The Western Pennsylvania Solo Canoe Rendezvous – 2019
Rick Duncan
Why do so many advertisements and commercials use pictures and videos of happy, healthy people confidently paddling canoes on some beautiful stretch of water? What is it about those images which entices us and makes us want to be there, be those people, be on that water? It’s the magic; that magical feeling of calm, control, freedom, and smooth, near effortless movement. And what could be better than being one of those people? Why, being with a whole bunch of those people – at the Western PA Solo Canoe Rendezvous!
This year, the 12th annual gathering, was my first time at this wonderful event, held on May 31st to June 2nd at the beautiful Coopers Lake Campground near Slippery Rock, PA. On arrival, I pulled into Cooper’s Lake, checked in with the friendly campground staff, took a quick look around the camp store (ice cream!), and then drove the winding one-way lane down around the wooded lake to the WPASCR site. After setting up my tent on a well-drained hillock with a gorgeous view of the water, I wandered down to the “big tent” and the hearty welcome of the assembling canoe-folk.
The crowd ranged from beginning paddlers to sage canoe gurus, offering the comradery and excitement of the enthusiasts and an open, generous welcome to the novice. A nearly bewildering array of diversely shaped and sized canoes abounded along the shoreline of the lake, brought both by a number of canoe designers/manufacturers, as well as by attendees bringing their own boats to share with fellow paddlers.
Want to try out a canoe, any canoe? All you have to do is ask – and they’ll likely even help you get in and out. Everything is shared; the boats; the advice; the food; the drink; the music; the stories; and the laughter. I’ve never had a better time.
I took advantage of the growing number of canoes on the shoreline, testing out five or six different designs. What struck me most, having never had the chance to try so many different kinds of boats, was how different each felt and responded. The only canoe I own, a 16 ft Old Town “Discovery”, weighs as much as a Great Dane and drives like a dump truck. The solo canoes I tried out on the lake seemed to range from a pick-up truck (the ever-durable Mohawk “Odyssey”) to a unicycle (the ever-nimble and responsive Savage River “Illusion”), with a full range of vehicular types in between.
Each had its character and, after some time on the water, it became clear that canoes are like people, you have to hang out together and communicate back and forth before you begin to appreciate each other. For this, I am so thankful that the Canoe Rendezvous gives you the chance to do just that with so many different kinds (both boats and people).
Trying out different boats (about a dozen, in all) was followed, the next day, by some outstanding solo canoe instruction from expert “Freestyle” canoeists, who also did an exhibition of their incredible skills on the lake waters (they make it look so easy – advertisers should use that in the commercials!).
That evening we had an excellent catered dinner, after which we enjoyed the live, intimate performance of singer/song writer (and avid canoeist) Jerry Vandiver. Perched on a picnic table, Jerry played guitar and sang under the big top tent as an early evening rain poured down around us and the thunder and lightning periodically offered an awe-inspiring chorus. It was wonderful.
The next morning, the rain had stopped, the coffee was poured, and folks began the process of saying their goodbyes and their promises to do it all again. I made that promise myself and fully intend to keep it, because there is something about being there, being with those people, being on that water. Something magical.
Visit the WPASCR vendors:
COLDEN CANOES, Colden, New York
DOG PADDLE CANOE AND WOODWORKS, Honeyoye Falls, New York
HEMLOCK CANOES, Hemlock, New York
NORTHSTAR CANOES, Princeton, Minnesota
SAVAGE RIVER CANOES, Oakland, Maryland
SLIPSTREAM WATERCRAFT, Broadalbin, New York
STEWART RIVER CANOES, Knife River, Minnesota
SWIFT CANOES, Gravehurst, Ontario