Well it had been a very long time; fifty years to be exact, and Shawn was quick enough to call me out on a comment I had made about putting together a trip to celebrate.  “Hey, weren’t you going to do something special this year?”   Well, special became a very different animal (more of that later) and the interest spread.  Actually it spread far and very quickly.  Some heard comments that it couldn’t be done successfully, and that it would have too far a reaching impact on the environment.  Was the individual’s experience level capable to perform a trip of this scope.  This trip, not unlike any other, suffered its’ share of fallout as it did, interest, so the target, exact date, members, and exact travel plans were kept to the confines of those committed to making this trip a lasting memory.

A meeting place and time were established and so we began; some with a campfire to prepare for the trip and others hitting the tarmac at an early time to satisfy the extended trip.  What a joy it was to flip on the windshield wipers in the pitch black morning on Hwy 400/69 at about the halfway point to Sudbury.  15 minutes into the rain, Karin looked at me and asked, “Didn’t you leave your boots in the back of the truck?”  With traffic being light, the sudden brake did nothing more than FULLY wake up Steve and get things back in attention.  I’d like to think it had something to do with Ram design, but I know someone was looking out for me and …….dry boots!  Onwards to pick up canoe #3

Via the world of electronics and media, it became evident that some had not fared the evening so well and that we were not the only travellers enjoying the weather.  So now we had a better understanding of timelines and expectations to hit the rendezvous.

Speaking of rendezvous’s , let’s back this up a smidge to a “planning evening” held not so long ago with a group of consorts to discuss the finer details of the trip such as beer, wings, veggie dips, and copious quantities of tales from former trips, and oh ya….”what time are we going to hit the water?”  The most outstanding question of the evening was, “…so, ya gonna be there?”  You’re likely to see me along the way!

“I need a coffee…..NOW!” and so we headed in towards the Tim’s on 17 and as I turned in I remarked about a good looking Swift canoe, in black, so here we are admiring the canoe as the owners are waving at us and voila,  pre coffee I realized I recognized these people. “Hot Damn!”,  we passed the audition and people, other people, were going to be on this trip.  This is where the excitement builds….!  We get to the cut off road and we see the black canoe again;  we see a red canoe, we see a green canoe we see canoes all over the place, and we see people shaking hands, nodding heads and hugging others.  It was all going just way too good right up to the point where Matt says, “This is an active mining road….and you’re really going to have fun with the trailer!”   OK, now I need another coffee……NOW!

The access road proved to be exciting but not a problem, and soon we were at our launch site.  Canoes down and packs loaded and the armada was soon to be released upon the wild.  Wind at out backs proved to be a boon to the trip and the fastest canoe soon became closely related to the slower boats by way of great communication and a close watch.  This is a testament to a successful trip when, with a group of 22 people, multiple dogs, and an age swing from 4 – 63 years of age, you still have to administer the portages to ensure flow!

So the flotilla continued on its’ chosen course, to the land of the Wolf, yet with any venture worth its’ weight, the trials and tribulations stand before those challenging the route.  It’s been said that the reward is only equal to the challenge, so child, pet, and combatant carried, and carried over several worthy obstacles.  Word came down from Matt and Chelsea that the next paddle would be “easy peasy” and there was just a small swift to champion and off we would be to the camp site.  A fitting spot for Matt to jump into the river and push canoes up the river.  Hope I spelled Easy Peasy correctly.

Camp was made and food packs hung while daylight stayed with us and the array of cook ware and menu prep was from A to Z, yet no man, woman, child, or dog went hungry.   The strong winds played with, and stayed with us through Saturday and this evening’s campfire brought a chance for us all to get together and talk about who we were and what is was that that brought us here!   What an incredible evening for sharing and an incredible evening for anyone of us to lay an egg, so to speak!

I had such a strong feeling about how this trip was coming together, and about all the people who had committed to this endeavour, I felt very good about the Sunday morning.  Red pines had bent over in the breeze for two days and on the Sunday, the wind was calm.  The lake was calm!  The portages would be the climax for the day, or so we thought!   So many times we see the road before us and calculate our trip based on that vision.  Then comes the road less travelled.  The road which offers the jewel of the trip; the offering to those who will spend the time as opposed to save time by hurrying along the path.  I very nearly lost it myself, so quick to get the gear and the canoes gone from one point to another and missing the entire reason for the portage.  You can only capture this effect once!

