Issue #37 - Ottawa Outdoors Magazine

outdoors ottawa

Summer 2013

Free

Your outdoor adventure and travel guide Ottawa • Gatineau • Ontario • Quebec • US & Beyond

Whitewater rafting the Ottawa River Why, where and how to get wet and wild this summer

Cycling Perth A pedal paradise

Survival

A book review on who lives, who dies and why

Paddle plans

Choose the right one for your adventures

Kiteboarding

Time to get airborne!

Muskie fishing

Ottawa's got plenty to catch

Register today at MuddSweatandTears.com

IGNORE THE WARNING SIGNS AND THIS COULD BE FOR REAL.

Watch for the warning signs and don’t fish or swim near dams and hydroelectric stations. Water levels rise rapidly and currents can become deadly in seconds.

stayclearstaysafe.ca

outdoors ottawa

Paddling the Rivière Noire

SUMMER 2013

18 Cyclosportif Perth

Mudd, Sweat & Tears obstacle race

44

~ Articles

~ Departments

5 6 11 12 15 17 18 20

4 28 38 48

22 24 29 30 32 34 36 42 44 47 53 56

Choose the right paddle Whitewater adventure close to home Patching together a triathlon Stay clear, stay safe HorseCountry campground opens Foiled again: cooking on coals Upside down on Rivière Noire Calabogie Wake Surfing Championships A contoured canoe yoke The Great Waterway Map, compass and GPS Muskie fishing on the Ottawa River Mudd, Sweat & Tears Obstacle Race Obstacle course racing tips The cutting edge Adobe a snake?

Cyclosportif Perth Kiteboarding an addictive thrill Macnamara Trail, Arnprior Mom and daughter Montreal bike trip

Publisher's Letter Cool Gear Hot Clothing Survival Quiz Getaway Spotlight: Nova Scotia 50 NewsBites 60 The Book Nook: Deep Survival 61 Outdoor clubs 61 Upcoming events 62 The Back Pages

SIGN UP!

Cool Gear Hot Clothing

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24

Now you can get each issue e-mailed direct to your inbox!

Do it.

Mudd it.

Love it!

Aug 31-Sep 1 (Ottawa Valley) Wilderness Tours location Sep 28 (Ottawa Urban) Mooney's Bay location Register to race at

MuddSweatandTears.com

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it d a e R ne!

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It’s TOTALLY FREE too! There’s loads of info, videos and more about the local outdoor adventure scene, all delivered in this extremely cool animated version.

Just go to www.OttawaOutdoors.ca to sign-up at the top right of the homepage and we'll send you monthly digital issues of the magazine.

COVER: Whitewater rafting adventure. Read about it on page 6.

Photo courtesy of the Ottawa Valley Tourism Association.

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PUBLISHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DAVE BROWN EDITOR: ROGER BIRD WRITERS Allen Macartney, Melissa Marquardt, Andre Larade, Craig Macartney, James Ross, John Anderson, John Reed, Sheila Ascroft, Jennifer Hartley, David Kawai, Kathleen Wilker PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS Ottawa Valley Tourism Association, Sean Maurik, Nigelphoto2011, Magiktheatre, David Kawai ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Dave Brown, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Ottawa Outdoors Magazine is an independent publication published seasonally every four months and distributed FREE at sports stores and a dozen other locations all over the region.

E-mail: Advertising@OttawaOutdoors.ca Tel: 613-860-8687 or 888-228-2918 Fax: 613-482-4997 HOW TO GET PUBLISHED Ottawa Outdoors Magazine welcomes story and photo contributions. Publisher may publish any and all communications with Ottawa Outdoors Magazine, and may edit for clarity and style.

Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index ISSN No. 1204-69556. © Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any materials published in Ottawa Outdoors Magazine is expressly forbidden without consent of the publisher. Printed in Canada.

Mudd-up buttercup!

Mark your calendar to sign-up to enter (2) Mudd, Sweat & Tears obstacle races this summer.

The races will be held at Wilderness Tours (end of August) and Mooney's Bay (end of September.)

It's your chance to earn an awesome, smiling, mudd-faced photo of yourself for your Facebook page or photo album.

www.muddsweatandtears.com

Do it. Mudd it. Love it!

Register today!

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Publisher’s Letter

Summer lovin' had me a blast May the words of the beloved musical, "Grease" ring true for you this summer . . . when it officially begins.

Yes, even though the spring weather was true to form with rain, cool temperatures and hot days, fun times are most suredly ahead.

Dave Brown For the summer days and summer nights there are Publisher countless adventures and activities to enjoy, and they're Editor-in-chief all laid out in this second huge 64-page issue.

If you're going to buy a canoe this summer then you're also going to need a paddle. Read Allen's article on Pg. 5 and you'll be well prepared.

If you really want to get your heart rate going, then check out the many Ottawa Valley whitewater adventures from which to choose. The next pages are packed-filled with whitewater canoeing, kayaking and rafting trips you can enjoy. HorizonX even offers a nighttime whitewater ride that will totally add a new type of adrenalin rush.

If you're more a traditional camper then check out the articles on Pg. 17 (cooking on coals); Pg. 22 (the joys of a contoured canoe yoke); or Pg. 29 (learning about the compass and GPS) to whet your appetite.

For something different get out your fishing rod and aim to catch some Muskie on the Ottawa River. The experts are out there just waiting to help you reel in the big one.

You'll definitely catch some speed and air if you take up kiteboarding this summer. It's all covered in Jennifer Hartley's article on Pg. 47 and it looks like ridiculous fun.

In addition to articles on cycling in Perth, hiking the Mcnamara Trail in Arnprior, or heading to Calabogie to watch the wake surfing championships, there is a feature article on entering mud obstacle races.

Yup, Ottawa Outdoors Magazine is proud to partner and sponsor Mudd, Sweat & Tears. What I love about their obstacle races is their offer of two different experiences.

The first race is at the end of August at Wilderness Tours, and is a virtual Muddstock of fun. Get your friends together, bring your tent, do the obstacle course and then stick around for the concerts and whitewater.

The second race is great because it's the first one that's local – right here at Mooney's Bay. Holding a race at this site that's already frequented by thousands who participate at H.O.P.E. and Dragon Boat, means you're already familiar with getting there and enjoying the grounds. But you've never enjoyed Mooney's Bay this way. Register on their website and let Mudd, Sweat & Tears take you through an obstacle course all over the grounds – from hills, to sand, to water to mud. You're going to love it. So sign-up and get muddy!

Like the song proclaims — summer days and oh those summer nights — enjoy every one of them! :)

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Choose the right paddle What to think about for first-time buyers

By Allen Macartney

Buying the right paddle doesn’t have to be a big complex deal. In the end finding a paddle you’ll use eagerly and often boils down to your own comfort and preferences.

So let’s look at what’s involved.

Length

An Olympic paddler might use a daunting equation that factors in variables like torso length, trunk diameter, arm length, and overall weight, but here’s a good rule of thumb (arm?) for the rest of us.

Trot over to a paddle rack and find one that stands (with the tip resting on the floor) between the bottom of your neck and your nose.

Another way is just hold a paddle vertically over your head with one hand holding the grip and the other holding the bottom of the shaft where it widens into the blade. The angle at both elbows should be about 90 degrees. Any wider and the paddle could be possibly too long. If the angles are sharper than 90, too short.

Generally bow paddlers need a slightly shorter paddle than stern paddlers because of the length and frequency of stroke required for each position. Bent-shaft paddles are shorter than the straightshaft kind.

Bent or straight?

Traditional paddles have straight shafts – a fine choice for most paddlers whether for noodling gently around a lake or taking on white water. These paddles are usually made from wood or an aluminum/plastic combination.

Racing paddlers like bent shafts because their angle puts the www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

blade in the water for maximum efficiency – the shaft stays vertical during the serious “power” part of the stroke. These paddles are often made from super-light composite material, expensive compared to straight paddles.

The grip

Most paddles come with either a pear grip or T-grip. The pear grip fits naturally into your hand and is best for long trips with many hours on the water. White-water paddles often have a T-grip because it gives good control – vital when you’re battling through rapids.

Blades

The paddle’s blade is what actually digs into the water and propels you forward. Narrow and long blades are great for deep lakes, and wide and short ones are predictably best for shallow water. My favourite paddle is a traditional voyageur “Sagamore” made by Grey Owl. Its blade is long and fairly thin for deep-water paddling. A work of Canadian art, this paddle blade is light and carves through water easily.

My wife prefers a slightly

wider blade (the Grey Owl “River”), which gives her a bigger bite of water – excellent for bow paddlers. That more substantial initial bite is sometimes vital when moving through shallow water.

If this seems all too complex, simply ask a salesperson to show you four different paddle types: an otter tail, a beaver tail, a voyageur and a square tipped. You’ll easily find the one that fits your needs.

Final thoughts

A good paddle is light, strong, comfortable and relatively inexpensive. Expect to pay between $60 and $150 for a good one.

You’ll pay much more if you decide that nothing but a superlight, bent-shaft carbon-fibre paddle will do.

Avoid no-name hardware store models unless you don’t mind being up a creek with a broken paddle. A cheapo metal/plastic paddle will do as a spare or for survival situations.

Choose for comfort – you’ll be moving a lot of water with whatever you buy. ~ Allen Macartney took three paddles on his Arctic Circle canoe voyage last year.

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Adventure awaits in the Whitewater Capital of Canada

By Melissa Marquardt

Looking for a little whitewater action this summer? Well, look no further than the Ottawa Valley – the Whitewater Capital of Canada!

Located only 30 minutes west of the nation’s capital in Ontario’s highlands, the Ottawa Valley is home to some of the fastest, cleanest, warmest and safest rivers in the country – perfect for serious raft, kayak or canoe action.

You’ll find rivers for all seasons and skill levels – the mighty Ottawa, Madawaska and Petawawa are the most popular, while the Bonnechere, Opeongo, Dumoine, Barron, Coulonge and Noire top up the list. Rivers flow from March to the end of November making 6 ottawa

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for one of the longest paddling seasons in the country.

The region is home to a number of seasoned whitewater outfitters who offer a variety of guided packages from screamin’ high-adventure rafting to gentle family floattrips, sea kayaking and sportyaking, canoe clinics and tripping, slalom racing and whitewater rodeos. Planning your adventure is easy with half, full-day and weekend packages (including accommodations and meal plans) available at each resort.

Been there. Done that, you say? Well what about moonlight rafting on the Ottawa River?

That’s right, moonlight rafting!

Exclusively in Canada, HorizonX Rafting, located on Ile-duGrand-Calumet in the Pontiac, offers adventure enthusiasts the opportunity to experience the Ottawa River under the light of a full moon. Trips run up to five days before or after a full moon.

Tip: the next full moon takes place on June 23.

Want to master your J-stroke?

The Valley is also home to Canada’s first and best paddling schools – kayak, raft or canoe.

The Madawaska Kanu Centre, owned and operated by the Van Wijk family on the Madawaska River in Barry’s Bay, www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Your adventure awaits in the

Located only 30 minutes west of the National’s Capital, the Ottawa Valley beckons with 4 major river systems and dozens of other clean and warm whitewater rivers.

