Life isn’t a spectator sport, and I don’t often write about other people’s adventures. But, as I write this, I’m still (mostly) out of commission with an annoying busted collarbone, so I’m grateful that other people are taking up the torch, getting out and having fun. My long-time friend Kate Goodin sent me pictures of a recent outing, a “Family Fun Float!” and it looked like so much fun, I thought I’d share it with you.

Participating in this delightful Family Fun Float! were  Kate and her husband Doug, their son Max (10 months old at the time) and 18 other  members of their extended family including brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles, parents, etc., ranging in age from six to 80-something. That pretty well covers the age spectrum, doesn’t it? Kate makes it clear that these folks aren’t heroes or athletes, just regular people having fun. Some of them had never paddled a kayak or canoe before.

They started their adventure with an overnight at the Baker River Campground in Rumney, New Hampshire, which is right on the Baker River. This is a tourist hotspot with Polar Caves (one of the great “tourist trap” attractions in New Hampshire–my parents took me there and I took my kids) just across the river. There are hiking trails at the Quincy Bog Nature Center area a five-minute walk away, and the rock climbing paradise at Rumney Crags on Rattlesnake Mountain is two miles down the road. Moosilauke is 15 minutes away.

A bear hanging around the neighborhood apparently helped make the overnight more memorable for the campers from suburban Connecticut.

The Baker River, which meanders down from the slopes of the southern White Mountains to join the Pemigewasset in Plymouth. Like all rivers, the Baker changes moods according to water level. When Kate scouted it as a potential playground earlier this summer, is was high and powerful—too powerful for a Family Fun Float!, but by the time the adventure happened, it was so gentle, their only real risk was scraping the bottoms of their boats.

Speaking of boats, a supremely motley collection of canoes and kayaks made up their flotilla, plus a couple of tethered innertubes for kids to ride in. You don’t need (or even necessarily want) fancy floats on a trip like this. As long as it gets you safely downriver, it’s perfect! Kate and Doug modified their old Sawyer fiberglass canoe with a “Sampan” top that provided shade for fair-skinned Kate and Max while Doug and his mother paddled.

According to the AMC River Guide “The farther downstream on the Baker River you start, the more it becomes a leisurely float trip.” Most of Kate’s party put in from right at their campsite and paddled downriver to the Smith covered bridge, an easy jaunt for a summer afternoon with plenty of opportunities for swimming and picnicking. According to Kate, the only real challenge (other than a fussing baby) came in getting the boats out and up the large granite steps at the takeout. They could have paddled a few more miles of flatwater to an easier takeout in Plymouth.

Four of the more adventuresome in the group started farther upriver at the state rest area on Route 25 and paddled about 15 miles total including a little quickwater and a Class I or II rapid to the same takeout. Kate notes that this would be a great full-day trip to the takeout in Plymouth.

Family Fun Float! Fleet Support

If you don’t own canoes or kayaks, don’t despair. New England is filled with great places to paddle. If you need to rent a canoe or kayak, here are just a few of the many canoe and kayak liveries that’ll shuttle you to the river and put you in a boat. Have fun!

Androscoggin River, Maine:  Bethel Outdoor Adventure Center

Aroostook River, Maine: Perception of Aroostook.

Blackwater River, New Hampshire: Kayak Country.

Saco River:  Maine/New Hampshire: Northern Extremes, Saco Valley Canoe,  Saco Bound Canoe And Kayak, Saco River Canoe & Kayak,  Saco Canoe Rental, River Run Canoe Rental

Merrimack River New Hampshire: Contoocook Canoe, and Quickwater Canoe Company.

Connecticut River New Hampshire/Vermont: VT Canoe Touring  Center

Winooski River, Vermont: Clearwater Sports .

Deerfield River.Massachusetts: Zoar Outdoor.

Housatonic River, Connecticut: Clarke Outdoors.

You can find even more Family Fun Float! resources here.

Family Fun Float! Do It Safely

Some quick safety rules for playing on rivers in :

Don’t dive or jump into water you don’t know.

Wear a PFD (Personal Flotation Device) when you are paddling (and swimming in heavy current).

Don’t play near culverts or dams that you could get swept into.

When you are in the water and riding a strong current, keep your feet downstream and don’t try to stand until you are in quiet water