End result was a magnificent day with nominal winds and virtually a complete sunny day with temps at about 23’C.  By comparison, I’d love to talk about the alternative offered to us on a 10 km. paddle into a devastating headwind.

End result, in fact, is the creation of many new friendships, bonds in both camping and canoeing.  So many personal bests were created on this trip because “we didn’t know if we could do it.”  “We hadn’t been pushed this far before”.  Well guess what folks?  You didn’t get pushed…..you pushed yourselves!  You signed on by your own choice and we came back with the same number we left with so hat’s off to everyone.

To every single person on this trip, I can not thank you all enough!  Incredible is such an over used word, yet if it’s not within the realms……it’s incredible!  And I thank you for your part!

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all and I hope you are taking advantage of the outdoors, or at least, taking the time to re-charge your personal batteries.

I spoke last of “Stone Soup”; the ability to make something spectacular from virtually, nothing, and share it with others.  Well that trip is well on its’ way to fruition and just the thought of soup, coupled with a stiff fall breeze and the heavy clouds over head, made me take to the kitchen to prepare……..a pot of soup!

My goodness, there is nothing like a ham bone and veggies with lentils to simmer on the stove top while outside work is being done.  The moment you walk in the house, the aroma carries a somewhat magical quality that stirs memories of Moms’ and Nanas’ who toiled to make certain the soup was just right.  Who could imagine there was such a delicate balance within a ham bone, carrots and celery, lentils, onions, and basil?  Yet there it sits, inside the deep bowl accompanied with a fresh bread stick and copious quantities of butter!

Oh, I’m sorry!  I’ve obviously become quite distracted!

A very special new addition may be arriving on the scene shortly and I’m undecided as to the stone of choice……ruby or emerald?  As expected with such gems, champagne will accompany the arrival!  The new potential addition has a fine line of distinction, a delicate flair, shows impeccable taste, and would be the defining line for any collector of gems.

I wonder, ruby, or emerald?

 

 

50 years ago I answered the call to go on a fishing trip into the French River.  A river uncharted and known to only a few who had ventured so far north.  Or so we thought!

A huge river, rich with Canadian heritage and the blood, sweat, and tears of those who had plied the waters hundreds of years before us.  Tricks and trails that were shared and passed on from scant weeks before, to the time present.  With each trip in, the river seemed somewhat more manageable while retaining its intrigue, its magic, and its fascination!

Simple fact is that we never to continue riding our first bike.    In one week that is going to change in a very big way!

I made the comment that I’d love to do a special trip for my 50th this year and was reminded, and questioned  as to my intentions.  One thing lead to another which brings us to an amazing trip about to unfold into, yet another, prime canoeing territory of Canada; that being, Temagami!

So what would you add to a 50th anniversary outing?

Anyone remember reading “Stone Soup”?  This trip will offer a sprinkle of youth, seasoned with experience from trips before.  It will allow for the test of an ambition or a dream, or even a dare, flavoured by the eye of an elder.  This trip will enable thoughts to be achieved, it will instil a believe in a very young heart and mind that there is no limit or boundary to what we may achieve.  It may very well do the same to an older heart!  This trip will be rich from the experience of priors which is readily shared with anyone with the same appetite.

The stone was brought forward, the pot is going to be within Temagami, and I am in awe as to the ingredients available for this pot of soup!

I love what I do!!!

It seems like forever since the last time I was as excited about a trip.  That trip was to the French River with my cousin, Tom, and it guaranteed some wild river travel, some monster fish, in addition to other sideline adventures such as diving for equipment after a massive FAIL at running the Big Pine rapids in a motor boat.  There’s a story for another day.  Well somewhere along the line I had mentioned I was keen on a 50th trip and sure as heck, I got called out on it!  So a very special thanks to Shawn Ryder for pulling the trigger on that one, and yes Shawn, there will be fishing, for sure!

One thing lead to another and soon there was a great deal of interest in a trip without a final destination confirmed.  One included another, one suggested another, and very soon we had a group of diversified and worthy contributors on multiple levels coming forward.  Of a number of choices, a final destination was selected and so the planning began, courtesy of the Mad Hatter,yet another story for another day!

So right now, the, “Yup, We’re in” responses are ringing loud and proud and my heart rate is escalating just imagining being a small part of this adventure.  This one has everything from soup to nuts and as Matt put forward, “These people who paddle and blog and enjoy the outdoors; can you imagine the different aspect of writings from everyone?”

