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In this video we bring you along with us as we start our trip with ‪@mhoadventures9239‬

For some time now, both of us have been interested in learning more about how to read a river and how to paddle through whitewater. From watching some other YouTubers we have seen that even experienced paddlers like ‪@josephallen19‬ and ‪@LostLakes‬ can struggle in paddling rapids. (Joe flipped his boat on a river in early spring and Jon dumped on a trip with ‪@XanderBudnick‬ ) After some research and some discussions we determined that best way for us to learn was to join in a guided canoe trip down a river with experienced canoe guides.

We chose ‪@mhoadventures9239‬ because their environmental and cultural philosophies aligned with our own. Leaving no trace while we are out in nature is one of our core values and the guides from ‪@mhoadventures9239‬ actually have qualifications in this. Their website is jammed with tons of great info and even their YouTube channel has some great info which helped us choose their Noire River Adult Canoe trip as the perfect way for us to learn some whitewater skills. As you will see in our video we didn't only learn paddling skills but also enjoyed some incredible meals and made a bunch of new friends.

To start our trip we woke up really early in order to beat the dreaded traffic jams and made our way all the way across Ontario to the Quebec border. Near Pembroke we crossed over the Ottawa River and met up with our 2 canoe guides at a Bed and Breakfast. They provided us with 2 blue canoe barrels that we packed our clothes and sleeping bags into for the trip. The remainder of the day was spent getting to know the other guests we would be spending the next few days with.

On the second morning we got up early to catch our shuttle to the Noire River. Once we unloaded all of our gear we received a few lessons on river travel and what all the things attached to our canoe were for such as thigh straps. Once on the water we paddled along the sandy river getting used to the flow and currents. Having never paddled a river of this size this was the perfect way for us to build up to eventually paddling rapids.

We finished the day up landing our canoes at a monster beach campsite on the bank of the river where we soaked up some sun and all went for a swim. While our guides prepared our dinner we took on the task of setting up the tent that was provided to us for this trip. After that we helped to collect some wood for the campfire that was being used to cook some corn on the cob and steaks for us. To finish off the day we sat back in our chairs and watched a beautiful sunset while sipping wine with some fast friends.


Facts: The Noire River can be found in Western Quebec, Canada and is usually grouped with the Dumoine River and the Coulonge River. Commonly referred to as the 'Three Sisters,' all three of these rivers flow into the Ottawa River and are very popular among whitewater paddlers.

Music by RocknStock - Power found at TuneTank.co