___I have taken groups of boys as you describe. I would suggest a serious conversation with the boys dad & get him to make the time & energy committment to do this with his sons. Is it a priority with him? This is a great opportunity to invest in father-son relationships. Anyway, do not be the only adult male on the trip. Most younger teens will think all portages are tough. So just make sure you have a few. Make sure you pick a route with good fishing. Figure on swimming alot. It's ok to have an odd number in the party. Just add a middle seat to one of the canoes. That way the weaker paddlers can rotate, & you can have 3 paddlers _if a wind (if?) when the wind is up. Also an extra portager. Bear in mind that bringing too much stuff will turn "creampuffs" into "characterbuilders" whatever that means. For route suggestions, consider Snowbank to Lake One, Kawishiwi L to Malberg L &into the river, Nina moose to Agnes L or to Lac la Croix. Or get off the beaten path & pick a "tweener" destination lake.

Posted by Ranger on September 06, 2001 at 22:20
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