It’s been raining all day and the trailer is loaded with a few canoes as you can see.  Steve and I have been back and forth sourcing a canoe for his family and Emma and I have just had a chat as to which canoe she wants to take as she will be my paddle partner so that leads to a question of interest.  What combination of canoes will the Canoe Collector be taking?  “Red” the Chestnut, is in the garage and the trailer shows a 16′ Nova Craft Prospector, a 16′ Swift Algonquin, and a 17’6″ Swift Winisk.  Apparently we have some potential for big water plus some “out of this world” scenery ahead of us so I welcome your input and your guess as to the end combination of canoes.

“Rainy days and Mondays always bring me down”.  The Carpenters did such a great job on that tune and with it being a Monday with rain I have to admit to a down side.  Tom has been gone, both too soon, and for too long now, so I’ll take a moment up there to reflect and I know he will be looking out for Karin and the kids.

So people….two canoes will be going north for our family and your job is to guess the correct combination.

 

Today marked our first foray into the world of Crown Land camping/outings. It was just time to get into the water with some recently acquired canoes and test out our Kelly Kettle base camp that we bought through ManCamping.ca so the trailer was loaded with canoes and north we went.

On arrival, Steve jumps from his truck and states he used to come here when he was a kid and had camped on the very island we were headed for. That was great news, indeed, but the laughs really took a quick turn for the worse when we looked at all the garbage under foot.

A light breeze out of the north, every one in their canoes with PFD’s in place, and it was off to the waves we went. A leisurely pace was established (courtesy of the wind at our backs) and we saw a few nice campsites from the lake. The island had been discussed and it was pretty much a given for our soup test site and so the island it was on our tour of the shoreline.   OH MY GOD!  Garbage was rampant and a very obvious disrespect for God’s nature provided for us was every where!  The crazy thing was there were two garbage bags unused, that we filled and took out with us. Christina, you have definitely got the right attitude towards this and we felt good about doing what we did.

SOUP TIME!!!!!   Wow and double wow is about all I can say.  Kelly Kettle says they do this and they do that and guess what?……..they do it!!!  This big boy ate up a litre and a half of water and spit it up, boiling hot, in just a hair over 4 minutes.  The whole unit nests and stacks in as compact a manner as it’s shape will allow but my vote is 100% effective and 110% as for value provided.  The different sizes allow some measure of variance for the tripper, hiker, or car camper alike.  We bought ours through ManCamping.ca and loved the service.

Each of us has a goal and a style for camping based on the knowledge we choose to seek out.  The learning we seek gives us the guidance we “need” to complete our trip according to our goals.  What we saw today was evidence that some folk just need to raise the bar on their goals.  Easy is just that and soon there is no room left for others to follow, however, when you lead by example, there’s always room for others to follow and learn.

It’s a matter of choice…..!

 

 

Should I or shouldn’t I?  Whether you do it or not, a choice has been made.  There’s a big difference in settling for something and striving for it!

Yesterday, the plan was to get up to Huntsville to meet up with the folks from Wilderness Canoe.  Talk about a choice!  Their choice was to fly over from Scotland and do a 16 day canoe circuit through Algonquin Park.  The seven of them have considerable skills and with their outfitter of choice, this will literally, be a paddle in the Park, however, this trip is the stuff that creates lifetime memories.

I had packed up some essentials and my gear to fit a flexible day as I really, had no idea how this would play out.  Matthew and I had prearranged a meeting spot and time but with never having met, I saw in my mind the sidewalk greeting, “Hi, are you…., no..Hi are you…..?”.  Well I’m pleased to say that it worked out much smoother than that and after introducing ourselves we were off to the  Schat Bakery and Cafe for a coffee and a baked goodie.  After shooting the breeze for a while I was able to give Matt a lift back to their Oxtongue River base and met with five of the six others on this expedition.  Smiles were every where and it was obvious these lads were going to have fun.

Oh yes, we were talking about choices.  Anybody that runs the 400 knows that a Saturday of a long weekend, Barrie, is not the place to be.  Anybody that knows me well, knows that Dave, and early Saturday morning, are not normally found in the same sentence.  Well, I broke the habit and the tires were turning shortly after 6:30.  The new trailer and a new tie-down set up, along with many years of highway driving made me take a few chances to stop and check that all was good with the trailer and canoe and with traffic very light I soon found myself at Tim’s in Orillia.  Coffee and doughnuts are an integral part of any road trip,……yes?

