders and participants are: > in the Right Place, > at the Right Time, > with the Right People > and with the Right Equipment.		Thanks to Paddler Co-op we met this criteria hands-down.
Thank you Paddler Co-op, you were GGGRRRREEEEAAAATTTTTT! Scouter Jim and Troop
Below is an interactive map of all the rapids, portages and shuttle routes that we used.  Zoom right in on the different areas for more details.  Just remember that the water level was higher when these satellite images were taken then it was when we were there.
View White Water Canoe Trip – Where we went in a larger map
	Our participants all earned their ORCKA – Moving Water – Level 1A www.ORCKA.ca		Our Scouts all passed their White Water Challenge Badge.
ORCKA Moving Water 1A Certified!

Here is a selection of pics to get you started and give you some idea of what our time on the Madawaska was like.  I must admit that the pics help but you really had to be there – on the water – to understand the excitement.

We have over 900 pictures and hours of video.  We are working on getting these sorted and loaded into a gallery so that you can see them.

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What we     ate!	This will serve as a reminder of the basically dried meals that we prepared and ate.Why did we dehydrate all this food? There are 3 reasons for dehydrating food. Once dried… 1  It does not require refrigeration. 2  It it much lighter in weight. 3  It takes much less space.A good example was everyone’s favourite – Dehydrated Watermellon.  We dried 3 large watermellons and they all fit into 2 medium zip lock bags and weighed less than 20% of the original.For this camp, this part of our menu was intended to be a learning tool – to expose Scouts to the process & preparation of drying, packing and cooking lightweight nutritious meals.  This is an economical way to take meals into the outback whether you are canoeing or hiking and not have to worry about spoilage or weight. The repackaging of food portions is also important as it eliminates all the waste, whether it be skins/rinds or apple cores, seeds, excessive & bulky packaging and all the bottles and cans as they are not permitted into the interior of any Provincial Park.  Also remember that you must pack out all of your garbage.
Beef Stir Fry	A stir fry containing marinated beef strips and Scout dehydrated veggies including… Green Peppers Red Peppers Yellow Peppers Onions Zucchini Carrots Green Beans All Served over Couscous made with a bouillon broth.
Breakfast Fajitas	Breakfast Fajitas made with… powdered eggs and Dehydrated Red Peppers & Onions Precooked Bacon Strips Served on Soft Shells with grated cheese and optional hot sauce.
Lunch on the Madawaska	Our lunch on the Madawaska was a true Smorgasbord of dehydrated delicacies and a few other treats. On the “Hard Rock Buffet” (literally) were Scout Dehydrated… Ham sticks Beef Jerky Turkey Jerky Cheddar Cheese Carrots Red & Yellow Peppers Watermellon Cantaloup Strawberries Raspberries Apples Pears Pineapple An assortment of dried breads (Specialty crackers) Noah Martin Summer Sausage (AKA Mr. Martin) and Pepperettes
Dehydrated Fruit Salad	Containing… Strawberries Raspberries Cantaloup Apples Pear Blueberries Nectarines Pineapple Watermellon Covered with Water and allowed to re-Hydrate overnight.
Dehydrated Hash Browns	Scout Dehydrated… Potatoes, Onions, & Red Peppers Also precooked Bacon
Fettecini Alfredo with Chicken	This is a great ‘Dry’ meal.  We supplemented the freeze-dried chicken with real chicken to save a few $.  Well done cooks!  No one burned the Alfredo sauce even on gas camp stoves.:-) Fresh veggies and dip on the side.
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce	The sauce was made from Scout dehydrated… Spaghetti Sauce Ground Beef Onions Green & Red Peppers Re-hydrated and served over Spaghetti Noodles and a side of fresh Fry Bread.
Home Made Turkey Soup	We boiled the carcass to make our own broth. All the veggies added were dehydrated… Carrots Zucchini Acorn Squash Onions Beans
Our other more normal meals…
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Rounds	BBQ’d and served with a baked Potato and a fresh green salad
Planked Salmon or Grilled Ham	Done on the BBQ (because of the Fire Ban) and served with Potato Salad, Macaroni & Veggie Salad, Broccoli Salad, And Cole Slaw

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