canoe maker

I've been here solo before and thought this would be an ideal introduction to future tripping with the boy. Up until now, he's been limited to about 1 hr of paddling time before wanting to get back to shore, so we've been puttering around the cottage lake.

This time, needed to make it a bit more interesting so I hyped up the adventure of going up a "wild river" to a "secret waterfall" where we could climb up the rocks and have a shore snack before returning. He helped pack his own gear but interestingly did not want to fish along the way, so the rod stayed at home. Matching Captain yachting caps (a gift from Grandpa) were necessary to complete the adventure wardrobe.





Since this was a portage free route, I ended up packing the newly constructed wanigan  full of goodies as well as the packbaset with some dry clothes and other items in case of a mishap. The little man's custom cedar paddle is now too small for him so he used a left over from before my paddlemaking days - a small laminated Redtail Paddle to which I added some leather whipping.




I suppose at this age, there's only so much silence and stillness a 5 year can take, so it was time for entertainment. He had packed a bunch of small toys in anticipation for the trip and now took them out. One of the neat  things he discovered was that the space between the canoe ribs were excellent tracks for his race cars. He'd hold them up right below the gunnel and let go. Gravity and the deep, boxy canoe design would shoot the car across to the other side of the hull. There's Lightning McQueen about to race down steep slope. Plenty of paddling time was now spent setting up cars to drag race side by side. When he tired of this, his toy helicopter was used to chase away the dragonflies that would hover around the boat.



The anticipated shore lunch by the waterfall never materialized. He got too hungry and insisted on eating right away. The wanigan lid made a perfect tray for his lunch and beverage.



After seeing the artwork on the lid, he wanted to draw pictures on the flat surface too. So next time paper and crayons will be packed as an extra distraction. Who knows, maybe he'll end up being a modern day canoe tripping artist like Rejean Roy.  Soon the roar of the waterfall could be heard. Things were packed up and the little Captain took his place in the bow seat again. You can just make out Marsh's falls in the distance.

Last week I got to spend another fun day playing around the mid section of the Big East River. The plan was to pole upstream further than last year's trip, setup a day-camp on a sandy spit somewhere, and snub back down to the launch point at the Williamsport Bridge. Just like last year, I ended up picking a steamy, humid day for the trip. Here's a shot of the gear loaded up at the access point.




Used this for filming some of the basic shots on shore and for the downstream run. Worked out very well. It only tipped over when an unsecured paddle slid across the bow seat and moved one of the legs out of position.

After posting about some various canoe shelters back in the winter, ended up coming up with this basic fair weather shelter to get some escape from the sun. The canoe was propped up with some driftwood and the canoe pole and paddles supporting the tarp. To get the most of the very mild cooling breeze, it was setup so the air would flow through rather than being a windblock. Must be getting older because without an afternoon nap on a canoe trip, I get cranky.






At the far end of the pond was a marshy area where I spotted this guy fishing in the shallows. It allowed me to get a relatively clear shot before retreating in the reeds.


  

Happy new year to all! Had some time to tinker around with some video footage of my summer daytrip to Crystal Falls on the Limberlost Wilderness Preserve. Here's a quick one minute video of the highlights...

Hope my American visitors had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday this weekend. Up here, Central Ontario had its first significant snowfall on Saturday. Just so happened we were at the cottage lake during this time. Haven't been in the canoe since early August so despite the slightly chilly temps of -8�C, a quick paddle on the lake was must. Here's a shot by the shore with the sprinkling of snow on the disassembled boat slips.



Stayed close to the shoreline where water levels were quite low. In shallow water, I've become partial to the small Birch Cree paddle that was reshaped from a kids paddle back in 2010. Nice wide tip in case you scrape the bottom with an interesting design that works well in shallow or deep water.

Not much in terms of wildlife anymore as the lake is preparing for another slumbering winter season. However, did get a splashy show from this small flock of Canadian Geese...


Unfortunately I completely missed the fall leaf colour change this year but heard from many folks that it was stunningly vibrant compared to previous seasons. The winter view was a nice consolation prize...


Also got a chance to test out the recently completed c1839 Minnesota Voyageur replica. Just at this moment, the sun peaked out behind some clouds lighting up the warm cherry hues of the paddle and the golden white cedar. Was a nice contrast to the chilly black water and otherwise bland background colours.



Here's a clumsy shot trying to take a pic of the paddle grip in action. Despite having some bulky wool mittens on, the flattened grip was comfortable enough for a relaxed paddle stroke. The small, roll top grip was sufficient for gripping in the usual manner, but I found it worked best as a "stopper" of sorts when holding the grip along the edge

Launch point looking downstream

Paddling upsteam

Huge sandy cliffs along the way

Looking upstream for some prime poling territory

Poling up the shallows in still water

Wasn't expecting it, but I came some bank Beaver burrows dug into the muddy sides of the river  at the waterline. Just after taking this pic, I noticed a beaver in the distance swimming across and I managed to get a few grainy shots including its webbed feet right after doing a tail splash.

Big warning splash with webbed feet flipped up

Further upstream was a small island where I  pulled up to take a break in the heat. The place was covered in animal tracks. Seems it is being used as a deer crossing site.

Break time on a muddy island

Deer tracks all over

Where there's deer, there's going to be predators. Here's a nice wolf print in the mud....

Wolf print

Lots of rocks under those ripples

Finding the rock free channel

Trying to pole and take a photo - not reccommended!

Trying to pole up a channel

Snubbing downstream in the same place

Canoe shelter with tarp, paddles, & pole

Lots of driftwood but no campfire today

As a "luxury item", I like to use an old Turkish kilim as a ground cover. After visiting family there back in '06 we picked up quite a few of these beautiful mats and this one has seen its share of family picnics and outings. The wool is warm and cozy and the loose flat-weave of the kilim allows it to easily flapped clean of dirt and sand. Nomadic shepherds there often use layered kilims as blankets, cloaks, and even fold them into a sort of sleeping bag too. A little secret I picked up on a bushcraft forum is to use an old shower curtain as a waterproof lining to prevent dampness from the ground - can't see it in the photo but it is there.