For more information about planning your next whitewater adventure in the Ottawa Valley, visit www.OttawaValley.travel/whitewater

OttawaValleyTravel

TheOttawaValley

Proudly located in

offers a variety of canoe and kayak clinics and courses for all ages. Wilderness Tours and the Ottawa Kayak School, located on the Ottawa River in Foresters

Falls, also offer a number of multi-day and week-long programs and camps for adults and kids of all skill levels. Be sure to check out the clinics offered by 4 time World Champion and Olympian, Eric Jackson (yes, the same Eric Jackson who co-founded Jackson Kayaks).

Don’t let the word “whitewater” scare you. If racing down the rapids is not your style, then take the gentler approach with

some flat water paddling. With over 900 lakes and dozens of other flat water rivers, there is no shortage of paddling opportunities in the Ottawa Valley.

To plan your next whitewater adventure in the Ottawa Valley visit www.OttawaValley.travel. list of POPULAR whitewater companies • Wilderness Tours 1-888-723-8669 www.wildernesstours.com • Owl / MKC Rafting 1-800-461-7238 www.owl-mkc.ca • HorizonX Rafting 1 866 69 KAYAK (52925) www.horizonx.ca • Esprit Rafting 1-800-596-7238 www.whitewater.ca • Riverrun Rafting 1-800-267-8504 www.riverrunrafting.com * Each company offers different amenities and features. Check them out and choose the best one for your adventure.

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Patching together a triathlon Cramps, make-do bikes and fear of water didn’t stop this couple

By Andre Larade

“OK, we’re all signed up for our first Sprint-Tri. Now, I need to get my legs fixed and you need to learn how to swim.”

That was the winter before last.

My wife Aly and I decided that we would enter our first Somersault Sprint-Triathlon (500-metre swim, 20-kilometre bike, fivekilometre run) last summer in Sydenham, Ont. Between us, we had three working legs, 1½ bikes and one swimmer. So there was work to do.

I had only one working leg; the other had been plagued by chronic calf injuries. I owned a road bike that hadn’t seen a road in 10 years, and a mountain bike. Aly had an old clunker. And although she wouldn’t drown if tossed into a lake, she couldn’t do a front crawl with her head in the water. Not a good start for an event that required both of us to swim, bike and run.

The first thing was to fix my legs via a lot of really painful but beneficial, massage therapy. Soon I was running again.

Next was the pool. I swam once or twice a week and got my time for 500 metres down to about 11 minutes. Which, in case you’re wondering, is well off the world record.

Aly was traumatized by waves as a child, and never learned to swim with her face in the water.

At one of our practices, I handed her my goggles. “Now, put your face in, don’t breathe, and just www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

swim as far as you can, doing the front crawl.” She swam 10 or 15 metres and came up for air. “Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed. “I could see the bottom just flying by! I was going so fast!”

“Yes dear,” I said. Like a highspeed sea turtle.

A little coaching with the breathing and we were almost ready. Just some wheels, and we’d be ready for the race.

I got my old road bike fixed up, not too costly and the mechanic liked it. “It’s fast,” he said. That’s good, I thought. I’m going to need all the help I can get.

Aly would use my mountain bike, since it was so much easier to ride than her old clunker. That seemed a perfectly good idea at the time, but let’s just say that now she would recommend a road bike.

Race day dawned and it was beautiful. Forecast was sun and low 20s. Aly had a great day. She got through her swim, and the riding and running was a breeze.

She knew she could do it.

The men’s swim started before the women’s. I was just hoping I could make it to the finish line.

The start was a jumble of hands and feet. After a bit it started to thin out and I found a spot where I could follow some bubbles that seemed to be heading in the right direction.

The water wasn’t too choppy, and we were head-on into them

off the start, but after the turn around the first buoy, the waves were on the right. Ideal – I like to breathe from the left. I tried to keep a good pace without tiring and came out, according to observers, at the back of the first group of guys, which seemed like a pretty good place to be. Then I was passed by the lead woman.

I should say, I don’t have a problem with that at all. Except that she started a full five minutes after I did. So she made up five minutes on me in the water.

Good for her.

The bike race was a slog, and when I got off my bike, my lower back felt like it had seized up. I stretched, but when I “ran” out of the bike area, it didn’t feel much like running. Unless you call what a penguin does running. After a few minutes I loosened up.

About two thirds of the way through the run, a cramp hit above my right knee. The good news was, it wasn’t my calf. I stopped to massage it but felt I should press on – and the cramp let go.

About 500 metres from the finish line it came back, but I pushed through it and with 100 metres to go, cramp still grabbing at my knee, I was able to put the power on. What a feeling! I made it. We both did.

And I wasn’t broken. And we’re doing it again this summer. ottawa outdoors 11

Stay clear, stay safe The safety of the public and its employees is Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) number one priority.

Operating 65 hydroelectric stations and 231 dams on 24 river systems, most of these facilities are remotely controlled.

As demand for electricity rises and falls throughout each day, operators stationed many kilometres away open and close dams, and start and stop generating units as needed.

This results in frequent and rapid changes in water levels and flows around OPG’s facilities - changes that can affect your safety.

“A spot that looks calm and safe one moment can become dangerous within a few seconds as water levels and flows change, often without warning,” says Frank Chiarotto, OPG’s senior vice president of thermal and hydroelectric operations.

“Calm waters or a dry riverbed could change quickly into one with rapidly moving, dangerous waters.”

For your own safety near a hydroelectric dam or station, make sure you: Obey all warning signs, fences, buoys, booms and barriers. They are put there to protect you. The areas inside are dangerous, stay clear of them.

hydroelectric dams and stations.

Never stand below a dam, or anchor or tie your boat there.

Rapidly changing water levels and flows can take you by surprise and could swamp your boat or put you in the grip of an undertow.

Resource materials OPG provides a variety of materials to help you and your family understand the dangers of playing or fishing too close to its facilities. Each year, OPG runs 30 second TV spots during high recreational periods and produces print and online materials for all ages. Please visit our website at opg.com or stayclearstaysafe.ca.

About OPG As Ontario’s publiclyowned power generator, Ontario Power Generation delivers close to 60 per cent of Ontario’s electricity, making it one of the IGNORE THE WARNING SIGNS AND THIS COULDlargest BE FOR power REAL. generators in North America. OPG’s total capacity is 19,000 megawatts. Ninety-five per cent of this power comes from nuclear and hydroelectric power, which is virtually free of smog and greenhouse gasStay a safe distance outside causing emissions. To learn more of warning signs, buoys, booms about OPG or its water safety and barriers when fishing, program, please visit opg.com or boating or swimming. stayclearstaysafe.ca.

Stay well back from the edge of waters above and below

Watch for the warning signs and don’t fish or swim near dams and hydroelectric stations. Water levels rise rapidly and currents can become deadly in seconds.

stayclearstaysafe.ca

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Whitewater rafting on the Ottawa River with Esprit Rafting

The Ottawa Valley

close to home but a world away from it all

L

ooking for a summer getaway that is close to home but a world away from it all? Then the Ottawa Valley is where you want to be.

Canadian Clock Museum, Deep River

Cradled between the Ottawa River and Algonquin Park in Ontario’s Highlands, the Ottawa Valley offers an amazing array of experiences that appeal to outdoor enthusiasts, nature lovers and cultural explorers.

• Paddling – whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking & sea-kayaking & sport-yaking • Fishing – over 900 lakes and 20 species of fish • Zip-lining, waterslides, spelunking and rock hounding • Expansive multi-use trails - cycling & mountain biking, hiking/walking, ATVing, horseback riding • Collection of 23 museums, including Canada’s only Clock Museum and the Pembroke Heritage Murals – Canada’s largest outdoor gallery • Festivals, events, concerts and live performances

Combine all of that with the small town charm of our historic communities, along with a little rural retail therapy and you’ve got the ultimate summer getaway!

Fishing on one of 900 lakes

Looking for a place to lay your head? The Pembroke Comfort Inn is conveniently located in the heart of the Ottawa Valley and is the ideal basecamp for all of your adventures.

Enjoy a very special $99 rate when you stay 2 nights or more. Just ask for the L99 rate.

Plan and book your next adventure by visiting www.OttawaValley.travel or www.ChoiceHotels.ca/cn289 e

Bonn

PEMBROKE COMFORT INN 959 Pembroke Street East, Pembroke, ON, K8A 3M3 877.289.9008 I www.choicehotels.ca/cn289

anvil

s, Eg

Cave chere

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SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST WORLD FAMOUS RAFTING

600 Acre Resort Ontario’s Only Bungee Restaurant, Bar, Beach 150ft High Over the Bike Trails Ottawa River

Camping, Cozy Cabins, Chef Fare, Craft Beer Chalets & Cottages Live Entertainment

BOOK YOUR ADVENTURE NOW 1.888.723.8669

KITCHISSIPPI MUSIC FESTIVAL AUG 17

WildernessTours.com Est 1975

We’re located only 1 hour west of Kanata just off Hwy 17

OTTAWA RIVER, CANADA

HorseCountry Campground at Wilderness Tours Resort Canada’s premier outdoor adventure resort teams with HorseCountry Campground to develop a ‘horse playground’ for the Ottawa region HorseCountry Campground ‘Wilderness Tours’ will officially opened in June with an exciting new campground catering to the regional equine community. The membership-based campground will offer equine recreational activities in the setting of Canada’s premier outdoor resort.

HorseCountry Campground will feature access to over 35 kilometres of established trail systems for pleasure riding and ‘community ride’ programs; a 20-point obstacle course; recreation area and special events.

Members will also have access to the spectacular Wilderness Tours Resort amenities including beach, hot tub, Rafter’s restaurant and more. And will also receive discounts on all Wilderness Tours Resort services including: whitewater rafting and kayaking adventure packages; cabin rentals; bungee jumping and much more.

The longer term vision for HorseCountry Campground is to develop a world-class equine tourism destination in the heart of the Ottawa Valley including boarding facilities, training school, fully functional Cowboy Town tourism attraction, stage coach rides and equine-focused residential home development.

Each HorseCountry campsite is specifically designed to accommodate and welcome horse owners. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Each campsite includes a small corral and fire pit and members can customize their campsite by adding features as perimeter ‘split rail’ fencing and a personalized entrance with ample space for parking vehicles and trailers.

Community activities such as weekend trail rides and campfire singalongs help establish a community built around the common passion for horses and recreational activities with your horse.

“HorseCountry Campground is a welcome addition to our resort enabling us to add an outstanding tourism product specifically tailored to the horse community” said Joe Kowalski, Founder of Wilderness Tours.

“HorseCountry aligns with our mission to preserve and protect this last pristine section of the

Ottawa River and we encourage the horse community to come experience this beautiful property featuring our extensive trail system and spectacular views of the Ottawa River”, added Kowalski.

Membership sales activities have now commenced and special ‘Pioneer’ member rates are available including financing plans. To book your guided tour of HorseCountry and reserve your campsite email walter@ horsecountrycampground.com, call (613) 867-0585, or visit us on the web at www.horsecountrycampground.com.

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Rafting

Kayak School

Full moon rafting up to class 2 whitewater • Have the river all to yourself with our Happy Hour Rafting • Enjoy fun and safe family adventures!

• Try the popular new riverboarding, our kayak school, and our small raft for 1 and 2 day rafting runs!

• We give FREE PHOTOS and wetsuits with no service charges!

• Cabins, camping, BBQ, beaches and beach games, canoes and kayaks!

www.HorizonX.ca Basecamp Lodging

River Boarding

Foiled again Cooking on coals makes you look cordon-bleu-ish

By Craig Macartney

them in water and wrap them individually in foil. Before closing the foil, add a spoonful of water to each. Bury them in the coals. Check back in 20 to 25 minutes.

