Kayaking for Kids

Whitewater kayaking is really catching on with the kids at Rockbook, and not just with our Seniors. Our Middlers, kids in the 5th or 6th grade, are also excited about kayaking.

You might think that is a little young to start such a technical sport, but the camp girls are usually quick to catch on to what’s involved. They learn about the equipment and basic techniques in the Rockbrook lake, and when ready, then move to one of the local rivers.

Even on the Rockbrook Camp property, there is a short section of the French Broad river that provides a great teaching rapid. It’s a nice cove of the river perfect for learning to ferry, peel out, and catch an eddy— three important kayaking maneuvers. Next stop? The Green, the Tuckaseegee, and the Nantahala rivers!

Kayaking Adventure at Camp

Outdoor adventure is one of the core camp activity areas at Rockbrook. Our outdoor adventure summer camps focus on backpacking (hiking and camping), rock climbing, whitewater rafting and kayaking. Most recently, rock climbing and kayaking have become increasingly popular, especially with the teens and older girls at camp.

After learning basic kayaking techniques like how to “wet exit” (That’s when you get out of the boat when it tips over upside down.), or how to “roll” (That’s when you roll back rightside up instead of wet exiting.), we head out to some of the local rivers for more outdoor action.  For the more advanced paddlers, we’ll even take trips to the Nantahala river, a Class I, II and III whitewater river nearby.  The mountains of NC, and the rivers that run between them, are just perfect for summer camps and this kind of adventure.

Girls Kayaking

Rockbrook girls kayaking! Here’s a photo we found the other day of a kayaking trip we think is from the 1990s. It’s true; whitewater kayaking trips on local rivers (like the Nantahala) have been a part of our whitewater program for more than 20 years. Even now, we’ll take out a few of those old classic Perception boats on some our trips. It’s so great to see how the girls kayaking skills improve over time and how amazingly good they get coming back to camp each summer. For some girls, it’s pretty clear that kayaking can be a life-long sport. And that’s cool.

Teen Summer Camps

Another activity that was particularly popular this summer with our older, teen campers was whitewater kayaking. It’s just a lot of fun to learn how to maneuver those play boats. You put on all your gear… spray top, PFD, helmet, grab your equipment… paddle, spray skirt, and boat, and you’re ready for some great adventure. Teen summer camps like Rockbrook offer these more technical activities and out-of-camp trips, and as campers return to camp year after year, they can really develop amazing outdoor skills.

This is a photo from a trip at the Lower Green River.

Summer Camps 4 Kids – Canoeing

Speaking of canoeing, it’s still a summer camp activity we offer at Rockbrook. Like most of the adventure activities, we have a progression where kids first learn basic skills and safety procedures, and then move up to more challenging aspects. For canoeing, we learn the names and uses of the equipment (the boats and paddles, for example), then practice different paddling strokes and techniques to steer the canoes in the water. With all of that firmly in place, we’re off to one of the local rivers— the French Broad, the Green, the Tuckaseegee, or the Nantahala. Each offers its own unique challenges and whitewater thrills.

Kids Camp in North Carolina

Here are a few of our “seniors” up on Cascade Lake. It’s just a few minutes from our North Carolina kids camps near the Dupont State Forest, and is a wonderful place to bring the sea kayaks. We put in on one end of the lake and paddle to the other end to see Hooker Falls, an awesome waterfall. For some, sea kayaking has become their favorite outdoor adventure activity at camp!

Kayaking Adventure at Camp

Getting ready for a chilly kayaking adventure trip down the Nantahala River!