BYEP x MWS Canoe Trip
Winter daydreaming about summer days on the water
February 2023
It's the middle of winter in Montana, and while we're loving shredding at Big Sky this season, it's also a perfect time to reminisce on our canoeing trip last summer. In June 2022, BYEP Crux participants joined forces with our friends at Montana Wilderness School for a week-long canoe trip along the upper Missouri river.
The trip was a special opportunity for participants in 11th and 12th grade to learn canoeing and backcountry skills.
The trip was truly magical.
Teen participants, BYEP Program Managers Chris and Bri, and MWS staff spent most of the days on the water, and loved linking up their canoes to create a “barge” so that everyone could hang out and chat while they floated. Being on the water all day wasn’t the only nature highlight though: they went on a stunning hike through a small canyon — a hike that ended with a beautiful view of a rainbow. And they ended one of their nights by putting on lifejackets, walking upstream, and then floating back down to their take out spot.
It’s a rare opportunity these days to be disconnected from your phone. It allowed kids to connect with each other, experience communal living, cook meals together, monitor each other’s health, and help set up camp each night, all while also learning about public lands, and what land access looks like in our beautiful state of Montana.
Takeaways and trip highlights? Keep scrolling to hear it from the teens.
What were some of the trip highlights?
“Learning how to canoe”
“Bonding with everyone”
“Being on the water”
“Getting back in touch with nature”
“Having super cool adults”
“When we were going on the hike and it started raining — it was gorgeous!”
What were some lessons and takeaways from this trip?
“Land history”
“The ability to work with others”
“Learning about communication and how to work in a group”
“The Seven Leave No Trace Principles”
“Learning about public lands”
