white water canoe trip

Date: June 15-21, 2025

Cost: $495

Age: Guys entering grade 8 and up

Discount: $20 off if paid in full by May 1st
Led by seasoned river runners, the sections of the Trinity River we will be canoeing provide a perfect trip for both beginners as well as experienced paddlers. We begin the trip at a point in the river with rapids that seem tailor made for learning or review of paddle technique, safety, and rescue techniques, as well as river-reading skills, but each day gets more intense, with increasingly faster and more difficult rapids.

As with all of our camps we saturate our time in God's word with an emphasis on developing good habits of prayer, Bible engagement, and mindfulness of glorifying God in every moment and area of our lives.

There is no need to have canoeing experience prior to this trip but by the end you will have gained the experience necessary to navigate significant white water. This is always an early sellout so sign up now! Transportation to and from the Central Valley is provided.

If you have additional questions about the camp please feel free to email, text, or call the trip leader:

Cameron Mitchell
[email protected]
916-547-4016
Welcome Letter
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​Welcome to the 2025 Sequoia Brigade Camp White Water Canoe Trip. We are excited about the canoe trip and the fun and growth that you will experience with us. Enclosed you will find information that you will need to get ready for the trip. Be sure to look at the other details for this trip in the sections below.

We will meet at Dave Gregg’s house in Oakdale at 1:00 Sunday afternoon. After orientation there we will drive in camp vehicles to our first campground near Weaverville, CA, about 50 miles west of Redding, for the first phase of our trip.
(Meeting details may change, but we will make sure you are updated)

The emphasis Monday and Tuesday will be on canoe instruction, safety, and river skills, as we canoe relatively easy sections of the Trinity River without our camping gear in the canoes.  Developing basic skills at this time will be vital for the remainder of the trip which will get much more exciting!

On Saturday, we will drive back to Oakdale to meet parents. Arrival time at the Greggs’ house is planned for approximately 3:30pm. 
(Meeting details may change, but we will make sure you are updated)

Please review and practice the knots shown in the section below. These knots will make your life much easier on the river and are also important for safety.

We will stop for dinner at a fast food restaurant on the way up, and back. Please bring as much money as you think you’ll need for these two meals. All other food, as well as group cooking equipment, canoes, paddles, life jackets, etc will be provided.

If you have any questions about the trip, please call or email me.
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Cameron Mitchell - Tripmaster
[email protected]
916-547-4016
What To Bring

REQUIRED ITEMS:
  • Whistle: Must work in water. The Fox 40 is recommended.
  • 6 Lengths of 550 cord or ¼ inch braided nylon rope cut  to 4 foot lengths with ends melted to avoid fraying
  • Six carabiners. Cheap $1 carabiners are fine. 
  • Sleeping bag (Polarguard, Holofill, or other good synthetic fill)
  • Ground pad (Ensolite, ethafoam, Therm-a-rest, etc) or air mattress
  • Rain poncho
  • Baseball-style or wide-brimmed hat
  • One pair long pants, one pair shorts
  • Swim suit
  • T-shirts (NO wording or pictures inappropriate for Christians or SBC)
  • Windbreaker, jacket, or sweatshirt
  • Underwear and socks
  • 1 Pair of shoes for out of the water (Tennis shoes or boots)
  • 1 Pair of shoes for use in the water (Tennis shoes, Sandals or Water Socks are all fine but they must not fall off in running water.)
  • One or Two towels
  • Toilet articles, biodegradable soap, deodorant
  • Sunblock or sunscreen, lip ice
  • Flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries
  • Water bottle
  • Mess Kit (Cup/bowl/plate/utensils)
  • Insect repellent
  • Bible, Pen(s) or pencil(s)

OPTIONAL ITEMS:
  • No Large knives, but a small folding knife with a clip can be helpful.
  • Wool ski cap
  • Tent (2-5 man)
  • Sun glasses with safety strap
  • Camera (at your own risk)                                       
  • Soft knee pads (for kneeling in the canoe)
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Knots & Instructions

Clove Hitch

Used to attach a rope to a post, rail or ring, or securing an extra paddle Formula is: “Around and Through make two”

Bowline

Used to tie a non-slip loop easy to untie even after it’s been under strain. Used in rescue.
​Formula is: “The rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree and back down the hole.”

Round Turn and 2 half Hitches

Used to attach a rope to a post, rail or ring. Great to attach a water bottle.
Visit animatedknots.com for detailed instructions and applications, and plenty more knots!
Waterproofing

WaterProofing

​River canoeing is fun and wet. You must plan for a spill… or two, or three or more. For those times you will be carrying your gear in the boat your pack must be completely waterproofed to withstand submergence under the pressure of fast flowing water for up to one half hour. Nothing can make a night on the river more miserable than to open your gear and realize your sleeping bag and clothes got wet just as the sun is setting.

