This is an unforgettable week of becoming one with the river! The journey will take us down the beautiful winding Connecticut River flowing swiftly through the foothills of the Green and White Mountains. Skill building begins at Kroka’s pond, after which we will embark on a 4-day expedition to camp at the base of a great rapid. Our unique paddling progression is rooted in understanding the power of moving water and developing skills in raft, canoe, kayak, and stand up paddle board, as well as comfort swimming in fast-moving water. In addition, we will simply soak in the joys of river life in the summer. Our afternoons will include camp set-up in the woods and on sandbars, fishing, roasting bread-on-a-stick, and time for rope swings and river play. Days end with spoon carving and stories around the campfire.
New in 2026: three weeks of whitewater fun!Kroka’s Paddler’s Journey Up North returns to its old stomping ground this year with a three-week expedition into the Great North Woods. We begin with a week of intensive paddlesports training at Kroka’s basecamp where the Ashuelot, Cold, West, Connecticut, and Deerfield Rivers offer some of the best canoe and kayak progressions in the Northeast. We will pick berries, work with the farm animals, and go cliff-jumping as we build a tight-knit community. From here we depart for two weeks of expedition whitewater in the White Mountains and Western Maine. After three days of practice at fish-flow on the Kennebec and Dead rivers, we will work our way up to challenging class IV rapids during the weekend release, equipped with Kroka’s fleet of whitewater Catarafts. From here we drive north to the West Branch of the Penobscot River for a weeklong expedition across Lake Chesuncook and down the Ripogenus Gorge at the edge of Baxter State Park. The expedition concludes with an early morning ascent of Mt. Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak.Students are welcome to return for a second or third year of Paddlerʻs Journey Up North.