After wiping the icing sugar off my face, I jumped back in and we were off.  It seemed like seconds and a favourite sign of mine,  “……..Canoes-6Kms.” came into view and I made an easy choice to pull in.  Swift Canoe and Kayak was having an end of season sale and although they weren’t even open the lot was humming with people.  I was admiring some of the Badger paddles on the rack and made another choice, but that’s a story for another day.

Well, Matt and his charges will be on the water headed into the Algonquin interior, Carmen and the folks at Swift will be busy helping another customer, and the merchants of Huntsville will be excelling at customer service.  Make certain you see the storefront sign from Soapstones Soap & Skin Care, on Main Street.  All in all, it was a fantastic day and along the way home I decided to hook onto Hwy 35 south and head down through Dorset and back into Bracebridge on 117.

Matt, I followed your recommendation and got the hull wet on our Swift Algonquin.  Not a long one but on the water just the same.

Now about that paddle…….some choices are going to have to be made!

 

@wild_canoe @Swift_Canoe @Algonquin_PP @algonquinoutfit @BadgerPaddles #wearapfd #wegetoutside #canoe #tripping

 

 

Extreme heat and severe storms, tornados included, have taken a toll in Ontario.  Fire bans have become a necessity for safety and although they cause a need to become more flexible on your trip plans, they also ensure that yesterdays beauty and memory will be there again next month or next year.  I remember a fire scar across Temagami so many years ago; barren land void of any significant growth and a reminder of the Smokey the Bear days for good reason.

Some time ago the kids mentioned about going to some waterfalls they’d heard about and we said, “OK, next weekend we go!”  Well folks, the storms went through here on Saturday afternoon and we filled a rain barrel in minutes!  Sunday morning came and for some reason I heard the clock peel off the 5, 6, and 7 bells so I thought this a calling and pulled on some shorts and set the coffee pot to work.  Izzy had an idea of his own that it was about Pee o’clock so he had no issue with me getting dressed and finding his collar.  Off we went, man and faithful companion and the winds grew and the skies darkened to that nasty shade of purple/black and thoughts of driving north and trekking through the woods appeared somewhat dim in my mind.

Coffee in hand and Izzy well into his breakfast bowl, Karin rounded the hallway and asked about the weather and the whether!  If the weather was in favour for the trip and if we should go.  I said,” You know what Babe? We tell the kids we’re going on this day and then bail due to the weather…..what values are we teaching?  We’re going and the worst thing to happen is we stop as a family somewhere new for lunch!”

Water falls, here we come.  Oh, by the way, where are you?  Well, they weren’t exactly where we thought they were so for $19.95, the Ram now has a detailed map book of Ontario and (insert drum roll here), the kids are getting so much better with north, south, and left and right!  By the way, our tailgate lunch in Parry Sound was “a beautiful thing”!

Back down Hwy 400 (I will always refer to it as Hwy 69, I’m old so I can do it) and jumped off on our new target exit in search of “the falls”.  Up and down we went on such a winding road, over streams and past lakes until we came upon our road.  Tarmac slowly gave to a gravel entrance and finally to a grassy spot to park the truck.

The path lay before us and entered a fairly dense forest, yet the trail was very good; right up to the climb!  Here, the forest floor rose before us and the roots of the trees seemed to reach from the dirt to catch your shoe mid stride.  Off to the side the river could be heard as it gently kissed the rock on the way to it’s brink.  We knew the very second we hit the crest of the climb and the thunder broke as the flow of the river cascaded over the falls.

The kids broke down the trail and were very quick to enter the pool below the falls.  That’s exactly where they stopped and proceeded with caution to avoid both the slippery surface of the rock and the current provided by the falls.  Mom was quick on their heels and smiles flowed as freely as the current. Emma stated that she wanted to make a list of water falls to visit and nobody else can find fault with that after today.

Feet dried off and bathing suits changed off, we headed for home after another great day spent out of doors.  Marvin said he had a great time after we let him out of the glove box…..Emma?  On a humorous note, we were flying down a road and ….SWOOSH…there goes a canoe trailer for sale.  A 4-bed wagon that would be right up my alley.  Well a quick turn within a half mile and a couple of phone calls later, don’t we have some more laughs  due to people we collectively know.  So glad I came to learn about the lifting of the Algonquin Park fire ban when I did!

Aren’t people wonderful?