Home fries

Your taste buds deserve better than predictable, bland camping food, and you can impress your fellow adventurers with foil cooking – an easy art to learn.

Foil-fried home-fries beautifully complement any breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Wash the potatoes and slice them two centimetres thick. Dip them in oil and place in a bowl. Mix in spices, salt, pepper, and chives, and fold them up in foil in a single layer (like on a cookie sheet) and tuck in the edges. Bury them in coals and check back in 10 to 12 minutes.

Carrots

Carrots, like potatoes, travel well and don’t bruise. Peel the carrots, dip them in water, and wrap them individually in foil, adding a spoonful of water with each. Set them in the coals for 15 to 20 minutes.

The key to cooking with aluminum foil and fire is the coals, those red embers still flickering with occasional flames, which form 30 to 45 minutes after a hot roaring fire begins to die down.

Use that time to prepare the food.

Fish

Whether caught or carried in, fish are an all-time favourite camp food. Lightly rub a fish fillet in a mixture of oil or butter and seasoning of your choice – lemon, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper, all do the trick. Pour a spoonful of oil on the foil and place your fish fillet on top. Wrap the fish in the foil, carefully tucking in the edges so no juice escapes.

Bury the foil in the coals and check it in seven to 10 minutes. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Hamburgers

Don’t forget dessert!

Nobody but nobody turns down hamburgers, but the foilin-coals version is tops. Use homemade burgers with onion and barbeque sauce mixed in (the added moisture helps the burgers cook thoroughly). Wrap the burgers individually, trapping the juices inside. Burgers two to three centimetres thick should take about 15 minutes to cook.

Always cook ’em “well done”.

Cut a banana lengthwise like a banana split. Place both halves side by side on the foil sheet with a row of marshmallows inbetween. Line the inside of both banana halves with chocolate chips. Wrap this newly created banana-smore in foil and bury it in coals for 10 minutes. For added decadence, scoop out that soft, cooked banana-smore with graham crackers.

In general, use heavy-gauge aluminium foil or double-wrap your food for best results. And don’t put dinner on hold because you need first aid after trying to bury or retrieve your food by hand: use tongs! When you go home, pack out the aluminum foil and recycle it.

Baked potatoes

Foil-baked potatoes, a camping staple, are the simplest dish you will ever make. And they offer the bonus of being full of nutrients and travelling well in your pack. Wash the potatoes and stab them with a fork. Dip

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Upside down on Rivière Noire

By James Ross

The best clue to what lay ahead came early. “I had to rescue four grown men last week,” the outfitter stated, matter-offactly. “The water was just too high for them.” He looked us up spring, father-and-son advenling it in mid-May, facing rapids and down, four middle-aged ture. Besides our leader, the called The Wall, Canyon Stairdads with their 13-year-old sons. group included Backwards Joe case, Fifty-Fifty, Targie, Rapides We had checked in at the AuGoodwin (prone to tackle rapids de l’Islet, and Mountain Chutes. berge de la Rivière Noire about stern-first), and Paul Gabourie, It seemed the perfect paddle for 40 kilometres north of Fort Counicknamed Nemo, for his thinklonge, and hired John Perron the four teenagers intent on exciteing that canoes should be subment and four dads who refused outfitter to shuttle us, four camerged rather that float. Parts of to grow up. noes and gear, five hours upriver our trip would become known The Noire, named for its dark to the put-in. as “Finding Nemo” or “Finding He seemed overly insistent that water, is a beautiful stretch from Nemo’s canoe and paddles.” its headwaters below La Vérenwe settle our payments up front.

The first While Perron’s We had gained confidence by the day and by the rapid, two days of our fiveaccount and were happy to follow our leader down any raging day trip of the torrent he felt we could handle. were warm, rescue sunny and a few drye Park, south to where it flows fun. We played in the chutes, days earlier unsettled a couple holes and high-water haystacks, into the Ottawa River near Pemof us, it didn’t seem to faze our avoided the walls and ledges broke. It flows through Quebec’s leader, Pat Morris. I think Morris and most of the boulders, and portion of the Canadian Shield, would canoe down the Niagara got blasted by a few icy sheets which means rocky rapids alterRiver picking up speed towards of water. We were thankful for nate with meandering stretches the falls, stand up in the stern to our wetsuits, and our waterproof give the torrent a quick read, and through sand valleys. It boasts packs and food barrels. Portages the greatest length of runnable calmly sketch a way to handle around falls and ledges were the descent. He had planned and whitewater, the shortest portage mostly short. With the diminishdistances, the best wildlife vieworganized our trip, and felt us ing strength of middle age, I was ing, and the least chance of seeall capable, so who were we to pleased that my son was geting other paddlers among any argue? ting stronger by the day – the neighbouring rivers. It’s undevelRivière Noire is a wild ride, esbalance in the circle of life. On oped, except for a few cottages pecially in high water. Canadian some trip soon maybe he will along the last 30 kilometres to canoeist and author Hap Wilson carry the canoe and pack and I the Ottawa. noted, “You’ll find a long set of can carry the paddles.

So we chose it for our annual, fun and games.” We were tack18 ottawa

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We camped out on the rocky ledges of the upper Noire, setting our tents on pine needles and forest moss. We cooked supper over a riverside bonfire, looking up into a clear starry night. The day’s energy burn and the sound of the rushing river encouraged us into our bedrolls early.

Mountain Chutes loomed as our first major obstacle, at the end of the second day. We camped at a picturesque site that marked the beginning of the kilometre-long portage, along a stretch of rapids above the falls.

Canoeists often call any tough portage “the portage from hell” – roots and rocks, canoe held aloft amidst blackflies or mosquitoes that know our hands are not free to smack them.

Well,, what we had at Mountain Chutes wasn’t just a nickname.

the put-in, rappelling with a rope.

This is hard enough, even without adding a 36-kilogram pack and gravity.

Wilson adds, “for the more daring, or should I say adept paddlers, this long portage can be whittled down to a single

Wakefield Mill Hotel & Spa after a day of mountain biking or hiking, relax and indulge at the Mill. located within the Gatineau park, the Wakefield Mill features 40 guestrooms, 2 restaurants, a casual bar lounge, a full-service spa, an outdoor pool and two hot tubs.

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“Portage from Hell” is the name on the map. Hap Wilson’s notes on the Noire in Rivers of the Upper Ottawa Valley describes the portage as “the longest and most ridiculous of portage trails.” It’s a 1.5-kilometre hike over a mountain, with a steep slope down to

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ottawa outdoors 19

Come see the Calabogie Wake Surfing Championships!

Wake surfing is one of the fastest growing sports in terms of popularity because it is the only water sport where you do not use a rope to ride behind the boat ... you "free surf" using the boat's wave.

The Calabogie Wake Surf Championship, held July 11–13, 2013, is the premier wake surfing event held in Eastern Canada. It will be held at the Calabogie Peaks Resort on Calabogie Lake, Ontario, Canada.

The Calabogie Wake Surf Championship is founded and directed by Steve Karam, head of The Great Canadian Wake Surf Group, and has been granted a spot on the 2013 World Series of Wake Surfing Tour.

Wake surfing is still a young, but rapidly growing sport that is taking the world by storm.

Associations and tournaments

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are growing year over year, as evidenced by the World Series 2013 lineup that includes Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Thailand, Mexico, several US stops, and two Canadian events – including Calabogie Lake, Ontario. The World Series events are important qualifiers that will culminate at the 2013 World Wake Surfing Championship being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, boasting a purse of $100,000 cash and prizes.

calabogiewakesurf.com July 11–13, 2013 Calabogie Lake

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Trip planner 200-metre carry around the sucking vortex of the chutes.

Employ EXTREME CAUTION,” he adds (those are his capital letters). “The entrance to the take out is directly in the down-current at the head of the falls.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Pat said. We had gained confidence by the day and by the rapid, and were happy to follow our leader down any raging torrent he felt we could handle. We woke early and sent our energetic sons over the hellish portage with their heavy packs, while we adept, or daring, fathers set off down the chutes to shorten the length of our carry.

We bumped down the upper rapids and approached our own portage pull-out, hugging river left, not wanting to miss it and tumble over the six-metre falls.

Yes, we shortened our carry, but the 200-metre portage was meant for mountain goats, straight up over rocky ledges and across crevasses. Then we had to tie off our canoes and rope them down a precipice to a small putin. With room for only one canoe at a time we took turns launching ourselves into the raging chute below the falls.

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Pat headed down first to where the kids waited at the put-in at the end of their carry. Nemo left next. The boys saw his canoe and paddles go by, and then the legend himself. He got his leg stuck between two rocks but managed to roll himself over a boulder and clamber up on shore, much to the merriment of the youngsters. Backwards Joe went by next, watching where he had been, and I brought up the rear, unaware of any misadventures, enjoying the ride down the swiftly flowing current of boulder alley.

We caught up to the abandoned vessel 700 metres past our intended pull-out, and then had to tow our canoes back upstream, struggling against the ferocious current. Maybe these were Wilson’s “fun and games," but nobody was hurt, and new stories were there for the telling.

We gathered up the packs and kids and set off again.

We paddled the next two days in steady rain, picking up missing paddles as we went. Neither rain nor misadventures had dampened our spirits and there were more exhilarating rapids to run. Campsites on the river’s

The Black River Inn and Outfitter blackriveroutfitter.com is 40 kilometres north of Pembroke on the shores of the Rivière Noire, a perfect base for a trip. John Perron at the inn (819-771-5108) shuttled us and our gear to the put-in. For great background, read Hap Wilson’s Rivers of the Upper Ottawa Valley.

upper reaches tend to be rock, but lower down, sites and lunch spots were sandy beach havens.

And more wildlife – moose, deer, beaver, otters, herons, kingfishers and mergansers.

We spent one last rainy river night on a grassy knoll above the water, and then set off in brilliant sunshine for the run home. The final day featured an exhilarating 14-kilometre roll down the Boulder Raceway, it was fun C1-2 rapids all the way back to the Black River Inn. River Noire had been an idyllic canoe and camping river, with an almost creek-like charm.

The fast current, tight turns and whitewater runs offered such excellent play time, that they might have blinded the boys to the joys of flatwater paddling. The peaceful, lazy paddles between rapids helped balance exhilaration with serenity, and the Canadian Shield satisfied any river tripper with its alternating rock and sand.

John the outfitter seemed surprised and relieved as we pulled up on a gravel bar below his inn.

For us, we’ll have a few more tales to tell around the fire. My son and I managed to stay upright. All the boys gained respect for a river and the power of water, and honed their skills. I had a tale to write, and it’s always better to be the writer of the story than its subject. ottawa outdoors 21

A contoured canoe yoke can be portage bliss

By Allen Macartney

It happened every time I was half way over a long, brutal portage. Mosquitoes buzzed my ears. My shoulders start aching. I imagine my upper arms suddenly breaking off with a loud crack and falling to the ground.

A question haunted my brain: Why didn’t I replace the miserable flat-board yoke last year with a luxurious, shouldermolded one? I finally did.

Before you find yourself asking that question this summer,

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visit an outdoor store and buy a new yoke. A lovely contoured ash yoke is now mated to my canoe forever.

Poplar is a slightly lighter alternative. You may need new brass or stainless steel hardware too: flat washers, lock nuts, cup washers and #10-24 machine bolts.

Remove the old flat yoke from your canoe and place it over top of your new one.

