Paddle The River And Plant A Tree At A Day Of A 1000 Canoes

It could also be called Paddle and Plant.  For the inaugural A Day of 1000 Canoes, a pay-to-register voyage down Ontario’s Grand River in Haldimand County on June 25, the Ministry of Natural Resources will donate trees for participants to plant between the first and last ports of call.

Volunteers from Fast Water Fast Friends will pass out the trees to all the registrants that are comfortable debarking on their own from their canoe, kayak or rowboat and they may choose where along the bank they would like to plant.  This is an easy to paddle stretch of the river, suitable for all ages and skill levels.

Fast Waters Fast Friends is an initiative of the Six Nations Canoes Club that aims to develop cross-cultural trips to promote camaraderie, peace and racial harmony, via this ancient watercraft of the Indigenous Peoples.

“It’s only fitting that trees are planted in the inaugural year of the festival. People will see the festival and the trees growing together as the years pass,” A Day of 1000 Canoe co-creator Shane Carmichael said in a press statement.

“The hope is that each year the participants will come back to Haldimand County to see how much growth has occurred,” added his co-creator Blaine Nicholls in a statement.

Sponsored by the Ake:we Canoe Club of Six Nations and promoting the “Fast-Waters-Fast-Friends” initiative, A Day of 1000 Canoes includes the paddle down the river, entertainment, food and beverages and the world’s only Tim Horton’s paddle-through (yes, on the river) with free coffee in commemorative mugs and healthy snacks from Zehrs Market. There will also be local musicians, artisans and merchants along the river.

Shuttles are available throughout the day between Cayuga, York and Caledonia and canoes will be “valet docked” at all stops. The trip takes at least three hours.

Registration is $45 for one boat/one paddler, and $15 for each additional paddler (maximum three per canoe, or contact 1000 Canoes directly if legal capacity is more).

For additional information, directions and registration visit www.1000canoes.com

One can also hike down the walking trail along the shore, which ends at York, where the shuttle is available to Cayuga.

The event starts from 8am-noon (Caledonia Fairgrounds), rain or shine, with a stop-over in York (York Park) and wraps up by about 8pm at Bob Baigent Memorial Park, Cayuga with food, beverages and entertainment.

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