And of course, some just see it as a fun way to spend an afternoon, floating along some nearby branch or river, perhaps with a picnic along the way. But my passion soon became canoe camping, that specialized branch of paddlesport which involves hauling all your gear along with you in the canoe, then choosing a suitable site to pitch your tent, cook your dinner, and possibly explore some of the land along the river. What Makes Canoe Camping so Special . . . First and foremost, it is about the river. When you canoe camp on your way down a river, you really get to know the stream, for better or for worse.
Rivers are the arteries that carry the vital water that is needed by every living thing on earth.
Nowhere else can you feel more closely connected to the natural world. There is no way to experience the river quite like spending a week or so floating and paddling on the route that the river has selected for you. If you enjoy camping, you will almost certainly love camping at a primitive site alongside a river. Awaking to a new day, you will discover the weather and water conditions that you are faced with for the next leg of your journey. Perhaps they will be ideal, perhaps disastrous, but you will have to deal with it all the same.