Notice how the new yoke is much longer than the old

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one? That’s so you can trim it to the size of your canoe, regardless how wide the canoe is.

Measure your new yoke with the older one lying over it, ensuring the new yoke’s wooden notch (if there is one) for your backbone is spaced equally distant from both ends, and in the exact centre. Then cut equal lengths off both ends of the new yoke. Measure twice; cut once.

Now place the contoured yoke (top facing upwards!) across your canoe and slide it under the gunwales where you removed the old yoke. (This might involve pulling the gunwales out slightly to make it fit.)

Centre the yoke directly

under the two bolt holes on both sides.

Push an awl or very narrow pencil through the already existing holes in the gunwale and mark the bolt positions on your new yoke. Or, hold the yoke flat and secure against the gunwales, and drill holes down through the yoke using the gunwale holes as a guide.

Finish by installing the bolts with the cup washer on top of the gunwale, and the flat washer underneath. These washers protect the wood, and ensure the bolts don’t pull through. Snug all four nuts down securely.

Then head for a river. There is nothing like a contoured canoe yoke when slipping and sliding over a nasty portage! It almost massages your shoulders.

PHOTO BY nigelphoto2011

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

ottawa outdoors 23

Southeastern Ontario beckons, by land or afloat Check out “The Great Waterway” The Great Waterway in South Eastern Ontario spans Cornwall, Brockville, Gananoque, Kingston, Prince Edward County, Belleville and Quinte West, all laced together by the St. Lawrence River, Rideau Canal, Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario. The locals are proud of their natural, cultural and heritage riches, including pristine lakes, rivers and beaches, towns and cities, something to explore for everyone from daytrippers to couples or families looking for an extended vacation.

If you’re reading this magazine, you know the outdoors and The Great Waterway offers walking, hiking and cycling trails across the entire region. Water-based activities stretch from the Bay of Quinte along the St. Lawrence River through the 1000 Islands and up the Rideau Canal. In summer, boaters can navigate the original locks of the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO world heritage

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site that was built to connect the Ottawa River with Kingston back in the day when Ontario was known as Upper Canada.

Prince Edward County is a world of master chefs, wineries, micro-breweries, organic farms, artists, and artisanal food producers. Visitors can join a wine tour along the Taste Trail or shop for local arts and crafts along the Arts Trail. You can get hands-on instruction on how to make that special dish at one of the area’s cooking schools.

Heritage-rich Kingston offers shoppers a downtown with an abundance of boutiques and eclectic restaurants and pubs when the day is done. The heart of the city also hosts an array of festivals and other events. Visitors can explore the city’s Victorian architecture, galleries, museums and historic sites or stroll the waterfront and board a 1000 Islands sunset dinner cruise.

There are countless opportunities on the water, none

more famous or remarkable than a 1000 Islands cruise. Tour boats weave slowly among treetopped islets and larger islands with cottages, private mansions and castles, some dating back to the 19th century. On your own, you can explore small islands and private beaches by kayak or boat or take the family

camping at one of the many Provincial Parks or campgrounds.

One highlight is the imposing array of dunes that rise behind a sun-lover’s beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County.

If you are looking for heritage, visit Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg. It’s a living, working, reenactment of a colonial town’s 1860s pioneer life. At other points along the St. Lawrence, Fort Wellington in Prescott and Fort Henry in Kingston bring Canada’s military history into view. Fort Henry was founded during the War of 1812 and still watches over historic Kingston, Canada’s first capital. Perfectly restored, the fort’s magazines and ramparts are brought to life by soldiers in period British costume during the summer’s Sunset Ceremonies. Step into the Fort Henry Discovery Centre and you are taken back in www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Take a spin and unwind in The Great Waterway

The Great Waterway – South Eastern Ontario is a cyclist’s paradise. Take the Waterfront Trail along the St. Lawrence River, cruise the 1000 Islands and discover the history of Fort Henry – Kingston. Take a wine tour in Prince Edward County and relax on the beaches at Sandbanks Provincial Park or discover the unique Rideau Heritage Route – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

11

iTinera availabries le!

Check out our detailed cycling itineraries at

www.thegreatwaterway.com/cycling

BAY OF QUINTE

PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

LAND O’LAKES

KINGSTON

RIDEAU HERITAGE ROUTE

1000 ISLANDS

CORNWALL AND THE COUNTIES

time with interactive exhibits and touch-screen technology that explains the challenges of the soldiers of long ago. More recent military history comes alive at the National Air Force Museum in Trenton.

Music and drama thrive all along The Great Waterway.

Belleville’s Empire Theatre is housed in a converted 1930s movie theatre. Further south, the Picton-based Festival Players perform a full summer season of great Canadian plays.

Kingston is home to the newly restored Grand Theatre, which has hosted a wealth of cultural events.

The Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque brings professional summer theatre to life. Set in a converted canoe club, performances share an unusual heritage venue. The Brockville Arts

Centre combines history and heritage with entertainment for modern audiences. Prescott’s St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival is the only professional outdoor theatre in the region with a riverside setting that creates an intimate theatre experience.

Further east, Morrisburg’s Upper Canada Playhouse stages an annual calendar of productions.

Cycling here is on terrain where it’s easy to set your own pace. Endless country roads, dedicated bike paths and The Great Waterway cycling itineraries make for trouble-free exploration. If golf is your sport, The Great Waterway has courses that offer spectacular vistas to everyone from the ardent devotee to the recreational golfer. It’s an above-par golf experience.

There is lots more to lure you to The Great Waterway – visit www.thegreatwaterway.com.

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Adventure Starts Here!

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Bas-Saint-Laurent A MARITIME REGION OF QUÉBEC TO DISCOVER

Bic National Park

© Photos: Marc Loiselle, Pilar Macias/Tourisme Bas-Saint-Laurent, Pietro Canali, Marc Loiselle/Sépaq

Route Verte cycling trail La Pocatière

Île Verte Lighthouse

Lac-Témiscouata National Park (opening June 2013)

Whale-watching excursions Rivière-du-Loup

The sea, lakes and forests of Bas-Saint-Laurent offer many opportunities for activities: rock climbing, whale-watching excursions, sea kayaking, zip lining, hiking and more! The Route Verte cycling trail, which is well established in this region, is ideal for cyclists of all levels. At the end of the day, relax and enjoy the many good restaurants and charming inns in the region.

For road trip and getaway ideas, visit

quebecmaritime.ca/GoToBSL

COOL gear HOT CLOTHING Boreas Lost Coast 60 Backpack (Women's)– $199 You walk in the woods to strip away clutter and to focus on what really matters. This simple backpack is clean, uncomplicated, and lets you carry substantial loads in comfort. Z-foam on the back panel compresses and springs back as you walk to promote cooling air circulation. Look for it at Mountain Equipment Co-op.

De Soto Carrera Tri Short – $64 How exciting is this, it's not a mini short! This is a popular selling women's tri short made with Microlock™ stitching for a strong short with a soft, feminine look and feel. The 2-inch contrast waist has a drawcord and the entire short is made of Carrera™ Skin with a one-piece seamless tri pad. Specifically designed for swimming, biking and running without the need to change.

Terry Tourista Tank Plus – $59 Ladies this lightweight polyester/lycra mesh sleeveless jersey is perfect for the hot days of summer. The flattering v-neckline has a relaxed fit with great ventilation, flat stitching details and 3 open rear pockets. Look for both these items and more at www.Cyclechic.ca.

Men’s Drainmaker™ II Shoe – $90 With bigger, more numerous drainage ports in the heel and forefoot, the updated Drainmaker II drains water 33% faster than its predecessor.

Add siped lugs for increased traction on wet surfaces and new internal frame support and you’ve got an ideal lightweight, quick-drying shoe for staying safe and comfortable during extended waterside activities. Look for it wherever Columbia products are sold.

FRONTENAC OUTFITTERS’ Delta Kayaks 16 skeg – $2,495 Delta kayaks 16’s Sexy, Hot Looks, sleek, narrow lines and Shallow Vee hull design make the 16’s the Ferrari Sports Car of the Delta Kayak Line! Don’t let the boats sleek lines deceive you... this is a definitely an advanced, big water, sea kayak for a wide range of paddler sizes seeking to improve their skills tong term. Look for it at www.FrontenacOutfitters.com 28

Women's Ophelia SS – $70.00 Our Ophelia Opti-Wick™ S/S will be a coveted travel companion.

Easygoing stretch polyester fabric couples with breathable, wicking underarm and side panels to actively move moisture from sweat away from your skin. Its stealth back pocket stores your passport while you explore the local scene. Look for it wherever Merrell products are sold.

GSI Macro Table – $45 The Macro table (a larger version of the Micro) is a portable, lightweight, technical platform that provides a flat and level surface. Useful for food prep, cooking, or card games. It stows compactly into its own stuff sack, is easy to set up with shock cord and support rods, has four collapsible legs offering a steady base on all terrain, and weighs-in at a light 1.996kg.

Look for it at Mountain Equipment Co-op. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Map and compass are indispensable, GPS or not

By Craig Macartney

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is one of the most useful inventions of the past century.

Everything from aircraft to electronic banking systems, cellphones to military equipment relies heavily on GPS technology.

Originally developed to aid the U.S. military with navigation, GPS receivers are widely used today to help civilians with backpacking and driving directions.

But at what cost? Recent studies suggest dependence on technology, especially GPS, can make people mentally lazy. (Julia Frankenstein, a University of Freiburg psychologist, published a New York Times op-ed on this topic in February last year.) Drivers who used to form mental maps of their cities tune out their surroundings and just wait for the “turn right in 100 metres” GPS prompt.

The wilderness allows no such luxury. Many unwitting – or witless – adventurers have left home with a new GPS receiver fresh out of the box, not taking the time to turn it on, figure out how it works, or pack spare batteries.

Such users often carry a naive sense of security along with their GPS, expecting it to include recent, accurate maps. But the Google car doesn’t venture into the wilderness to update a database every few months. Maps on a GPS receiver are usually the same as paper copies – often more than 10 years old. In that www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

time span, wetlands dry up and new ones form, streams and other landmarks shift, change or disappear, and you are left wondering why your GPS says your canoe is floating through a gravel bar.

Limitations

GPS limitations are built in alongside their benefits. They work by collecting the precise co-ordinates of several satellites.

Based on super-accurate clocks and the amount of time each satellite signal takes to reach the receiver, they estimate their distance from at least four satellites and use trigonometry to calculate their own exact location. But these transmissions require a line of sight between the receiver and the satellite. Dense tree cover, mountains, cliff walls, or even raindrops on the receiver’s antenna can disrupt signals or cut them off entirely.

Until they lock onto four satellites, they won’t give any kind of accurate reading. They estimate your position when you are moving or if they lose reception temporarily. If you’re in the backwoods and you don’t realize that they take time to get a reading, you can get lost. If you’re smart, check your map, check the GPS, make sure you know where you’re going and then continue. But if you’re not paying attention, and take off after just a quick reading, the GPS could

be “guessing” wrong (based on previous co-ordinates) and send you astray.

What we’re saying here is a GPS is no excuse for not learning how to read a map.

GPS prices range from $100 to over $500. Serious adventurers need the expensive kind because cheap receivers are less accurate and prone to losing satellite signals.

As well, quality GPS receivers are compact and light, but they burn through batteries fast. On longer expeditions, you may need to replace the batteries every day! A solar-powered battery charger helps, but it takes up room in your pack, adds weight, and uses up precious daylight for charging batteries.

