20
MLBLUE
SPRING2017
RIVER IDIOTNOMORE
LEARNINGHOWTOWHITEWATERCANOE INFIVEDAYS
Aswe crash through each recirculatingwave, I watchmy bowpartner grab
the gunwales and yell at him to keephis paddle in thewater. Eachwave that
breaks over the bow fills our boat a littlemore. Finally,whenwe reach the
eddy out,we’re nearly full.The boat is tippy and aswe cross the eddy line,
no amount of bracingwill holdus up.We tip slowly into the ice coldwater.
It’s fun.And I consider it a successful rundown IslandRapids on the lower
Madawaska.
It’s early June and I’monday five of a five-day tandem canoe course at the
MadawaskaKanuCentre (MKC), and today is our river trip.We’ve gone from
beingborderline river idiots to full-on river runners.And it’s all thanks to this
incredible place and the amazingpeople thatwork here.
MKC is a staple of theCanadianpaddling community.There couldn’t be a
friendlier,morewelcomingplace to learn aboutwhitewater paddling. Perhaps
it’s because of the history here.MKCwas createdby Christa andHermann
Kerckhoff back inAugust of 1972.They’d immigrated toCanada fromGermany
in the late Fifties and fallen in lovewithwhitewater paddling, bothwinning
Canadian championship titles.Theywanted to introducemore people to the
sport.The sectionof theMadawaskaRiver downstreamof Bark LakeDam
was the perfect spot for the centre and a partnershipwithOntarioPower
Generation (that continues to this day)meant scheduledwater releases
throughout the summer.
That first summer saw25 students come from acrossNorthAmerica.
Instructorswere all world champions.These early classes,modelledon the ski
school concept from theKerckhoff’s nativeGermany, divided students into skill
level classes.Thewilderness resort combinedgood foodwithgreat instruction
and awelcoming atmosphere.And those core concepts remain to this day.
Now the centre ismanagedby ClaudiaKerckhoff-VanWijk andDirkVanWijk.
Claudia, the daughter of Christa andHermannKerckhoff, grewup atMKC.And
like her parents, she became aCanadianpaddling champion, ten times over.
Dirk, formerly a northern river guide for BlackfeatherWildernessAdventures,
met Claudia in an eddy on theGull River in 1979.Theymarried in1985
and took overMKC in1988.They’re still verymuch involved inday-to-day
operations, and their daughters, Katrina and StefaniVanWijk are nowpart of
the summer instructor roster. Katrina holds threeCanadian championship titles
and Stefani is a guidewithBlackfeather. Sowhen you’re learning topaddle at
MKC you are,without a doubt, learning from the best.
UPFRONT
MKC’s front yard. COLIN FIELD
