A smoky summer day in June was not something that I thought I would remember so deeply. The weather was warm, but the sky was clouded with smoke from wildfires. My camp group headed to the Wisconsin River for a canoe ride.

We hopped off the bus, antsy and ready to get in the water.  In a group of about twenty people, we headed down the path and made it to a beach where ten canoes laid in the sand. Each of us put on our life vests and found a partner to canoe with. Luckily for me, my friend Meghan had experience with paddling canoes. Our instructor took the lead and made her way to the water, canoe in hand. We followed in single file down the beach and brought our canoes to the water. Although the air was not the best, and the sky was covered in smoke, the weather was still beautiful. As we got to the water, I could see the lush green scenery and the big beautiful bluffs ahead. I impatiently waited as more and more people brought their canoes out into the water. 

The Wisconsin River is filled with whirlpools and large branches barely submerged beneath the water. We were given a rundown on safety and started our departure from the beach.

Paddling a canoe was not easy. Both people on the boat had to move their oar with maximum strength, in order to keep us moving at a fast pace. Just ten minutes in and my arms were already feeling sore. I started to complain to my partner, “Meghan, I don’t know how much longer I can paddle.” She let me take a break and used her strength to keep us going. Since we were friends, 

we started to joke around and laugh about how tired I was. After a short break, I got back to work, paddling us down the river. While we were moving along, there were a few obstacles. I was in the front and Meghan was in the back. It was my job to watch out for very shallow waters and branches. One second, the water could be ten feet deep and the next, it was only one foot deep. Since there were about eleven other canoes, we could talk back and forth, warning one another for potential obstacles. We paddled and paddled. My arms were killing me. Then, the instructor called out, “Stop over here!” We had made it to our destination. A sandbar in the middle of the river.

We pulled over to the sandbar and gathered our belongings and set down our towels. My friends all sat in a group and we grabbed our lunches and began to eat. It was such a wonderful experience. The bluish green waters, the beautiful green trees that surrounded the river. We were talking, laughing, and enjoying ourselves as we refueled our energy. After everyone concluded their resting time, we headed to the water. We jumped in and cooled off as we played in the water. The smoke in their air just seemed like a thick fog. We couldn’t see far, but it was still a gorgeous day to be out on the water. The instructor called us over and gave us the plan for the rest of the day. We planned to canoe quite a ways down the river and pull over onto another beach, where we would hike up the bluffs. We began our descent from the sandbar, and started paddling down the river. As we paddled, we would play around with the other canoes and link them together. We laughed and enjoyed our time out in the open river. 

Finally, we reached our last destination, the bluffs. We pulled our canoes onto the beach for the last time, as we put our hiking shoes on and grabbed our belongings. This was our last journey on our canoeing trip. Everyone gathered around our instructor, and we started to hike up the sharp path. The trail was difficult and very long. It was steep and narrow. Hiking was one of my favorite things to do but this trail was difficult. We kept going, knowing that the view from the top would be amazing. And it was. As we emerged from the trees, the view revealed itself. We could see the whole river and all of the surrounding bluffs. I could see the different shades of green on the trees, and the peachy colored sand that meets the green grass. It was beautiful. We took pictures, climbed around the rocks, and basked in the sunlight. When the instructor told us it was time to leave, I knew it was over. The amazing time I had with my friends, canoeing along the Wisconsin River.

I still wonder if I will get the chance to experience this again. The beautiful weather and the challenging canoe ride. It was an event that I will never forget. I still think about the fun time we had together on that river.