With the convenience of a GPS, it’s become easier to neglect basic outdoor skills such as orienteering. Rough terrain, dead batteries, a GPS receiver unexpectedly in a lake, means anyone on foot or afloat can unexpectedly face a situation which requires unlearned skills. A GPS is a tremendous aid, but when the screen goes blank how will you respond?

Ignorance in the wilderness is potentially fatal. So when you head for the hills, keep your mind sharp and your map and compass handy. ottawa outdoors 29

Forget the politicians, Ottawa’s got muskies AT THE TOP OF THE LIST FOR THE TOP FRESHWATER CATCH

BY JOHN ANDERSON

Canadians are famous for not seeing the forest for the trees when it comes to recognizing how good they have it outdoors.

Maybe that should be “not seeing the fish for the rivers.”

Anglers from the U.S. and beyond travel great distances to Ottawa for a chance to catch the biggest muskellunge of their lives.

Their dream is a 50-inch muskie.

Some of us here catch those every week. The world-class fishing in Eastern Ontario may make this the greatest muskie city in the world.

Consider this. Musky Hunter magazine and television, the bibles of the sport, listed the Ottawa River as one of the top 10 muskie waters in the world last spring. I place it second or third on the list. Additionally, five of the other waters on this list are within a 2½-hour drive of our city.

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This means you can catch a world-record muskie right in the heart of the city, and it’s a validation of the health and diversity of the entire Ottawa River system.

You cannot achieve such gargantuan apex predators if the health of the system as a whole is not top notch. The Ottawa River hosts almost 100 species of fish, which makes it an extremely bio-diverse eco system.

The best section to hunt muskies is from Renfrew down to where the river merges with the St. Lawrence just west of Montreal. Oddly, many stretches of this 1,271-kilometre river (Pembroke to Renfrew for example), contain practically no muskies whatsoever.

Many of North America’s outdoor television hosts have put the largest muskie of their lives on film in Eastern Ontario. Pete Bowman from Fish ‘n’ Canada, calls Prescott-Russell his favourite

place to hunt muskies in the entire world. Jim Saric, editor of Musky Hunter, called the Ottawa “the last bastion of pure muskie fishing left in the world.”

Ottawa has been a site of muskellunge research for decades. One telemetry study (placing transmitters on fish and monitoring their movements) was orchestrated by Muskies Canada in the mid-’90s to identify and preserve spawning areas. Dams up and down the river, built mostly around 1960, have boosted the fish’s normally challenged ability to spawn successfully. These dams ensure stable water levels for the spawn, which takes place when the water reaches 13 degrees in late May or early June.

Presto! More baby fish into the population each year.

Most recently Muskies Canada sponsored Project Noble Beast. Researcher Sean Landsman measured the stress and survival of muskellunge captured by anglers. He took a small blood sample from 77 muskellunge and radio-tagged a sub-sample of 30 of them to monitor mortality. The study www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

29th YEAR I NB

USINESS

Frontenac outFitters

canoe & KayaK centre Come visit Canada’s paddlesport professionals at Frontenac Outfitters Canoe & Kayak Centre. To make your stay with us fun and educational, we provide a superior purchasing experience with FREE TEST PADDLING six days a week on our pristine Pearkes Lake!

With over 300 of the world’s finest kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddleboards, our expert staff guides you to the perfect option based on your needs. We also provide you with high quality paddling and safety gear to ensure you do it right the first time!

Not ready to buy quite yet? The weekend of September 6th, 7th, and 8th marks our 29th annual Fall Sale. Rentals will be available for pick up and rock bottom pricing will be offered on all remaining stock during the sale. Stay tuned for more details!

Come Paddle With Us!

Frontenac outfitters canoe & Kayak centre 6674 Bedford rd., sydenham, on, K0H 2t0 (at the entrance to Frontenac Provincial Park)

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tracked these 30 fish throughout the remainder of the fishing season into December. This multi-year project under the direction of Steven Cooke at Carleton University spanned areas of both the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers.

The results? Not one of the 30 radio-tagged fish died after being caught. Physiological

stress on the fish was low. Muskie enthusiasts actively promote catch and release and proper handling to ensure the muskies, who live to 30 years of age, all go back in the water to thrive and breed. All giant muskellunge are females and continued health of them is paramount to the Ottawa River’s status as a top destination in the musky fishing world.

But the Ottawa is not the only super muskie fishery in our region. The Rideau River has an outstanding population and Muskies Canada information shows it takes fewer hours of fishing to land a Rideau muskie than in the Ottawa. This anglercreated resource is relied upon heavily by the Ministry of Natural Resources to shape muskie fishing regulations. It also identifies disease or invasive species in muskellunge waters to allow quick reaction to them.

Similar fisheries for this fish include the Madawaska river system, the lower Gatineau River, the Jock River, and even Dow’s Lake in the heart of the city.

These outstanding fisheries make the argument that Ottawa is boss in the muskie fishing world. ~ John Anderson caught his first muskie in 1974 on the Rideau River; he runs OttawaRiverMuskyFactory.com

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outdoors Ottawa Outdoors

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Able to leap 8’ walls in a single bound?

MUDD, SWEAT & TEARS IS COMING TO TOWN!

By John Reed

If visions of Spider man or the latest Superman movie come to mind then you’re not too far off. The obstacle course race craze sweeping North America is coming September 28th to Ottawa’s very own Mooney’s Bay and Hog’s Back Park, with the Mudd, Sweat & Tears (MST) Ottawa Urban 5k race.

And for a warm up (Ha! Ha!) or for those who can’t wait, MST has a wild weekend planned at Wilderness Tours (WT) over Labour day, with a 10k obstacle course mud run on Saturday (Aug 31), followed by a 5k on Sunday (Sept 1). Add to this camping, music, options for bungee jumping and whitewater rafting, coupled with WT’s legendary hospitality, and well, a true Muddstock vision comes into focus!

RACE, RUN, CLIMB, CRAWL, LAUGH

The races combine a series of purpose-built obstacles ranging from giant walls and swinging monkey bars, to an abundance of trails, single track, hills and devilishly challenging features unique to each location.

The goal as always, is to finish.

With everyone from individuals to CrossFit and corporate teams, racing, running, panting, laughing and crawling, through, over and under all things mud, it’s guaranteed to be a life-altering event!

FROM COUCH TO KICK-ASS IN 100 DAYS?

Let’s face it, this is a 5k or 10k running race over stuff – how hard can it be? www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Well, the races are designed to be super fun and achievable, but challenging. So proper training and nutrition leading up to any race is strongly recommended.

MST has even gone so far as developing their own “100 Day Couch to Kick Ass Challenge” – an easy to follow training challenge designed to take people from the couch to the starting line of a 10k obstacle course race in 100 days.

The program is free, fun and super social with a W.O.D. (work out of the day) emailed to everyone as soon as they register. But wait!

That’s not all! You’ll also enjoy belonging to a private Facebook discussion group set on getting all pumped for the upcoming event!

SO LET’S REVIEW

• MST Ottawa Urban – a 5k obstacle course race here in the city at Mooney’s Bay Park (Sept 28) • MST Ottawa Valley – 10k or 5k race Labour Day weekend (Aug 29–Sept 1) at Wilderness Tours Resort on the Ottawa River with music, madness, mudd, and mayhem. Ya baby!

Do I need to train for this? We recommend you think about it, yes!

Can I bring my friends? – Absolutely! In fact, MST has a Crossfit Club and Gym affiliate program which is free for any club to sign-up for, gets their members

discounts off of any race in their series, plus, MST will sponsor events at the club and help to promote them on Facebook.

Will I get dirty? Yes, yes you will.

Will I have some awesome smiling photos of myself covered in mud? Yes . . . yes you will.

Will I be covered in mudd, sweat and tears? Well yes to the mudd and sweat . . . as for the tears, probably just tears of laughter . . . so that’s like . . a good thing. :) See you and your friends at the race!

ottawa outdoors 33

Obstacle course racing tips Absolutely no cotton (and yes that means underwear too) – Once it is soaked with mud and water cotton clothing will not only be cold and heavy but it will stretch to 10 times its original size.

This is a team sport – Don’t hesitate to offer a helping hand to a stranger and NEVER be afraid to ask for one when you need it.

Keep an eye out for photogs – And when you spot one throw ‘em a smile. It will make for some great souvenirs.

Train your whole body – Many train to run and many train for strength and both get out there are find themselves ill prepared.

OCR (Obstacle Course Racing) requires a balance of cardio and strength.

Plan ahead – Things like clipping nails (toenails especially), shaving, etc. should be done a few days in advance to allow skin to settle.

Imagine going through a mud pit with razor burn.

Don’t try anything new on race day – If you haven’t already worn it, drank it, eaten it, etc... now is not the time to experiment. Try out your race gear (and any fuel

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you plan to carry) BEFORE the big day. BONUS: the week before a big race is also not a good time to try a new bootcamp or kettlebell class for the first time either.

Misery (and mud) loves company – Recruit a friend (or 15) to run with you. You can help each other along and more importantly cheer each other on.

It’s also nice to have someone to talk about the race with after.

Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate – Chugging an electrolyte drink 15 minutes before the race won’t do it. Start hydrating a week before your race.

Food is Fuel – No, all-you-caneat pasta the night before does not constitute fueling your body.

Think good, healthy, long lasting carbs. Sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole grains... YUM. Be self sufficient. The classic debate... carry water or rely on aid stations? Though most races offer aid stations it is better to be safe than dehydrated. Consider carrying your own supplies for anything longer than 5k.

Safety first – No exceptions to this rule. Run with a buddy for whom you will keep an eye out and they you. You ALWAYS have a choice to complete an obstacle and should exercise caution and good judgment throughout ANY race course.

The medal will still be waiting for

you at the finish line if you arrive a few seconds later (and in one piece.)

Make your presence known – People of all fitness levels (and therefore speeds) run these races.

When passing, give a little “on your left” as you approach. They will gladly let you pass and no one accidently gets hipchecked into the bushes.

The great shoe debate. If you’re just testing out the sport your regular runners should be fine, but if you plan on running many races investing in a good pair of trail runners will give you a huge advantage. Go for traction, drainage and lightweight.

Clean yourself up – Pack a “post race kit” which includes a towel, clean clothes, flip flops, baby wipes and plastic bags for all your nasty gear. You may also want an old blanket or towel to sit on in your car.

It will wash out – All that mud-caked gear needs a good washing. Hose everything down out in the yard (or at a local car wash). This will take care of 99% of it. Then toss it all (sneakers included) in the wash. Just DO NOT put your white towels in the wash with them.

Just breathe – Most people focus on getting a deep breath in BUT breathing OUT is where it’s at. If you don’t EMPTY your lungs you aren’t able to take in a good new breathe so... all the way out every time.

Pack light. Most races offer a cheap/free bag check service on site. Be sure to carry cash and ID with you and depending on the weather, something to dry off with/bundleup in when you finish.

Have fun – Sure you’re nervous and excited but it will be over before you know it. Don’t forget to enjoy the race itself not just the glory of the finish line. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Like mud?

Pick a race!

sign-up to Crawl, climb, run, pull, lift, push, and laugh as you race!

