Girl Powered Paddling Leadership -'Portage Like a Girl'
- Susan Norman
- May 12
- 5 min read
Outdoor adventure sports involve risk; it's part of the package, and for many, the allure of 'good risk' is part of the attraction in the first place.
Whitewater kayaking and canoeing has a steeper learning curve than many other adventure sports. Learning to manage whitewater before you have reliable skills to keep from tipping over, reading river currents, or reliable self-rescue skills invariably involves getting spanked by the river early in one's paddling career. My fear of being swept downstream outside of a boat drove me into competition at a young age. I simply wanted to develop a high skill level as fast as possible.
In my memoir, RISK, I describe what it was like to be one of the original ‘daughters of the revolution’ in the sport of whitewater paddling. Like many adventure sports, whitewater canoeing, kayaking, and rafting began to grow exponentially during the 1970s and 1980s. Growing up on the river, I was a part of many firsts, for both the sport and for women.
With very few women to look up to, I naturally tended to let the men lead. Throughout my youth, I was happy to defer to the men to carry the heavy things, make the tough decisions, and lead the way.
These days, after assessing the skill level, knowledge, and judgment of the men in the group I am paddling with, I am still happy to share and sometimes defer leadership responsibility.
But it was those times when I was either the leader or working within an exclusively female team that were the most empowering. Those experiences formed many life skills that have proven useful outside of the paddling arena.
Today, I still encourage young women to find opportunities to engage in outdoor adventure with other women—not always, but sometimes—to remove the safety net and experience the unique experience of girl-powered leadership. I also encourage young women to embrace their muscle.
The following is a quote from my memoir, RISK, about the beginnings of finding my girl power through paddling fitness training, starting at age 17.
Developing physical strength is an extremely potent way for a young woman, especially one with as many insecurities as I, to own her power. I can't explain the phenomenon, but the more my shoulders and biceps grew, the greater my confidence and resilience in other facets of my life also grew. Feeling stronger in my body helped me feel stronger in my mind.
You will have to wait to read my memoir to learn more about how my continued growth in the sport of whitewater paddling led to further transformative girl-powered leadership opportunities.
But for now, I would like to talk about a current Gen Z team of paddling leaders in wilderness expedition canoeing. The number of women participating in adventure sports has always been noticeably less than men, especially at the elite level and in positions of leadership. Women still capture attention, when they accomplish notable achievements in this arena.
The Hudson Bay Girls consist of four experienced women canoeists in their mid-twenties. In late May 2025, they will embark on a 1,200-mile journey following the historic voyageur route from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay.
Olivia Bledsoe, Emma Brackett, Abby Cichocki, and Helena Karlstrom share a similar background. They were all introduced to and fell in love with canoeing at a young age. Collectively, they have developed a strong foundation of wilderness canoeing skills as canoe guides in the Great Lakes Region. They all say canoeing has changed their lives in different ways.
I think canoeing is so special to us because, if I can speak for the group, we all see it as an art form, truly. It's something where we can connect with each other. Especially being in a place where canoeing has such deep roots in the history of the area, it makes us feel connected to each other and connected to the landscape when we're canoeing. ~ Helena Karlstrom
Over approximately 88 days, the Hudson Bay Girls will paddle across 1,200 miles of lakes and rivers, including hundreds of rapids and dozens of portages.
So, although they will use their skills in navigating currents, they will mostly utilize wilderness travel skills, including physical conditioning, wilderness camping and paddling during periods of foul weather, wilderness first-aid training, and well-organized food and gear logistics planning.
They will be taking a wisely conservative approach to whitewater rapids, portaging anything that could put themselves or their equipment at risk. Although their undecked canoes are designed to handle class II whitewater, you can't roll an open canoe with gear, and the potential consequences of flipping are not worth the risk in remote wilderness environments.
A canoe swim in even class II whitewater can be quite terrifying and can quickly end a wilderness expedition. Rocks can destroy equipment and bruise bodies, swift cold water saps strength surprisingly quickly, and even small hydraulics and currents can submerge your head underwater longer and more frequently than is comfortable, even in a lifejacket.
This means that many of the whitewater obstacles and other land barriers encountered during their 1,200-mile journey will require portages, starting with an 8.5-mile portage from Lake Superior to the Pigeon River. The Hudson Bay Girls will need to carry heavy things, and they will have to carry them a lot.
They will be tested. The physical challenges are great, but they know it will likely be the easy part. They are wise enough to understand the mental challenges will likely be much more difficult. They will have to push through both psychological and physical fatigue. Fatigue exacerbated by high winds, voracious insects, and inclement weather. Difficult decisions will need to be made when things don't go according to plan. Injuries and illnesses will need to be assessed and treated, with other teammates able to pick up the slack when a team member may be compromised for a time. To manage these challenges, they will need the most important ingredient of any wilderness expedition: a robust and resilient team dynamic.
A team dynamic that recognizes and embraces each member's strengths and vulnerabilities, and through their combined efforts, achieves something greater together than would be possible on their own.
I know this dynamic well, and its power.
I am excited for this team. They are strong, smart, and passionate, and the combination of their skills creates a formidable cadre for taking on this bold venture. Inspiring those in their generation, and those that come after them, to experience girl-powered paddling leadership.
I invite you to join me in their journey, watching their progress vicariously through the following links this summer.
Hudson Bay Girls on Instagram and Facebook, and our website, HudsonBayGirls.com
And to donate!
In a time when it seems the world is going more than just a little mad with toxic patriarchy, it is heartening to witness this example of what the next generation can do. Using their power together to do big things.
So, when you face your next big challenge, remind yourself, Portage Like a Girl. You can do it!
It’s remarkable that your fear of being swept downstream didn’t push you away from the river, but propelled you into competition. That instinct to move toward challenge rather than retreat from it speaks volumes about the kind of inner strength that adventure sports cultivate, especially in women forging new paths.
I also resonate deeply with your reflections on strength. There’s something transformative about building muscle, not just in the physical sense, but as a declaration of agency. I've always loved the feeling of being strong, even when that strength doesn’t align with the “preferred” model of what a girl should look like. Strength in muscles and veins, not just poise and prettiness. It’s a kind of beauty that says: I can carry…
I look forward to following these women in their journey to Hudson Bay. Inspiring and educational.
I’m also looking forward to your book arriving at my doorstep.
Brilliant inspiration for all genders.
Love this