2025 Middle James River Expedition

Follow along on the Middle James River Expedition, part of session 1 of the James River Leadership Expeditions program! Follow along as we experience the river between July 7 – 11, 2025. 

Hello!

Today, we arrived at James River State Park. We met everyone and we all became best friends. We then played ice breakers, which smashed that ice. We then took a brief stroll to the campground, where we set up camp. We bombproofed our camp and made sure we were prepared for the inclement weather. We walked down to the launch and put on our PFDs. We then learned all the terminology for the boats. We took the boats down from the trailer attached to the truck.

Gabe enlightened us on the different steering techniques for canoeing. We hopped into our boats, and we were set for adventure! We saw lots of wildlife, including dragonflies and spiders. We then canoed to a log in the middle of the river where Gabe would whistle for us, and we played red light, green light for the purpose of practicing our safety signs. Today’s main goal was learning safety and techniques.

We came back and did some green time, where we played cards. We then did leadership activities. It started raining very hard, but we still completed our jobs, such as making dinner and testing the water.

Today was the second day on our JRLE expedition and our first leg on the river. We paddled a total of 18 miles today in the span of 6 hours while taking some much-needed breaks along the river, swimming, eating snacks, and staying hydrated. Before taking off, Gabe briefed us on how to go about the level one and two rapids that we would face ahead. Thanks to his enthusiastic teaching and the high elevation of the water, due to recent rainfall, not a single camper got stuck on debris! 

Along our trek, we saw a variety of breathtaking and diverse wildlife in their natural habitat, including bald eagles, herring, herons, and an array of fish. The beautiful surrounding nature and interesting conversation kept the time flying by. “I loved seeing the juvenile eagle,” said Riley. “I caught six fish!” exclaimed Dexter.

Even though we had a lot of fun canoeing down the James, we were met with hardships along the way. Many campers said they had a hard time in the sun and have the sunburns to prove it! Luckily, we were able to cool off in the water and stick to the shade in order to avoid the strength of the sun. “My highlight of the day was being able to float down the rapids at our rest stops, it was very refreshing,” said Zahra.

Another unfortunate wrinkle in our JRLE trip was the sudden thunderstorm, which, while a refreshing reprieve from the heat, did lead to the filling of a camper’s tent with water. 

All in all, despite the challenges of the trip, good spirits persevered, and hopes remain high on the James!

Hello from the James!!

On Wednesday, we started off by clearing up camp and eating a quick breakfast. We had to drain the boats from all the rain we had last night, but quickly after we set off on our 16 mile journey. With the fast current doing most of the work, we saw lots of wildlife, including bald eagles, ospreys, egrets, great blue herons, muskrats, and a water snake. With the hot sun on our backs, we bravely pushed through class 2 rapids without anyone tipping over their boats.

We stopped for some lunch with a beautiful view and cruised down some rapids. The group morale was high due to everyone floating down the current eating their lunch. Shortly afterward, we arrived at “Jump Rock.”. We all climbed to the top and, looking over the edge, we tested our bravery and jumped off.

Hearing that there was a big storm coming, again, we started rushing to our campsite. With an hour to spare, we all worked together to get the canoes carried out of the water and the tents set up. With a delicious dinner under the tents, we awaited showers and a good night’s rest with high hopes!

Hello from Seven Islands! We woke up at Horseshoe Campgrounds after a night of luxury bathrooms and showers ready for a short paddling day. For breakfast, we munched on French toast sticks and pancakes with fruit! After clearing the campground, we loaded the canoes and set sail.

A quarter of the way through the paddle, we stopped at a rock break to slow our pace since we were moving at a fast speed. We skipped some stones and ate into our squirrel packs. After around an hour, we continued downstream weaving through lots of islands to a sand beach to stop for lunch. On the menu, we had “River Pasta” (pasta contained in a plastic bag) and Oreos.

Through minimal rapids due to the high water level, we made it to Seven Islands campground. We set everything up and took a swing on our swing set! With lots of time to spare, we widdled wood and played card games while others were tending their blisters. Before dinner, we lit a fire and prepped for pizza! We are all excited to see what the last night on the JRLE will bring us!

What a trip! Today, we started our morning at the Seven Islands Campsite, and we got straight to work tidying up our tents. Ready for the half-day ahead of us, we sat down for a delightful breakfast of bagels (half of which were stolen by a hungry raccoon that Gabe scared off) and eggs as we chatted around a morning campfire. 

We had a blast throughout this adventure and are excited to paddle our last stretch of this expedition, ready for our voyage back home. From roasting marshmallows to braving thunderstorms to paddling through rapids, we truly had a unique experience. That being said, we are beyond excited to head back to our day-to-day lives (and a refreshing shower). See you soon!

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!