• Ottawa Valley - Aug 31/Sept 1 (at Wilderness Tours) • Ottawa Urban - Sept. 28 (at Mooney's Bay) www.MuddSweatandTears.com

The cutting edge Make your knife your friend by keeping it sharp

By Craig Macartney

Knives are an important survival tool, but dull knives are frustrating – and more dangerous than a sharpened edge. They require more force, leaving the knife-wielder less focused on safety. Sharp ones require fewer strokes and are less likely to slip.

So test your knife before hitting the trail. Hold a piece of paper by the top edge, with your knife or axe head in your other hand.

Angle the blade away from your hand and draw it across the edge of the paper. A sharp blade will easily slice through it without tearing.

If it’s not sharp, sharpen it – while wearing thick work gloves on the job.

Two objects come together, the whetstone and the knife. Some things you should know about them …

Lubricating the whetstone isn’t essential, but some water or oil produces a keener edge. Most have a coarse side and a fine one. Hold the whetstone, coarse side up, on your open, flat palm.

Leave the fine-grained side until later to remove burrs and perfect the edge.

Place your knife on the whetstone and angle the blade. Too steep an angle between knife and whetstone produces a dull blade. Too shallow, and you get a sharp blade with a weak edge 36 ottawa

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that will chip and wear down fast. There’s a 10-20-30 rule: 10 degrees for kitchen knives, 20 for pocket knives, and 30 for axes.

Slowly draw your knife across the whetstone in a diagonal motion. Start your stroke at the base of the whetstone, ending at the far end, and running the full length of your knife blade.

Maintain the angle and an even pressure throughout the stroke.

After three or four strokes, turn over the blade, and do the same number of strokes on that side.

Use the same angle and pressure on both sides. Repeat until the blade is relatively sharp, then use the fine-grained side of your whetstone until you are satisfied with the edge.

Axes are a bit of a different story. Whetstones are great for fine-tuning axe blades, but files work better on those notched edges you get from inadvertently chopping rocks or barbed wire.

For whetstone sharpening, secure the axe head firmly. Holding the whetstone at a 30 degree angle, make small circular motions along the blade. As above, maintain light pressure and a constant angle. Sharpen the whole blade evenly to avoid excessive wear in one place. After a few minutes, flip over your axe head and work the other side for about the same amount of time.

Don’t over-do it. The axe cheek and its weight does most of the cutting or splitting, so axes don’t need to be razor sharp.

The safest way to file an axe head is to secure it overhanging the edge of a bench. Holding a flat file by the handle, place the tip against one end of the blade, at a 30-degree angle.

With your free hand, put mild pressure on file. Make diagonal strokes, running the full length of both the blade and file.

Follow the curve of the blade carefully to avoid changing its shape and making it more dangerous to use. After every few strokes, remove any metal filings from the file.

Files shave off layers of metal, so mirroring your strokes on both sides is especially important. Files also leave marks. Finishing the edge with a whetstone helps remove these marks and any burrs.

Files and knives are usually a no-no. File only severely notched knives and do it with a very fine flat file, working as described for axes. Avoid damaging the blade by working slowly and with light, even pressure and a constant angle. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

TIMMINS

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Survival quiz If you get lost, these ideas can help you live to hike another day

By Allen Macartney

Sooner or later, if you’re into the woods often enough, you get lost. For paddlers, backpackers, off-road cyclists or just day hikers, it’s almost inevitable.

This quiz highlights some survival fundamentals. We hope it educates and entertains, and we know any increase in survival awareness reinforces confidence, comfort and enjoyment outdoors. Check off your answers, and look to the end of the quiz to find how well you did, and for brief explanations.

1. In late summer or early fall woods, what’s the biggest threat? a) Wolf attack b) Bear attack c) Moose attack d) Coyote attack 2. Put this list of survival concerns in the right order – most important first, least important last: looking after injuries, finding food, finding water, building a shelter, getting a fire going.

3. A good way to get something to drink is: a) Kill a bird or animal and drink the blood b) Make a divining rod from a green forked branch, and walk until it points down c) Walk downhill looking for water d) Soak up dew from grass and plants with a T-shirt in the morning 4. A shelter from the cold should be: a) So small that you can barely fit in b) Located at the bottom of a valley or hill 38 ottawa

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c) Built only from dead material so you don’t damage living plants d) Built in a field to absorb solar radiation for warmth.

5. You’re lost in dense forest far from home. What can kill you fastest? a) hunger b) panic c) wild animals d) thirst 6. A small survival pack should contain at least: a) large plastic bag, matches, fire-starter, whistle, knife b) trail mix, knife, fishing line, hooks, matches c) small hatchet, knife, energy bar, cord, whistle d) knife, matches, energy bar, plastic bag, BandAids 7. If you’re lost, the first thing to do is: a) Walk a little faster to try to find the trail b) Sit down and have a snack c) Build a fire and start collecting wood

d) Look for game trails to follow 8. The main purpose of a shelter is to: a) Protect from wild animals b) Protect from wind, rain or snow c) Protect from heat and sunstroke d) Provide comfort 9. If you’re lost and darkness is falling and it’s starting to rain, you should: a) Build a shelter and prepare to spend the night b) Stop, gather firewood and build a shelter. c) Press on because you’re close to your car d) Eat your last energy bar, look at the map, then press on 10.

Your canoe capsizes in a lake in July on a windy, cloudy afternoon. Your lifejacket is on and you’re close to shore. Your greatest danger is: e) hypothermia f) wild animals g) sunstroke h) drowning True or False?

11. Drink salted water if you are dehydrated. T____ F____ 12. Food is a top priority when you get lost. T____ F____ 13. Any injury multiplies your danger when lost. T____ F____ 14. When lost, water is usually a greater priority than shelter.

T____ F____ 15. A positive attitude is a better asset than matches and an energy bar. T____ F____ 16. When lost it’s very important to purify water to drink.

T____ F____ www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

TIMMINS

the great outdoors and more!

The 5th Annual

Great Canadian Kayak Challenge & Festival

Up to $15 in cash pri,000 zes!

August 24-25, 2013 Timmins, Ontario

Join us for the 5th annual Great Canadian Kayak Challenge & Festival, August 24-25, 2013. Taking place at the Mountjoy Historical Conservation Park, in Timmins, Ontario.

• • • • • • • • •

9 Paddling Divisions Kayak Clinics “Kayak for the Heart of it” 3-person Sprint Race Children Activities Art & Culture Routes... performing arts, exhibits, aboriginal village and more Saturday Evening Fireworks Highland Dance Competition Rubber Duck Race Multi Band Saturday night free concert

To register or for additional information, please contact Guy Lamarche at 705.360.2640 or email guy.lamarche@timmins.ca

photo credits: Remi Villars JR and Claude J Gagnon Photography

Paddling categories for all ages, from novice to expert, youth to seniors, and a chance to win fantastic cash prizes.

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Answers 1c In August and September a bull moose in rut is dangerous. Wolves, coyotes and bears have eaten well all summer and will usually ignore you.

2 After injuries, the priority is shelter, followed by water, fire and food.

3c/d Walking downhill (the way water flows) often leads to water. Dew is a source too.

4a A shelter needs to be small.

Think of it as a blanket to keep you warm and dry.

5b Panic can kill because it short-circuits rational thinking. Scared hikers are known to start running through the forest, often

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past trail markers; they get injured and exhausted, which accelerates fear and panic.

6a The large plastic bag can provide shelter and warmth; matches and starter mean fire and heat. A knife can cut branches for shelter and fire; a whistle can bring help. A cloth can soak up water.

7b Calming down is vital when the realization sinks in that you’re lost. Stopping for a snack gives you time to think.

8b Ideally a shelter will keep you dry and relatively warm.

9a/b If you get lost even in daylight, pressing on in the dark won’t work either.

10a Hypothermia can occur even in summer, especially in wind.

11. False. Salty water will only dehydrate you further – potentially very dangerous.

12. False. People can live at least two or three weeks without food, but only a few days without water.

13. True.

14. False. Usually, shelter is a more important in Canada than water.

15. True. A positive attitude encourages clear thinking, flexibility and brainstorming.

16. False. Most lost people are rescued long before tainted water can make them sick.

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Adopt a snake?

You can help the harmless grey rat snake survive

BY SHEILA ASCROFT

I’m a camper and I hate snakes.

I know it’s irrational, but they scare the bejesus out of me. It’s all that slithering. And yet, I’ve just donated $25 to adopt one.

Not that it’s coming home with me! I’m just supporting a conservation effort at Murphys Point Provincial Park.

I admit that I’ve avoided camping at Murphys Point because it is home to the black rat snake.

OK, so it’s now known as the gray rat snake, but whatever the colour I’m still not a fan. I’ve heard stories of the snakes hanging in trees above your picnic table. Ick. Today though, this harmless constrictor (well, harmless to humans; it crushes prey in its coils) is a threatened species—and maybe it’s time for us to help it.

Obviously, what I know and how I feel are two different things. I may not want a snake under my canoe or near my tent, but I do appreciate their role in our ecology, recognize they are not dangerous and, believe it or not, they are silky dry to the touch.

Back in the 1990s, individual gray rat snakes were tracked through radio telemetry to learn more about their habits and ranges, and to help protect the species and its habitat. With this data, The Friends of Murphys Point are using FaceBook to post updates on how an individual snake moved throughout each season. Park naturalist Mike Mur42 ottawa

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phy describes snake activities from the researchers’ point of view. The Friends have launched a blog devoted to the gray rat snake, answering questions and promoting local conservation.

And this is where the “adopt a snake” program fits in. Money raised offsets the costs of population monitoring (with a tiny microchip inserted under a snake’s skin), and efforts to raise awareness about the snakes (and maybe calm down people like me).

By contributing at least $25, your name is added to the donor signage at the park’s visitor centre as well as on the gray rat snake blog. There is a tax receipt too. Details at http://friendsofmurphyspoint.ca/donate/. If you’re brave enough to have a snake on your chest, the Friends also sell nifty Rat Snake T-shirts at the park store to raise money for future research and public awareness.

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Photo : Sophie Beecher

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Cyclosportif Perth New cycling event has no fundraising strings attached

BY SHEILA ASCROFT

Finally, someone is listening to cyclists who want to do events without having the weight of fundraising always on their handlebars. Rick Hellard, owner of Zone3sports, heard the plea and offers a new option. The inaugural Cyclosportif Perth, a registrationonly bike event, is set for Saturday, Sept. 28.

Rick is well known as Ottawa’s most experienced triathlon coach, but he’s also event director for the Winterlude Triathlon, Ultimate Run for Men’s Cancer, the federal public service’s Wellness Challenge, Sand Lake Triathlon and, in June the first Wheels for Wellness bike event. He’s the director for this new ride and it’s for everyone – whatever age and ability.

Cyclosportif Perth (CPerth for short) offers a variety of rides from a 20- or 40-kilometre “roadie” for families to a “double metric century” for true road warriors, and a few other lengths in between.

“Hopefully, we’ll have hundreds of cyclists on the roads in, around and between Perth, Murphys Point, Portland, Westport, and maybe even as far away as

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Sydenham,” Hellard said. He says the Perth area and Lanark Highlands are a well-kept cycling secret. A few years back, the Perth and District Chamber of Commerce published detailed maps of nine cycling routes that pass by local lakes and rivers, rolling farmlands, and pockets of wetlands and woodlands along quiet rural roads.

“We even have something for the slightly more adventurous, The Dirty Version, with routes from 33k to 90k on a mix of paved and dirt roads,” Hellard said. “People are surprised to find out that there is a tremendous network of dirt roads and trails to ride.

