Upper James River Expedition 2025

Wow! What a first day! After saying our goodbyes to our parents, we began getting to know each other through a series of creative ice breakers. We then proceeded to eat a yummy lunch and learn the basics of paddling a canoe. Because we got a late start and had a long 10-mile paddle ahead of us, we got right to paddling! After learning to navigate and steer in different parts of the canoe, we paddled through some light rapids and took a quick snack/swim break on a rocky beach, munching from our well-packed snack bags. One passenger even caught two small fishies! After our stop, we approached some more challenging rapids. Two boats tipped over, but no one was injured, and no items were lost! This gave the participants experience in maneuvering their boats to work together in order to help those who tipped retrieve their canoe and any items that may have floated away. Along our ride, we killed invasive spotted lantern flies and pointed out many species of birds, including kingfishers and orioles. Once we arrived at camp, we worked in teams to set up our tents and get dinner started. Later on, we were assigned different roles to help us build leadership skills. Some of these roles are camp cook, navigator, and scientist. Chase and I have been assigned the camp journalist for the day, which requires us to write a blog about the day’s excursions. We are getting ready to wind down and go to sleep, but we can’t wait to see what new adventures tomorrow will bring!

~ Fallon and Chase

Hello! After an early morning start at 7am, we got straight to work. We first put away our tents and packed them up along with our bags. Then we had a delicious breakfast of bagels with cream cheese, bananas, and yogurt. After breakfast, we packed up camp to begin our 9.7-mile journey. Today we had a slow paddling journey, including catching fish and seeing a waterfall. We did a side quest as a group to a small creek off the river where the waterfall was. We sat and relaxed there for a little bit before continuing our journey downriver. After some fun class 1 and 2 rapids we arrived at our next camp. Next, we set up camp and did a lesson on leadership and learning what kind of leaders we are. We learned this through a game in which we attempted to get the candy we liked from others by trading. We interviewed each other on different topics that displayed how unique and different we are. Then we had Taco Tuesday and sat around the table at ate, and played cards before enjoying a beautiful sunset. 

~ Henry and Virginia

Greetings! On this fine day, we embarked on the journey of a lifetime. My campmates and I were woken up at seven. After a slow morning, we prepared breakfast and ate a scrumptious meal of bagels, bananas, yogurt, and eggs. After our meal, the expedition prepared for the voyage on the water. Packing up everything in the camp, our boats were heavily laden with supplies. As we took off from our docking station, we were hard-pressed to avoid the stones lurking beneath the water’s surface. Traveling through the rapids, only one ship was lost to the dryads of the river. As we arrived at Glasgow Falls (lunch site), we unloaded lunch supplies and prepared a feast fit for the gods. Once we had pillaged the tables and filled our bellies, it was time to cast off again. As our journey progressed, many a nice view was enjoyed of the mountains surrounding us. Finally, only after a hair-raising encounter with rocks and rapids, the end was in sight. Docking on the stone beach was only the start of the work to be done, however. Racing the rain, our camp was set up, and Emerson and Ava cooked a mouth-watering pot of Mac and cheese. Dark had arrived by the time the last of it had been eaten. As we wind down, we sit down and tell stories about our lives. Excited to see what’s in store for us tomorrow. 

 ~ Sam and Lisette

Hola! On day four of our trip, the group was allowed to sleep in an extra hour as we did not have to pack up and paddle. After everyone was up, we ate a delicious breakfast of bagels, oatmeal, and fruit. We then practiced sit spotting, followed by throw ropes, which helped the group understand how to make a safe rescue if someone were to fall from a canoe. After that, we had a snack break and leader Gabe gave us a motivational speech before we practiced the rapid “Balcony falls”, a class three and the biggest rapid we had faced yet. We then loaded up and went in turns down the rapid, with no casualties! The hard part was bringing the canoes back up around to our campsite. It took us over 45 minutes, and one boat almost sank. We then had lunch, which consisted of wraps and sandwiches, and lots of Black Forest gummies. After, we hiked to a waterfall, where we saw three different snakes, tadpoles, and fish. Following the waterfall, we had green time, where we fished, relaxed, and a few of us went down the rapids again. Everyone then made their own personal pizzas, and they were yum yum yum. We then made seconds, and a few hot dogs too. We concluded the night with s’mores and sat around the campfire, cracking jokes and singing songs.

~Emerson and Ava

A big thank you to our many partners, including support from the Luck Companies Foundation and AES Corporation, which made this program possible. Together, we are inspiring the next generation of river stewards across our watershed!