For years, college students have flocked by the thousands to places like South Padre Island, Texas and Panama City Beach or Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for their spring break party adventures. For some, the party scene at America’s southern beaches are not for them and they find alternatives.
“Personally, I don’t like going on vacation, and I figured that canoeing would keep me somewhat busy,” said Joseph Johnson, a Ball State sophomore.
Johnson was one of eleven Ball State students and four leaders who traveled to Florida for spring break not to a beach, but to the Suwannee River near Florida’s panhandle for a week-long canoeing trip. Outdoor Pursuits, part of the Ball State Recreation Center, has been taking students on alternative spring break trips for almost seven years and those trips have included canoeing in Florida and backpacking in the Grand Canyon.
This year’s trip offered the opportunity to gain canoeing skills, see wildlife and relax in sunny Florida as opposed to chugging from beer bongs and listening to loud music on the beaches.
Students say alternative spring breaks such as these are a great way to see the outdoors, especially if they don’t have much experience with that environment.
“I love camping and the outdoors and it’s been a long time since I have really spent time outside,” Johnson said. Like other participants on the trip, he enjoyed the relaxation of it all in an outdoor setting.
These trips can be appealing for many as everything is planned out for them and work is left up to the leaders. “I would say because in a lot of ways, it’s more relaxing and quiet” said Ball State senior Connor Beaver when asked about why he preferred this type of spring break trip over others, especially one in a unique environment.
The area of the Suwannee River is often known as the “real Florida.” It’s not a beach but low-lying wetlands with trees covered in Spanish moss. The unique landscape of the area didn’t go unnoticed. “I really enjoyed seeing all the Spanish moss, sandbars and palms along the river” said Ball State senior and trip leader Paul Nicholas. The water that feeds the Suwannee comes from the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia which creates a unique water color in the river known as the “black waters of Florida.” This area also used to be inhabited by the Timucua Native American Tribe but was eventually eradicated by Spanish colonizers.
The unique location of the river and the participants that traveled for the trip created a relaxed dynamic. Outdoor Pursuits trips like these turn strangers into friends. Spending the day canoeing 12 or so miles down the river creates a fast sense of friendship among boat partners and those friendships continue even after the day on the river is done.
Katie Ambs works for Outdoor Pursuits and was a leader on this spring break trip.
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