The Happy Camper: Paddle in the Park Contest
This is my third season being involved in the Paddle in the Park contest.
I love the concept. A bunch of paddlers—including myself—are chosen to hide paddles (organized by portageure.ca and paddles donated by Badger Paddles) in the interior of some of Ontario’s provincial parks. The first year, I hid two in the wilds of Algonquin Park. The second season, I hid one in Algonquin and another in Killarney Provincial Park.
I thought my hiding spots were challenging and fulfilled the purpose of the project—to get more people out paddling in the interior of provincial parks. But this year I’m going to hide my paddles even deeper in the woods. So, be warned!
This year, the idea is the same. If you’re the first to find a hidden paddle. you get to keep it—and you win a bunch of other prizes as well. The contest also has placed more emphasis on the holistic rewards as well. This is the main reason I get involved every year. Sure, the paddle and prizes are the carrot on the stick to get more people outdoors—but it’s the end result that makes it all worthwhile.
Check out the YouTube video the gang at Paddle in the Park put together for 2015. I’ll keep you in the loop once I start tripping and hiding paddles. It’s going to be a fun season.
