Kayakers find therapy on the open river

Now in its 10th year, First Descents' kayaking camps have become a staple of summer in the north Flathead Valley, and for many locals, so has lending a hand to the non-profit organization.

"I think that our age group gets missed. You always hear about charities and organizations that are set up to help tiny kids or elderly adults, but not those in their twenties and thirties," said Lisa Cloutier, who owns The Raven and The Islander Inn in Woods Bay, and has been helping First Descents the past few weeks. "Also, it's nice to see the outdoors being incorporated."

First Descents is a non-profit that hosts kayaking and rock-climbing camps for young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Last week Cloutier and her husband Brian Anderson rowed a safety boat for one of the camp's days of kayaking. A couple of nights later they also prepared and delivered dinner to the camp, which is being housed at Columbia Mountain Cabins in Columbia Falls this year. Next week Cloutier, Anderson and some of The Raven staff will prepare several more meals and snacks for the camp, which usually relies on dinner donations from individual volunteers.

"It's just a really great program and we are glad we get to help," Cloutier said.

On Aug. 15 The Raven will host a flotilla fundraiser for the camp starting at 2 p.m., which will include a barbecue dinner at 4 p.m., beer and cocktails at the tiki bar and live music.

First Descents camps are completely free of charge for participants, so fundraising is a must. It is estimated that about $1,000 needs to be raised to pay for each person's week-long stay.

This year, First Descents is hosting 15 camps with 15 participants each in six states, including Colorado, Utah, Washington, Idaho, California and Montana. Five of those camps are rock-climbing camps and three of the 10 kayaking camps are in northwest Montana on the North Fork and Middle Fork.

This corner of Montana was an easy choice as a site for the camps since First Descents founder Brad Ludden, a professional kayaker, is a Kalispell native. His mother Jinny and father Chuck still live in Kalispell and help with the camps and fundraising for them year-round.

Although Ludden's roots are in the Flathead, his non-profits' headquarters are in Colorado. This year the office was moved from Vail to Denver to help the organization get more exposure, which was just one of many changes the group has gone through this year.

The president of the footwear companies Teva and Simple, Pete Worley, joined the First Descents board of directors in this spring, and Joel Appel, took on the role of executive director a few months back. Also, about five months ago Rebekah Koenigbauer became First Descents new director of marketing, and last week in Montana she took part in her first camp.

"It's amazing. Everyone always talked about this magic that happens at the camps, but you don't really understand it until you see it," she said.

Koenigbauer said that that magic stems from the smallest of joys to the biggest triumphs, which makes the experience even more incredible for her to participate in. One of her favorite aspects of the organization is the demographic that it serves.

"I think one of the greatest parts of this organization is that it helps the 18- to 39-age group who are the most forgotten group and they are dealing with some of the toughest issues, like finishing college, getting married, starting a family and dating.

Also adding to the new comer's amazement, is that Koenigbauer got into a kayak for the first time last week and learned to paddle alongside last week's participants.

"It's very humbling because I'm supposed to be here to lead them, but when I'm on the water, the participants are encouraging and helping me just as much as I'm helping them, especially the returning participants," Koenigbauer said.

First Descents participants must complete an in-depth application process and be cleared by their doctors to take part in the camps. They are allowed to attend camp for up to three years, and returning for a second and third year is actually encouraged.

"That's a very intentional part of our program," Koenigbauer said. "We like to make sure we have people here who have been to camp before to help provide leadership and overall group dynamics. It can be an awkward situation to come into a situation where you're living with strangers for a week, but having those people that have done it before helps a lot. Also, it makes that first day on the river easier when they can look around and see people who have been there before and come back for more."

At last week's camp, four of the 15 participants were alumni, including Stacey Stearns a 29 year old from Storrs, Conn.

"I'm a lot less nervous this year," Stearns said. "When I signed up last year, I knew it was going to be out of my comfort zone. I had fun with it, but I was never fully able to enjoy it. So this year I'm a lot more confident and I'm having a lot more fun on the river."

Stearns said she has enjoyed picking up the new sport, and even used her First Descents camp skills for a few kayaking adventures in Connecticut. However, she gained much more from the camp than a new hobby.

"When you get diagnosed with cancer at our age, it robs you of that feeling most young adults have of having a lot of time left and being invincible," Stearns said. "But camp allows you to get some of that back and realize that you can still do a lot of things. It allow you to take back control of your life since for so long the doctors are in control of it."

There are a lot of differences between the participants in regards to the type of cancer they are battling, the town they live in and their personal lives, but that is not evident at camp where in-between put-ins on the river they share stories of doctor visits, as well as coping with cancer and breaking the news to loved ones that they have been diagnosed with a sometimes terminal disease.

"It's important to realize that you're not the only one going through this," said Brandon Gore, a 26 year old from Indianapolis, Ill., whose acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been in remission for 10 years now. "It's good for us to talk about our struggles with each other."

Gore heard about the camp from his local leukemia and lymphoma chapter and decided to apply because it seemed like an unique opportunity.

"Back home there are not a lot of support groups or opportunities for survivors to spend time together," Gore said. "The FD staff has been amazing with accommodations and making sure you're comfortable with what you are doing."

One of those staff members is Jordan Stoner, who began volunteering with First Descents five years ago and has been a camp director the past two summers.

"It's such an awesome community," Stoner said. "Every year the same thing happens and it still surprises me. There's no place else I could be where cooler stuff is happening."

Although Stoner, who is a kayaking instructor in West Glacier during the summer and a student at Montana State University the rest of the year, enjoys teaching the participants the skills they need to safely and successfully maneuver down the river, it is just a small part of why he enjoys being a part of the organization.

"The relationships that get formed in such a short period of time is an amazing thing," Stoner said. "Also to see them really together and take on a challenging sport like kayaking is extremely inspirational. That's what keeps us coming back and keeps so many people volunteering."

In order for each camp to be a held, a great deal of support, donations and volunteering is needed. Although Koenigbauer said that First Descents is lucky, and endlessly thankful for the success it gets with this, Stoner said that it is him and his peers who feel fortunate to get to be a part of it.

"It's really become the river community's way of giving back," Stoner said. "Not just here, but all over the country and Canada. We have a really quality staff and that makes the camp work even better."