When talking to others about our trip, we knew that the first part of the river would be the toughest. It is closed for part of the year and the river is narrower and harder to navigate than the rest of the trip we had planned.
The kids had been in canoes before; had learned how to paddle and how to steer some. But they had never HAD to do it for hours at a time. So, when we were dropped off at the Thomasville access site, we understood it probably would be the most challenging part of our trip.
However, we had talked with a few different people and they said that the river would be fine for novices. We went into the trip with the encouragement of others who had canoed it before.
We figured that we would need about an hour to paddle two or three miles. We wanted to enjoy each day, but we also wanted to get to a nice place for the evening. We knew that there were float camps available, but were not sure 
what to expect. So we planned to travel around 10 miles each day.
We left just after 9:30 with Megan and Adrian with Allan and me, while the bigger three were in their own canoe. The scenery was gorgeous and we enjoyed watching for animals and how the area was always changing.
It did not take long for the kids to learn how to maneuver the canoe properly and they did a super job. Mark always stayed in the back to steer and the girls swapped being in the front seat watching for obstacles and paddling. They spent the week learning new techniques and becoming stronger canoeists.
Our trip was starting out wonderfully!
no matter the weather. There would be bugs and “scary” animals.
