Formerly The Canoe Expedition Skills Course.

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Note: This page is a work in progress. If you are seeing this, it means we are still working on it and it is not yet complete.

This course used to be called the Canoe Expedition Skills Course, but we’re changing it around for 2023 with the emphasis on poling.

Over the past 25 years we have developed a canoe poling curriculum and series of incremental increases in difficulty designed to get people up to speed as quickly as possible, with the goal being to be able to safely and under control move up and down a class 2 rapid using a pole.

Most of the material in this course is unavailable elsewhere except on our semester-length programs.

We are adding it to our 2023 summer course schedule because multiple people have asked for it.

This course is for guides and expedition participants who want to add poling and lining to their list of canoe skills.

The course runs from Sunday afternoon to Saturday morning. Maximum group size is 8.

Course Prep Info     Register Now

Travel Information and Directions:   Travel information is located here. After you register you will receive local driving directions to our site.

Arrival and Departure:   Plan to arrive on sunday afternoon, between 4 and 6. We’ll have dinner, a group introduction and a tour of the grounds starting at 6. The course is over on Saturday at 8 AM.

Accommodations:   Bring a tent, tarp, or other shelter. It will be your home for the week. For summer programs please consider bringing a bug net if you don’t have noseeum netting on your tent. There are also cabins available through Blackwater Outfitters, located five minutes away. They can be reached at: 207-540-4101.

Meals:   For information on food and meals, visit our Food and meals page.

Cancellation and Refund Policies:   Please visit our School Policies page for information on all of our policies.

What is included with the tuition:   Included in the tuition are all camping fees, instruction, and group gear.

What is not included with the tuition:   Not included with the tuition are personal gear, items from town and any foods other than those specified on the Food and meals page.

Course Insurance:   Adventure travel and wilderness education are not inexpensive, and anything can happen when we’re in the bush. We recommend that all participants have medical insurance. We also recommend you protect your investment with travel insurance for trips and tuition insurance for courses.

Tobacco:   Smoking is not permitted in or near any buildings. No filtered cigarettes as of 2023. If you smoke, consider getting and using a pipe.

Vehicles and Parking:  We’re located .6 miles down a gravel road. During the winter and spring the road can be impassable for 2-wheel drive vehicles, and sometimes for any vehicles other than snow machines.

Telephone: We don’t have a phone or electricity. If you need to be in constant phone contact please consider bringing a cell phone, and if you need to charge a phone (or other electronic device), please look into getting a charger or bringing extra batteries.

Other: Please don’t bring any pets, alcohol or illegal drugs.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

We reserve the right to include or omit any of the course topics listed due to class interest, availability of materials, inclement weather, or other factor that makes them impractical or unsafe.