FIND FREEDOM IN A CANOE

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Practice paddling in calm waters until the maneuvers become familiar. Also try capsizing the craft on purpose—holding onto your paddle—and then right the swamped canoe and propel it to shore.

UNDERWAY!
After you've mastered the strokes in the bow and stern and feel confident in both flat water and moderately fast streams, you might want to try an overnight canoe excursion. The guidelines on gear and safety that apply in other wilderness activities all hold true for canoe trips. Make sure you take equipment appropriate to canoeing, hiking, and camping . . . including a first aid kit and emergency repair materials, compasses, maps, matches, a flashlight, and insect repellent. Remember to guard against the sun with a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses, and sunscreen, and to have some warm woolen clothing along for comfort on wet and windy days. In short, think ahead and try to prepare for all possible situations.

Before actually making the trip, read all you can about the waterways on which you'll be traveling. You can get topographical maps from your state's Geological Survey or Parks and Recreation department (look under "Government Offices—State" in the Yellow Pages). In addition, there are innumerable canoe-trail guidebooks put out by canoeing organizations and outfitters (it's best to get several and compare the information). You'll want to be familiar enough with the route, before you set out, to be able to anticipate each stretch and be aware of any possible fluctuation in the river. (If at all possible, canoe with a partner who has traveled the waters before.)

WHERE OT SHOP
When you set out to buy your equipment, you'll find that there are hundreds of firms to choose from. It's a good idea to shop for name-brand canoes, as the quality of such manufacturers' workmanship has been established over the years. It's impossible, of course, to include even a representative sampling of the major canoe-makers here, but the following list will at least help you get started in your search. (Remember, too, to check with local canoe clubs and outfitters for bargains in used equipment that they might know about.)

Alumacraft Boat Company, Dept. TMEN, 315 West St. Julien, St. Peter, Minnesota 56082 (catalog free)

Black River Canoes, Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 537, 167 Railroad Street, LaGrange, Ohio 44050 (catalog and fact book $1.00)

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