“These routes can be used to cut across some of the busier paved roads. They also tend to go in areas not normally seen on two wheels. Some of the best riding can be found on these routes, and this is your chance to check them out.”

Rick has ridden all the routes and assures riders that the “dirty version” can be done on 700x28 tires without problems.

For those not familiar with the term, cyclosportif is the French equivalent of the Italian gran fondo, recently gaining popularity in North America after decades in Europe.

Both events are organized, mass participation bike rides of varying distances and difficulty for amateur or civilian riders. CPerth will have no timed sections, although that

is common in some other mass events.

Maps and firm route descriptions for CPerth are to be posted on the website, and the event is to start with registration and kit pickup at 7 a.m. Exhibitor booths will open at the same time and include Bushtukah, Trek, Cycle Logik, Full Cycle, the Town of Perth, Share the Road, and a live band called Blisster and the Saddlesores (led by a former bike racer). Rides start at 8 a.m. with the cyclists going the longest distance heading out first.

Everyone will be on the road by 10:15 a.m. The routes will be signed and colour-coded so you know where your route goes.

Hellard said fueling stations every 60 kilometres will be stocked with electrolyte replacement drinks, gels and simple ride foods according to the store sponsoring it. Cyclists are encouraged to consider their own pit stops at towns along the way. Mechanical support will be provided by several local bike shops.

All this with no fundraising obligations on the riders, no pestering friends to pony up a donation for whatever good cause. Registration costs $125 plus tax and includes a weatherresistant cycling jacket. Click on www.eventsonline.ca/events/ cyclo_perth/ to participate.

Hellard calls Cyclosportif Perth “a season-ending festival of cycling” and urges riders to “come join us!”

DeSoto 400 Mile Bike Short – $136 These shorts are comfortable, durable, made to be worn under water or on the bike, with just enough chamois but not too much. Look for this and other womenspecific items at www.Cyclechic.ca.

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Catch a wave with air power Kiteboarding an addictive thrill

By Jennifer Hartley

If you are looking for a new thrill this summer, one that will lift you off your feet, then grab a “wakeboard” with a large parachute-type kite, and hit the water. It’s called kiteboarding.

Thanks to some high-profile boarders of late, it has gained some notoriety. Former prime minister Jean Chrétien – hey, he’s 79 – was spotted riding the waves in North Carolina and the video went viral on the Internet.

Kiteboard racing nearly became an Olympic sport in time for the 2016 Rio Games, but a glitch in the voting kept it out. While Olympic kiteboard racing may not be on your bucket list, the rush is incredible.

The sport itself developed over the last 15 years, by combining a number of other water sports into one adrenaline-filled ride. Ty Luckett, owner of Kite Hatteras in North Carolina and one of the pioneers,

says it “really took off” in 1998.

“I had a friend in Hawaii who was doing it and then I brought it to the East Coast and started teaching it and taking people out. It became really cool – its coolness factor definitely came from the sport’s Hawaii connection.

“As for me, I love the freedom of it.”

The idea behind kiteboarding may see simple – you get towed across the water by a parachute-kite – but the technique of riding a board and controling the kite at the same time has to be learned.

“The harness does a lot of the work”, according to Luckett and it’s the power of the kite that propels you forward. “It’s kind of like power steering,” he says, but, “You have to be in shape and always alert.”

The wind is the sole source of energy to propel you and the kite forward on the water. If you are feeling adventurous, you can lift off with the kite acting as an airplane wing.

That airborne thrill is the main attraction for many who love the sport, with the average Jane or Joe jumping anywhere between a metre and a half to 4½ metres straight up.

Luckett says, “I can get pretty extreme, like 50–80 feet [15–24 metres] in the air.” Add in propulsion and speed on the water and it’s a recipe for an adrenaline rush.

“Free ride” is the most popular form

of the sport. It’s easy riding mixed in with soft, low jumps to get your fix. Most boards sold today are designed for free ride.

Different size kites let you sail in different wind conditions. Low wind calls for bigger kites. With a 16-metre kite, you can get going in a wind as light as 12 km/h.

Heavy winds, up to 50 km/h, need a smaller kite. Regular kiteboarders usually ride between 22 and 35 km/h.

Getting the basics of kiteboarding should take about three days; actual flying could take longer.

Most newbies can get up on their board after two or three lessons and with a bit of practice do their first jump in a few days. It all depends on how cautious you are and what the wind is doing.

Gear: You need a kite, wakeboard, harness, bar and lines, a life vest, wetsuit for cold water and a couple of kites for varying conditions.

This will cost between $2,000 to $3,000.

You can catch waves at Andrew Haydon Park, Aylmer Beach on the Quebec side, Britannia, Constance Bay, Shirleys Bay and Shirleys Point as well as Petrie Island near Cumberland.

Once you start kiteboarding, it’s addictive. Luckett says that rush keeps you coming back for more.

“Riding those waves and jumping is pure magic … there’s always something new to learn.”

Getaway Spotlight: Nova Scotia This summer head to the east coast of Canada to enjoy a plethora of family-filled fun.

Whether flying or choosing to drive to make a road trip out of the adventure, head east! Family and friends will enjoy great activities from Halifax to Cape Breton.

In Halifax check out such adventures as the: Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo; Halifax Public Gardens; Maritime Museum of the Atlantic; Discovery Centre or Shakespeare by the Sea. Just book your stay and go!

In Cape Breton choose from any of the resorts to spend a week in paradise.

Or if you choose, look at the income opportunities of owning a vacation home. Either way, Cape Breton's Cabot Trail, hiking trails, golf courses and whale-

48 ottawa

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watching excursions await you and the family, and you can rent

a vehicle from Avis to get you around. See you there!

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Dovercourt’s Overnight Camps are designed and delivered as an introductory experience for 10 to 13 year olds looking for something more adventurous than day camps, but not quite as nerve-racking as extended overnight camps.

Campers spend the first day of camp at Dovercourt learning and practicing skills necessary for their three day, two night excursion. They’ll learn the basics of fire building, camp site set up, no trace camping skills and meal planning. Then, on day two they will travel by bus to The Ark (near Wakefield) where they are greeted

by Mike Caldwell, a highly experienced outdoorsman, lifeguard, advanced-care paramedic, and ex-firefighter who will lead them for their three days and two nights of adventure.

Depending on the week selected (each week is themed) campers will enjoy orienteering, tracking, rappelling, zip-lining, canoeing, hiking, swimming, shelter building, scavenger hunts, Mantracker….

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watch: Calabogie host Wake Surf Championship Scheduled for July 11–13, 2013, this new popular sport will be held at the Calabogie Peaks Resort on Calabogie Lake, Ontario.

Though wake surfing is still young, it's now a rapidly growing sport that is taking the world by storm. Mark your calendars or contact them to begin taking lessons.

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By David Kawai

You should be so lucky to take a walk on the Macnamara Trail in Arnprior with someone who really knows it.

Steve Duffield for example.

Duffield is a handlebar mustache/ponytail kind of guy and a former Parks Ontario worker. He’s out on this nature trail at least once a month, keeping the path clear for the Macnamara Field Naturalists Club.

He repairs boardwalks over standing water, spreads wood chips on wet spots, drags fallen trees and branches off the trail and takes his chain saw to the big ones.

“Beech, red oak, yellow birch, large-tooth aspen, sugar maple, red maple, mountain maple, striped maple, poplar, bitternut hickory …”

He lists them as we walk, gently touching trunks, branches and foliage of trees along the fourkilometre trail, as if to take their pulse.

Duffield is a key figure in the Macnamara club’s ambitious plan to update infrastructure and extend the trail right across nearby Goodwin’s Bay, a haven www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

GP_Ad_OttawaOutdoor_E.pdf

along the Ottawa River.

Just off McNab Street inside Arnprior city limits, the trail is rich in plant and animal life, and the club wants to add the bay to the forest as places for visitors.

Duffield named a string of birds as we walked: “Rose-breasted grosbeak, pileated woodpecker, veery thrush, winter wren, ovenbird ….” He could, and did, imitate each one’s song.

As I paused along the shore to admire some natural marble – an unusual geological feature here – I heard Duffield muttering a few metres away.

“Oh don’t be nasty.”

He had a firm grip on a garter snake. Quite a stinky one, he noted, warning me about the smell emitted by the alarmed snake. This defence mechanism stayed with us for the rest of our three-hour hike.

At one point along the trail, the ground was covered with something white and fluffy, like a winter wonderland: “In a picture, you’d swear this was snow,” Duffield said

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11:03 AM

PHOTO BY david kawai

Arnprior nature trail undergoing expansion across marsh

Kayaking, hiking, biking, camping…

Discover the outdoor enthusiast in you! reservations.parcdelagatineau.ca 1-866-456-3016 | 819-827-2020

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as we waded through thick tufts of white, poplar seed. It looked like a short-lived “snowfall” in summer.

There’s a lot to take in on this piece of land belonging to Nylene Canada Inc. The company and the Macnamara club have an agreement that allows the trail area – itself a Crown game preserve – to be used for conservation and environmental education, alongside the Nylene factory.

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It all started back in 1885 when Charles Macnamara, the trail’s namesake, started exploring these fields, marshes, shores and woods.

A lumber company accountant with only Sundays off work, he became a serious field biologist with several species now bearing his name.

Club president Michael Runtz has included a brief Macnamara biography in the trail guidebook Runtz wrote to help visitors understand the local plants and animals.

“I came along as a kid and had the great fortune of meeting [Macnamara’s] niece, and seeing his diaries and photographs,” said Runtz, a Carleton University biology professor who helped estab-

lish the trail in 1984.

“I became fascinated with going to the same areas and trying to see many of the same things he had discovered years earlier.”

Today the trail is used yearround by hikers, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, birdwatchers, fern enthusiasts, botanizers of every stripe, geologists and anyone who just wants a couple of hours in the heart of nature.

Asked about his favourite place on the trail, Runtz launched into an unstoppable account of everything he loves about it, like “low-lying cedar areas, high, dry hardwood ridges, a tiny insect on a log or an unusual fern growing, the younger poplar woods, or the marsh … ” “Unless someone actually experiences nature, sees a wild orchid or meets a wild animal first hand, nobody will care about this kind of stuff.”

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

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ottawa outdoors 55

Montreal’s bike lanes mean happy kids City’s cycling infrastructure makes mama-daughter adventure easy: Ottawa city council take note

By Kathleen Wilker

Less than an hour after our train arrived in Montreal, my nine-year-old daughter was leading the way to our bikefriendly bed and breakfast along Rue Berri’s separated bike lanes.

A short walk from the train station brought us to Ça Roule Montréal in the Old Port. Ça Roule offers road, mountain and hybrid bikes for adults and a full line of bikes for kids, including trail-a-bikes and trailers. If you’re interested in guided bike tours, they offer those too. We chose a 24-inch touring bike with upright handle bars for Anna Sierra and a step-through touring bike for me.

Lights and locks were included and we used our own helmets

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from home.

With a map of the city, we headed off on a twowheeled mamadaughter adventure.

Montreal’s wildly successful BIXI bike-sharing program is now up to 400 stations across the city, so you’re never far from a station wherever you’d like to go. As convenient as BIXIs are, my daughter won’t be tall enough to ride them for a year, so renting worked for us.

After we picked up our bikes, we cruised the scenic Old Port, testing out gears and brakes and getting comfortable with everything including seat height.

