Women’s Week at MKC 2012

Women’s Week at MKC

For the second year in a row, I was lucky enough to spend the week of July 4th at the Madawaska Kanue Center teaching a women’s kayak course. It was such a great week! We had a number of returning ladies as well as a whole bunch of new faces. What a great time. As part of the women’s week, we did our full days on the river with breaks for delicious lunch at MKC apart from when we took lunch onto the river with us. In addition to the full river days, there were some really nice extras for everyone. They included incredible massage, morning yoga, lectures on nutrition, barefoot running, and the best wine and cheese tasting ever! It was really nice, even spoiling. MKC, for those of you who have not been there before, is located directly across the road from the Madawaska River in Ontario, which is not only beautiful but also a great teaching river. Since the river is so close, shuttles and getting to and from the river are really quick and easy so you get lots of river time. All the river time, allows you to build up a nice appetite and that’s good because you get fed really well at MKC too. They serve three gourmet meals a day and a homemade snack after paddling – its awesome!
In my group, I had two really great paddlers – Jen and Joanne. It was really like boating with friends all week but in semi private lesson style! They were enthusiastic about trying everything I asked them to do, even starting with the warm up, and they both made lots of progress this week even if there were times when they wondered why on earth I was making them do certain things. It was wonderful to see that progression happen and to see both of their confidence grow. We even had the great opportunity to spend a couple of days on the Ottawa which was such a fun level and allowed us to do even more playboating. One of the great things about the women’s week is that there are instructors available to meet all the skill needs of the students. This year, there were 21 women that participated and it was great for all these paddlers to meet each other as well. Claudia did a wonderful job putting the week together and hosting everyone, thinking of all the details that made the week very special. If you are interested in a women’s only teaching environment with terrific instruction and great off the water programs as well, look no farther than MKC and come and enjoy!