Eagle River

Little boy walking towardscamping trailer

Our sweet campsite

With two young children, one of the biggest delights of camping can simply be exploring in and around the campsite. On the Eagle River near Sicamous, BC we spent the last day of our four-day stay just hanging around our 1966 Airstream and exploring the very local sites.

After a breakfast of potatoes, baked in last night’s campfire coals and sauteed with Quebec Northern garlic and whatever was left in the rv fridge, we “suited up” (lifejackets, sunscreen, swimsuits, and hats) for a paddle boat ride on the Eagle River.

Little girl watching breakfast being made

Breakfast time…Camp potatoes

The goal was to simply get across the river so we could spend some time on a sandy beach located on the other side. It sounds simple, but the current was quite swift. So we paddled upriver first. My husband and I paddled hard and furious, like we were in paddleboat spin class. This provided just enough speed to keep the boat in place. My son found a floating stick and used it as an oar. With a combination of paddling, propelling ourselves with sticks, and grabbing onto any strong looking vegetation and pulling for some forward momentum, we slowly made it a half a kilometer up the river. It was time to aim for the other side. With some frantic paddling and a successful grab for some riverside vegetation, and we crossed the river, our only task now to do some gentle steering as we were pushed along by the current to our beachy destination. We arrived at the beach area and got out of the boat.

Arrived at beach!

My husband’s first discovery was some bear footprints in the sand that made the late-night noises outside of our Airstream much more thrilling. A fallen tree that had floated downriver provided a buffer between the beach and the swift moving current, and doubled as a diving board for anyone brave enough to jump in the cold water. After an afternoon of play, the ride back to camp was less complicated, our son pulled us upstream along the riverbank, and we let the current carry us back to the dock.