Canoe Trip with Troops of St. George

School can be tough! Especially for students in junior and senior year, the word “tough” is an understatement.

There are many ways to ease the stress from the grueling schedule of junior year.

One way is to plan ahead for camping trips, little vacations during the school year. Being in a group like the Boy/Girl Scouts or the Troops of Saint George can help a lot with this plan.

I recently embarked on a weekend canoe and camping trip with the Troops of Saint George (TSG). We canoed nine miles down Village Creek in the Piney Woods region of Texas.

The group arrived at the Creek on Friday October 25th, a cold and rainy day. Decked out in rain gear, we loaded the canoes and started down the creek.

The first day we went only two miles, since time was needed to set up camp and prepare supper. When we found a place high enough from the water, we beached the canoes and unloaded. After setting up the tents, we made supper, sat around chatting and then said the Breviary night prayer before going to bed.

The second day, Saturday, we arose at around 7:00 a.m. and made breakfast, cleaned up and then started to take down our tents.

By 10:00 a.m. we had the canoes loaded and afloat. After traveling down the swift-flowing creek for about two hours, we stopped at a sandy beach for lunch and a group picture. The group finished the trip at around 2:00 p.m.

Some of us headed for home, while the rest went to Village Creek State Park to camp the remaining night.

Sunday dawned with some of the group making breakfast for everyone, while the others took down their tents. We had planned to go to Mass at a church in nearby Lumberton TX.

When the group had finished breakfast, we broke camp, put on our formal uniforms and went to Mass. After Mass, we went to Bar-B-Que for lunch and then finally headed for home.

The trip helped me to relax and forget the troubles of my schoolwork. Thus camping and canoeing can help students have fun and enjoy life, even in the midst of a tight schedule.