Issue #40 - Ottawa Outdoors Magazine

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SPRING issue

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2014 | ottawa • Gatineau • Ontario • Quebec • US & Beyond

adventure | travel | family | home | FITNESS

thousand islands paddling trail lures canoeists

Triathlon gear to get you started

p 49

When nahanni beckons it’s time to follow Calendar of Events & Outdoor Clubs www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

MAY 3-4 | EYCentre

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Experience Canoeing

Experience Kayaking

Experience Whitewater Rafting

Experience SUP

EXPLORE WATERS LESS TRAVELLED

ONTARIO’S TOP PA DDLING ADVE NTURES

Explore waters less travelled in Ontario, Canada. With 400,000 lakes and rivers, this land of shining waters offers amazingly diverse paddling experiences including whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking and SUP. Paddle the lake they call Gitche Gummee and the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. Travel down Canadian Heritage Rivers, like the French and Missinaibi.

Paddle Georgian Bay, a World Biosphere, or fly in to spectacular wilderness parks such as Woodland Caribou, Quetico and Wabakimi. Ontario has it all!

FOR FULLY OUTFITTED, GUIDED AND LODGE-BASED PADDLING ADVENTURES VISIT ONTARIOTRAVEL.NET/WATERADVENTURES

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outdoors thousand islands paddling trail lures canoeists p 49

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when nahanni beckons it’s time to follow

SPRING issue

42 tandem on-side canoe turns use a four stroke sequence

5 Hiking in the Adirondacks 6 Publisher’s letter 8 Welcome to Whitewater 9 Test-paddle the Rideau Waterway 13 Ride the urban jungle 14 Triathlon gear to get you started 15 Campground yoga 16 Top workout secrets 19 Northern tours beckon cyclists 20 Cooking green is getting easier 20 Take that TV outside 22 Wilderness Survival 24 Celebrate canoeing’s scrapes 27 Getting kids on their bikes 28 Ottawa’s natural environment 31 A rainy day’s slog to help other hikers 32 When the Nahanni beckons 34 Keep bugs off 36 Hiking the Gaspe Peninsula 40 Arizona calling 41 Meat-lovers can eat dry too 42 Tandem on-side canoe turns 42 Grapefruit recipe 43 Explosions of the fun kind 44 Dehydrated meals 47 Lighten the load on your back 48 Pitching from the rough 49 Thousand Islands paddling 50 Cool Gear Hot Clothing 53 Music Festival Guide 54 Outdoor Club Lists 58 Great Canadian Journey 59 Plant a potted herb garden 60 Oh, the places you’ll go 63 Visit Dows Lake Pavilion

Cover Photo provided by Katharine Fletcher

enter the OUTDOOR GEAR contest!

Prizes you’ll use, like a tent,

backpack, camping chair, stove and more!

GO TO WEBSITE TO SEE

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read it online

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

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 signup at the top right of the homepage and we’ll send you monthly digital issues of the magazine. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Life as a range of mountain peaks

Climbing the Adirondacks with the children leading the way.

Hiking in the Adirondacks with kids can ignite a passion

Kathleen Wilker

Lake Placid in the heart of the Adirondacks is just a few hours from Ottawa, with threeseason hiking from Easter until Thanksgiving. With 46 peaks higher or close to 1,200 metres nearby, this is an amazing place to introduce a family to the joys of hiking.

With some peaks strung out in a line, it’s possible for hikers who love to bag peaks to add three or four 46ers to their count in one day.

Our kids read Patricia Ellis’s Up: a Mother and Daughter’s www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Peakbagging Adventure, about the adventures with her five-yearold daughter in New Hampshire’s mountains. Then they wanted to summit mountains they know best – the Adirondacks. So last fall we climbed three of them, including Mount Baker and Mount Cascade.

Mount Jo was our very first hike near Lake Placid and it’s still be a not-to-be-missed destination on every trip there. You start from the parking lot of the High Peaks info centre at the end of Adirondack Loj Road, and Mount Jo

Hiking info Hiking by Lake Placid: www.lakeplacid.com/do/outdoors/summerfall/hiking Family-friendly hikes: www.lakeplacid.com/do/outdoors/summerfall/hiking/1-2-hour-hikes. If you want to bag all those peaks, it’s www.adk46er.org/

Other adventures Down the road from Lake Placid is Wilmington, N.Y. were young riders can test their skills at the Wilmington Bike Park and Pump Track on Route 86. If you’ve got an experienced adult mountain biker aboard, drop that person off at the Whiteface Mountain ski resort (with downhill mountain biking in summer) between Lake Placid and Wilmington and bring the rest of the family to the bike park to play on the jumps.

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PUBLISHER’S LETTER the team

Spring, oh spring.

Where have you been?

A DAVE BROWN PUBLISHER Editor-In-Chief

PRIZES! Go to our website and click on the banner to enter the contest

re you enjoying this strange thing called warmth and heat? I know I am and for sure we’re all going to bask in it, all summer long.

And to help you in your spring and summer plans you should decide whether you’ll want to participate in the same activities or try something new.

The good part is that we’re pretty much unlimited in outdoor adventures. If you want to drive to the Adirondacks and summit a mountain taller than what we have around here, then read the article on p.5 and see how you and the kids can make a go of it.

