Venture Crews and Scouts Aqua Guides and Outfitters has boy scout trained and venture trained leaders on our staff. In addition, we operate under the Philmont plan, a day and a half orientation to our equipment and the route to be travelled. We adhere to a strict Youth protection program established by the Scouts and our leaders have completed the Youth protection program, safe swim defense and safety afloat through the Scouts. Our kayak instructors are ACA certified and adhere to ACA safety regulations.

Our kayaks are user friendly, especially for the beginner kayaker whether he/she is an 8-20 year-old or 45-70 year-old. The kayaks track well and are easy to get into and out of. They are also very stable on large lakes (ie: Lake Superior) as well as Class I - III rivers. Our clients like the fact that they can reach for a water bottle, food, jacket or camera without the fear of rolling the kayak. Married couples agree that our individual kayaks are more fun to paddle than a canoe.

In June of 2003, our troop embarked on a five-day kayak excursion to Lake Superior Provincial Park in Ontario. Our members, together with adults, parents, and guests from a neighboring Venture crew, comprised a party of 16 participants with a wide range of skill and experience levels.

Aqua Guides & Outfitters made exceptional effort to accomodate the needs of our party. They allowed us to schedule our excursion into an admittedly difficult time frame. They provided orientation and training well ahead of the trip, outfitted us with top-notch equipment, and supplied us with excellent food in satisfying quantities (fresh meat early, freeze-dried meals later). During the trip, our guide helped us to make the most of each day, while allowing us to set a pace balanced between "ambitious" and "relaxing".

July 26 - August 3 - a fleet of 19 kayaks (manned by 12 Youth and 7 Adults) headed out into Lake Superior for a fabulous week in Lake Superior Provincial Park. The park is about 100 miles up the shore of the big lake from Sault Ste. Marie. Over the week about 30 miles of shoreline were covered as the group experienced the breathtaking beauty of this area. Memories included the majestic beauty of the shoreline, rocking and rolling in about 4 ft. waves, surfing the kayaks along breaking waves at one of our campsites, exploring the many rocky islands along the way, viewing Native American pictographs, eating a delicious fresh caught lake trout thanks to J. Knutson, listening to many tall tales around late night campfires, swimming and cleaning in the VERY cold waters of Lake Superior, and an exciting night hike in the rain.