IMPORTANT: Most of our trips do not require you to waterproof everything you are bringing. Most days we leave our gear back at camp while we canoe. This means you do not need to bring huge waterproofing bags to fit everything for the whole week. You only need to waterproof those items that will be used for one over-night on the river. This will save you space and money. The rest of your gear you can simply bring in a duffle bag. If you have questions please contact your trip master.

We recommend two solutions for waterproofing your clothing and gear.
  1. Purchase a waterproof bag
  2. Use a 5 gallon bucket

We will explain how to use both methods in the document below but in either case we recommend you assume water will find its way in and therefore double protect by placing a black contractor bag inside the outer bag/bucket.

It is often a good idea to purchase two or three medium sized bags rather than one huge bag. A bag/bucket for your sleeping bag and one for your personal gear is a great way to go. Depending on the size of your ground pad you may need to purchase an additional solution for water-proofing that as well.

WATERPROOF BAG 
Vinyl waterproofing bags are available which have a good roll-top seal. These are a good solution and come in numerous sizes. You simply place your gear in the bag, roll the top down and clip it closed. If you choose this method we still recommend that you put a large contractor bag inside to further protect your gear from water. Often these bags can leak a bit and the extra compactor bag ensures your gear stays dry.

5 GALLON BUCKET
You can now purchase these from any home improvement store such as Home depot or Lowes and you can usually purchase a screw-on lid separately. We highly recommend that you buy the screw on lid and not the slightly cheaper hammer-on lid. The screw top makes getting your gear out MUCH MUCH easier. The lid is designed to be water resistant but is NOT waterproof. If you choose this method we still recommend that you put a large contractor bag inside to further protect your gear from water. These buckets will leak a bit and the extra contractor bag ensures your gear stays dry. An extra bonus is that the bucket can be used as a seat while in camp.

SHOES AND SOCKS
Your feet will be wet from morning till night. Plan on it. You must wear foot protection which will stay on your feet in swiftly moving water. You will also be wading and portaging on slippery rocks and sand. Your feet need all the care and protection you can give them. The foot protection you choose should be designed to stay on your feet in swift moving water. I love flip-flops but they will not work in a river. Sandals, water-shoes or a stout pair of tennis shoes that will still perform well after a week under water are all good options.
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Electronics Policy

CELL PHONE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE POLICY

All camps conducted by Sequoia Brigade Camp, whether in a wilderness, rural, or suburban environment, are designed to enable the camper to “break away” from the normal aspects of life, and grow closer to God, to His creation, and to fellow campers.  

With the above in mind, it is required that no camper may bring a cell phone of any kind, or any type of electronic device for recreational use. No cell phones, video game systems, music players, laptops, etc. If in doubt, don’t bring it. Cameras and flashlights are fine, but not cell phone cameras!

Camp leaders will have access to cell phones or appropriate communication devices where available in case of emergency.

If you have questions or special needs please contact the camp director or tripmaster for the camp or trip.
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Electronics Philosophy

WHY DOES SEQUOIA BRIGADE CAMP NOT PERMIT ELECTRONIC DEVICES?

Electronic devices keep us tethered to outside influences - and to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram—no matter where we are. But when we are at camp, these distractions can keep us from engaging with fellow campers and counselors. It is crucial to regularly spend time away from the internet, says William Powers, author of Building a Good Life in the Digital Age. Here are some further insights. When we engage in a mental activity—doing a crossword puzzle, say, or playing the piano—our brains create what are called neural pathways so we can perform that activity again more readily. “The more time you spend toggling rapidly among digital tasks, like scrolling, texting and answering emails, the more you will tend to think in a distracted way,” Powers says. To reclaim the kind of sustained attention it takes to read a book, Powers says, you have to unplug periodically. For this reason, at Sequoia Brigade Camp we use printed Bibles, rather than digital ones.
  
Taking a break from devices also enhances our ability to read emotional clues. Sixth graders who had no screen time for five days did substantially better at reading human emotions than those who had been glued to their devices for five days, according to research by developmental Psychologist Yalta T. Uhls, PhD, senior researcher at UCLA’s Children’s Digital Media Center. Obviously, campers and counselors need opportunity to interact where each individual can relate most effectively to each other.

An additional break from digital occurs in the area of recording experiences. Instead of photographing everything with a smartphone (and then posting it to Facebook or Twitter), “we can record in our mind and on paper,” says Craigan Usher, M.D., clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University. He says “our experiences don’t need to be mediated by a Twitter update.” Questions and discussion time after camp is over help to reinforce memories and lessons learned.

Be upfront with your campers about why the rules are important. “Bring them on board so they understand in a personal way what they’ll gain by doing this radical thing,” Powers says.
Directions

Trinity River

This is where we will be canoeing throughout the week!
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Dave's house

​This is where we will begin & end our carpool.
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