Any one know what water falls and potato chips have in common?  You can’t have just one!  I’m thinking a prize will be in order for the first correct guess of both falls.

@algonquinoutfit @luv2campingmom @Some_Eventful @kmsoutdoors @geekingirl @christinascheu

Recently Karin and I were talking and I said that I wanted to have a badge or logo designed that would be specific to the Canoe Collector.  I started to pen some different combinations and soon found out that I lacked some talent in this field.  In fact, I had extremely limited talent in this arena.  Luckily there is Chrisy!

Chrisy and Karin go way, way back and Chrisy is talent extraordinaire with regards to computer graphics and art work and has a -3 score for having extra time on her hands.  This I knew but I reached out just the same.  She was right up front and told me her schedule was hectic but I should send her what I could as a basic idea….”just stickmen, no fonts, nothing fancy, just your base idea.”  Now that has to put the mind at ease, right?  Something you love doing is quickly reduced to stickmen and you haven’t a clue as to what you might receive, or when it may show up.

Coming off of her family holidays and the morning before her return to her regular job comes an email time stamped just after 5:00 A.M. asking me to have a look and let her know if she was headed in the right direction.  I looked at it and forwarded it off to Karin for her thoughts.  Deep down I knew but I also had some questions so I asked Chrisy about the colour choice.  Her response made me smile as her answer also echoes the thoughts of Karin and I.  The red is her favourite colour for a canoe and the brown tone, she included to reflect the wood trim of a canoe.  She thought we had one like that and she was right on the money.

The new Canoe Collector emblem/logo will never change as it reflects so much behind our thoughts and it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that when you believe in someone’s talents, you run with it!

Well, what would be more Canadian than strapping a flag to flow free in the breeze and getting away from the day to day. Exactly what we did and the timing was spot on. Limited traffic and before we knew it, we were dropping off the highway for our destination. The winds in the trees welcomed us as we unloaded our gear and let off the straps on the Nova Craft.

Any one who has visited a cottage or camp, knows that you don’t just show up to enjoy!  There’s wood to split or carry, a dock to level or adjust, and of course, the boats to place at the ready.

This trip, we were putting a Nova Craft Kevlar Prospector to trial and it was her first time in the drink as the new owners.  This gal is an older model and shows measures of previous  use, however, as a hull new to us, we went in with open minds.

Being aware of the enormous capacity this hull will accommodate, we remained aware as we paddled.  The response to a turn was enormous and the canoe virtually turned within her own length.  Any correction to course caused in an immediate result with no impact on stability.  From a solo paddle to tandem paddling with my son, my wife, and my buddy, Steve, resulted in the exact same comment; “I like this canoe!”

She’s light enough for me to load on the truck by myself and while solo paddling I got as close as I’ve ever been to sitting in the cradle of the hull. Yes, I’ll buy Becky Mason’s video about creative solo paddling skills.

So everyone was pleased with the Nova Craft and the maps were perused for a solo trip….until we got home and consulted with our daughter who had gone a different direction for the weekend.  We talked over dinner and the solo plans got even better.  When the trip plans were being discussed the option of a father/daughter trip came up and that is exactly what is going to happen.

Everyone is very excited…..well, almost everyone.  Marvin, although we love him, just doesn’t show much in the line of emotion and Izzy, well, he’s pretty much run out of energy.  That’s tough work for a Potcake to share the stage with 4 other dogs, a birthday party, lot’s of swimming, oh ya…..and a black cat!!!

Here’s to a brand new adventure!!!

“Measure twice and cut once.” Great advice and it proves itself in the work.
I needed some spare room in the yard so I put the pen to paper and brought out some tools to get at the process. End result came up with a tidy three bunk rack and she’s as sturdy as if you’d built it your self. Hey, that’s exactly what I did!

I’ve got another canoe landing tomorrow and the back yard isn’t getting any larger so I went out and bought some lumber and sketched out some drawings for a canoe rack.  With a few measurements and modifications I was able to put together a 3 place bunk that is very sturdy and provides so much more room in the yard.

So, now we’ve got a red one in the garage, two on the new rack, and ….would anyone care to take a guess at the colour of the new one coming tomorrow?

This frame is solid and keeps the canoes off of the ground while providing easy access.  I like it!

So with a little planning and the use of some old school carpentry tricks, such as a cedar shake for trim, this job came off within a couple of hours and will serve these canoes very well, indeed!