At home in Ottawa, Anna Sierra is becoming a confident rider with endurance and a love of riding. But before almost every outing in Ottawa, I plan a route that avoids busy streets. On a ride, I tell her how to handle some

intersections or parked cars where we have to pull further out into the road to avoid being doored.

So it was quite a rush for both of us as she took the lead, proudly but safely, in an unfamiliar bike-conscious city.

Despite Ottawa’s separated bike lane on Laurier Avenue and the new O-Train Pathway connecting the river to Preston Street, a trip to Montréal with a young cyclist offers a vision of how our home town might look someday, maybe.

Bike lanes, bike lights at intersections, well-signed routes and lots of other cyclists of all ages and abilities zipping around their city put us at ease as we rode through the Old Port and www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

connected with Rue Berri’s separated bike lane.

While planning our vacation, I used the Bienvenue cyclistes website to research bicyclefriendly accommodation. We chose Auberge de la Fontaine on Rue Rachel, a main bike artery – with two-way bike lanes – across the street from Parc la Fontaine.

Visiting a city with kids works best when you build in relaxed play time, so the park was a bonus.

The Auberge offers secure indoor bike parking and a buffet breakfast with croissants, artisan cheeses, fresh fruit, eggs, coffee, juice and cereal. Breakfast is available at 7 a.m., just when my daughter gets hungry, so were could eat early. As well, at checkin we were shown the kitchen and told to help ourselves to snacks throughout the day until midnight. A great feature for hungry cyclists!

Other features to look for in your temporary home are maps, bike pumps and bike tools.

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Logistics VIA RAIL

Taking the two-hour train to Montreal is a car-free, no-parking ride.

We took a backpack each plus helmets. Tickets often go on sale and are also discounted when you buy online at viarail.ca BIXI

You have to be at least 14 and measure 4’1” to ride one of their bikes.

Visit montreal.bixi.com for rates and stations. ÇA ROULE MONTRÉAL ON WHEELS

Within walking distance of the train station, Ça Roule Montréal has options for biking with kids of all ages – tandems, trail-a-bikes, bike trailers and junior-sized bikes. Visit caroulemontreal.com/en/rent-bike/ for information and to reserve a bike. Booking a specialized bike ahead of time means you’ve got just what you need to explore the city.

ACCOMMODATION

There are lots of bike-friendly accommodation to choose from on the Bienvenue cyclistes website (routeverte.com/rv/ bienvenuecycliste_e). We liked Auberge de la Fontaine because it’s on a central bike route, and across the road from a park with wading pools in summer. Whatever accommodation you pick, look for secure, indoor bike parking. Some spots will allow you to take your bike into your room overnight.

After settling into our room at the Auberge and trying out the monkey bars in the park across the street, we were ready to ride again. Following the bike lane on Rue Rachel, we arrived at Mont Royal just as darkness fell. By the time we got to the top, the whole city was sparkling with lights. Anna Sierra’s eyes sparkled too as she gazed out over the city she had conquered on her two strong legs.

The next morning we set off in the other direction towards the Insectarium, the Botanical Gardens and the Biodôme. These destinations are fun for kids and interesting

for adults, but the highlight was being able to ride there ourselves, Anna Sierra in the lead, past the features that make Montréal a world-class cycling city. There were BIXI stands outside high schools, bikespecific lights at intersections and well-designed bike lanes that seamlessly led you right to your destination. Because we left by 8:30 in the morning, we rode with commuters and took in the city as if we lived there.

When it was time to return our rentals and board the train to Ottawa, Anna Sierra leaned down to the handlebars and whispered something to her two-wheeled friend. It might have been goodbye, it might have been thanks for the ride.

But whatever she said, my guess is it had something to do with a young girl’s first taste of freedom. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

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ottawa outdoors 59

BOOK REVIEW

Laurence Gonzales, Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why W.W. Norton, about $15 paperback.

BY ALLEN MACARTNEY

If you want to get past the simple survival ABCs that Boy Scouts and national park staff teach, this is the book for you.

It takes you past, say, learning six new ways to build a fire, or three tips on staying warm while waiting for rescuers.

Instead, Deep Survival shows readers that what it takes to live is not just practical skills, but inner, personal strength.

And the book makes this clear by accounts of real, starkly perilous life and death situations where some people survived and others perished.

The author takes you into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers moments after they were hit, and lets real survivors lead you through the smoke to safety. You’ll learn how to sort through the tidal wave of life-and-death questions screaming in your ears when you’re in trouble, to choose the best answer. You’ll learn why seemingly logical decisions made in the heat of a crisis can kill you fast because panic has reduced your IQ to primitive levels.

Why does an experienced hunter lost in the bush die after one night, but a fouryear-old child lives through near-identical conditions for a weekend?

Gonzales explains that the hunter likely has a “vacation

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mindset” – putting the brain in neutral and shutting off awareness alarms.

The expert is so over-confident that he or she doesn’t notice when problems start to pile up and then avalanche out of control. The four-year-old knows she’s in new and dangerous territory and stays aware enough to seize opportunities for survival.

She might cry but doesn’t know enough to panic – the true killer.

“Everyone who dies out there,” writes Gonzales, “dies of confusion.” Often they think they’re making great decisions.

Certain personalities are prone to die in nasty situations, while others are almost programed to slip out to safety. His own father was the sole survivor of a bomber crash after it spun down 27,000 feet in a flat spin into a German farm field.

It’s important to have experience and gear on hand in a crisis, as well as the training. But surprisingly, it turns out these aren’t absolute critical elements for staying alive. Whether you’re lost in the wilderness, adrift on a liferaft, or trying to live through

another day in a death camp, it’s not what’s in your pack or head that counts. It’s what’s in your heart.

Even couch potatoes uninterested in wilderness survival can gain from this book. Its principles can be used through a crushing divorce, a job loss, a cancer survival or the death of a child. They’re practical beyond more typical “wilderness” threats like being lost at the Arctic Circle with a fast river’s whirlpool somewhere just ahead.

I’ve just read Deep Survival for the third time, and will read it again. Gonzales can reduce the philosophic and psychological ruminations on life and death from Plato, Aristotle and brain surgeons to ideas anyone can unpack and grasp. He shines a light into human nature and the survival truth shines out.

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Outdoor List GROUP NAME

WEBSITE

DESCRIPTION

Ottawa Orienteering Club

www.ottawaoc.ca

We organize and take part in orienteering events in the Ottawa area.

The Ottawa Outdoor Club

www.ottawaoutdoorclub.ca

A rec club with hiking, cycling, canoeing, skiing, and snowshoeing.

Rideau Trail Association

www.rideautrail.org

A hiking club dedicated to maintaining the trail from Kingston to Ottawa.

Ottawa Triathlon Club

www.ottawatriathlonclub.com

A recreational organization dedicated to teaching the enjoyment of tris.

Ottawa Bicycle Club

www.ottawabicycleclub.ca

Offers a range of cycling programs from novice to expert.

Ottawa Mountain Bike Assoc.

www.ottawamba.org

Advocacy with local land owners + weekly rides in Kanata + trail maintenance.

Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Assoc.

www.ocua.ca

The largest Ultimate (Frisbee) league in the world.

Ottawa Sport and Social Club

www.ossc.ca

A co-ed, rec sport league, with tourneys and social events for adults.

Ottawa Rowing Club

www.ottawarowingclub.com

Come see what rowing is like on the picturesque Ottawa River.

Liquid Skills Paddling Centre

www.liquidskills.com

Programs and clinics, kayak lessons, expeditions and teen camps.

Madawaska Kanu Centre

www.owl-mkc.ca

Kayak lessons in-city and on-site. Weekend clinics for the whole family.

Ottawa Sailing School

www.boattraining.com

They offer the highest quality sailing programs and on-the-water adventure.

Somersault Events

www.somersault.ca

Triathlons, duathlons, and running events for you or the entire family.

The Running Room

www.runningroom.com

Ottawa’s running and walking club for team fitness.

TriRudy

www.trirudy.com

Website and resource for duathlons and triathlons.

La RoccaXC Mt.Bike School

www.creativewheel.ca

Camp for boys and girls, women and men keen to enjoy mountain biking.

Wilderness Tours

www.wildernesstours.com

In addition to rafting they offer kayak lessons and adventure camps.

Kanata-Nepean Bicycle Club

www.knbc.ca

A volunteer based non-profit org for social, recreational bicycle touring.

Owl Rafting

www.owl-mkc.ca

Rafting, sea-kayaking, lessons, plus adventure programs.

Esprit Rafting

www.espritrafting.com

Rafting, canoeing and several training and certification courses.

River Run Rafting

www.riverrunners.com

Rafting, family trips, kayaking, cabins and more.

Horizon X

www.horizonx.ca

Rafting, family trips, kayaking, cabins and more.

Ottawa New Edinburgh Club

www.onec.ca

Ottawa rowing club for all levels or for fun and fitness.

Natural Fitness Lab

www.naturalfitnesslab.com

Adult trail running program in Chelsea/Gatineau Park.

Upcoming Events Run/Walk 22 June Emilie’s Run (5 km women only) 22 June Wylie Ryan Aviation Museum Kids 1 km Run 23 June Smiths Falls Figure eight 2 or 5 km Run 07 July Sydenham 2, 5 or 10 km runs 08 July Wylie Ryan Sydenham Lakeside Kids 2 km run 14 July Carleton Place 5 or 10 km Heritage Run Adventure Racing 15 June

Moraine for Life Adventure Relay run

15 June

Ottawa Spartan Race

27 July

Rockstar Adventure Race

27 July

Mitsubishi City Chase

Duathlon/Triathlon 15 June Baxter All Terrain Kids Triathlon 23 June Smiths Falls Classic Triathlon, Duathlon & Relays 06 July Gatineau Triathlon 07 July Sydenham Triathlon, Duathlon 14 July Graham Beasley Triathlon, Duathlon & Relays BIKING 16 June 26 June to 01 July 20 July PADDLING 20-23 June Other 13 July

MEC Bikefest The By-Cycle Ride Granfondo Ottawa Tim Horton’s Dragon Boat Races and festival Bring On the Bay

CANOE & KAYAK RENTALS, GROUND & AIR TRANSPORTATION, OUTFITTING

Do it.

Mudd it.

Love it!

Aug 31-Sep 1 (Ottawa Valley) Wilderness Tours location Sep 28 (Ottawa Urban) Mooney's Bay location Register to race at www. MuddSweatandTears .com

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Algonquin Canoe Company is your number one source for canoes and kayaks in the Ottawa River Valley.

We offer sales, rentals and outfitting from two locations.

Call us to book your adventure today!

SWISHA (1-613-586-2655) Servicing the Dumoine, Noire and Coulonge Rivers and North Algonquin Park

LONG SAULT ISLAND (1-705-981-0572)

Servicing Lake Temiscaming, Lake Kipawa, Kipawa River and the Ottawa River

www.algonquincanoe.com

Owned and operated by the Algonquins of Wolf Lake First Nations

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the back pages

OWL Rafting on the Ottawa River

Caves Events • July 18th Magical Musical Evening 4 • July 20th, 21st Hard Rock Weekend • August 11th, 12th Hard Rock Weekend • August 18th Tour de Bonnechere Cycling Event

819.457.2058

800-461-7238 owlrafting.com

• August 22nd Learning and Training Centre Music Night • August 24th Underground Dining • September 21st Underground Dining

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www.ottawaoutdoors.ca Your dream vacation.

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