What an incredible canoe trip this has been! We paddled 45 miles in five days through the hot sun, rain, and even some heavy wind!
The first couple days were warm and dry. Perfect conditions for each of the girls to learn good paddling technique and backcountry living. Sarah, our wonderful river guide, taught us all how to be fearless leaders in the boats and on shore. She also brought us on two beautiful hikes in the first few days — one through a hidden canyon (a fan favorite!) and one to the top of a natural rock formation at sunset.
The last two days of the canoe trip presented some windy and rainy challenges. It truly would have been easy to let these conditions bring down the group moral, but the girls instead kept up their PMA’s (Positive Mental Attitudes) and continued to paddle. To get our boats through a few wind storms, the girls happily sang songs from all of their favorite Disney movies, which of course helped them paddle stronger and faster.
Denise, Kati, Alli, and Natalie have all by now gotten the chance to be Leader of the Day. Wow, do we have some amazing leadership in this bunch! While each of them lead each other in different ways, they’ve all proven to be very capable of taking the reigns and helping make decisions for the group. It’s also been very special to see their confidence be brought out during their LOD days 🙂
Lastly, we got to celebrate two birthdays on the river — Kati’s 15th and Sarah’s (our wonderful river guide) 24th. For both, we sang, made cards, and of course had some special b-day sweet treats!
Even though the canoe trip is over, the adventure isn’t over yet! In the next few days we’ll be horseback riding, rock climbing, and exploring Bozeman!