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January 1st 2010. My friend Bill Perkins wants to be the first one to paddle the Crystal River this year and this decade. So here we are at Fishers Landing with winter boots and many layers of wool and polypropylene clothing. His little ford station wagon is not quite stuck in the snowbank. We unload his old aluminum canoe and immediately appreciate the first difference of winter canoeing. Instead of carrying the canoe and gear to the river we just pull it across the snow like a big sled.
The Crystal River is the only river in our county. It is a twisty, four miles from Big Glen Lake to Lake Michigan and most of that is through (more…)

Recently,  I took a four day Voyageur Canoe camping trip with the senior class from the Leelanau School where I work.  In many ways it was a wonderful trip.  The weather was beautiful which is always a gift in late September.  We do this trip every year and most years end up with at least one day of paddling in rain, hail, sleet or snow with a ripping headwind to boot.  This year we had the headwind but sunny warm skies and beautiful water on Lake Huron.  Our students study the life of the voyageurs on this trip.  We read historical accounts of the voyageurs, were visited in camp by Larry young, who has been studying and re-enacting the fur traders for more than 50 years, and spent a day at Mackinac Island, which was an important hub in the fur trade.  On Mackinac Island we spent time writing at St. Anne’s church, which was established in 1670 and has served the community for more than 300 years. (more…)