But if you’re like me you absolutely love our city and always like to enjoy some local activities. One of the new things that is quite exciting is what Wilderness Tours is doing. Yes we can still go towards Beachburg and whitewater raft with WT and other companies such as Owl and River Run, but it’s kind of cool to imagine rafting right here in the city.

They’ve been given the go-ahead to take customers downstream through the Des Chenes and Remic Rapids from Britannia to Lemieux Island. The urban rapids will be levels two and three compared with level five rapids to the west.

So check it out and after your rafting trip enjoy some body surfing in calmer water.

Getting back to this issue, it’s got it all. There are wonderful articles on (get ready, it’s a long list): paddling the Rideau Waterway; riding in our urban jungle; gear for the newbie triathlete; cycling in the north of Ontario; a new survival column

by Allen Macartney; how to do tandem canoe turns; paddling the Thousand Islands. . . aw, I have to stop, the list of articles in this huge 64-page issue is too long. Just flip through the pages and take it all in.

Take a second to enter some contests as well. Just below is a contest where you can win a tent and backpack from Bushtukah and MEC. And over on p.26 St. Lawerence Parks has some great prizes for adventurists and campers. Enjoy the heat!

mail me your comments: editor@ottawaoutdoors.ca Prizes supplied by Bushtukah & Mountain Equipment Co-op

ottawa

outdoors PUBLISHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DAVE BROWN EDITOR

ROGER BIRD WRITERS

Kathleen Wilker, Kyle Smith, Allen Macartney, Sheila Ascroft, Leslie Foster, Kyle Cooper, Katharine Fletcher, Andrew Westwood, Paul Villecourt, Glen and Janet Allingham, Lynette Chubb, Jenna Thompson, Gord Percy, Scott Ewart, Brendan Henry PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS

Keith Milne, istockphoto, Gord Coulthart ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Dave Brown, Publisher | Ottawa Outdoors Magazine is an independent publication published seasonally every four months and distributed FREE at sports stores and a hundred other locations around 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 welcomes story and photo contributions. Publisher may publish any and all communications with Ottawa Outdoors, and may edit for clarity and style.

Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index ISSN No. 1204-69556. © Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any materialspublished in Ottawa Outdoors Magazine is expressly forbidden without consent of the publisher.

Printed in Canada

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provides everything kids love – narrow paths, varied terrain, steep boulders for scrambling, a clear summit with a breathtaking view, and an optional route downhill so you’re not just retracing your steps.

That info centre is helpful in early spring or late fall when there can be ice, snow and mud on the trail – the staff know where the trails are in passable shape.

Hiking with kids uncovers unexpected adult-child differences. Last year one of our hikes was above the banks of a raging river.

The adults loved the whitewater backdrop, and the forest trail was beautiful. But kids didn’t like being told to stay out of the water and they found the fairly flat route – with no clear end point – uninspiring. They complained – a rare annoyance – about sore feet and being tired and it took non-stop chocolate chip cookies, tag-playing and other games to keep them going.

In fall during busy weekends when the leaves are turning, children welcome crowds of fellow hikers. Although adults often prefer a secluded or wilderness experience, kids like meeting people, so busier routes sound like fun to them.

When organizing your trip, bring backpacks for every hiker over the age of four.

Little kids like to start out with their own, but when the going gets tough with altitude, even lightweight packs tire them out. At that point you just tuck their backpack into yours.

Bring lots of water – kids should drink

A protective brother watches over his little sister.

every time you do, or they’ll forget, get dehydrated and turn cranky. As to clothing, kids can manage without hiking boots, just well-fitting shoes with treads. They’ll need extra socks too – streams, creeks or puddles, mean kids almost always get a soaker.

Accommodation in Lake Placid is varied, everything from hotels with swimming pools, to vacation rentals, and campgrounds just outside town. We’ve stayed at the KOA Campground www.koa.com/campgrounds/

lake-placid (beside a waterfall trail, with an outdoor pool), the more rustic Adirondack Loj campground (at the foot of Mount Marcy, so it books up quickly) and Whispering Pines, which offers basic campsites and bathroom, usually with availability during busy fall weekends.  Kathleen Wilker loves playing outside with her kids from sea to summit.

4 1 0 2 R E V I R N I S I RA

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Sunday April 27

More Info and Registration www.rrca.on.ca Register Early and Save

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John Warden SEPTIC

Photo Credits: Bill Carson, Dean Ducas

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Welcome to

whitewater Kyle Smith

H

aving been working in and around whitewater paddling for five years I have been amazed at how quickly people become hooked on it. Within only a few sessions on the water, many begin to search for more experience, new rivers, and friends to join them on their quest for natural spaces and the adrenaline rush paddling has to offer.

Without a doubt, whitewater paddling gets people into some of the most beautiful landscapes and natural spaces our planet has to

offer, among them the Ottawa Valley, home to many rivers, including the beginner-friendly Madawaska to the high-volume Ottawa.

Getting into such a space allows the time to detach from technology, connect with those around us, and appreciate the natural world.

Taking time to get away from the fast-paced daily grind to enjoy physical-activity with a purpose, along with family and friends, can transform daily life when you return to it.

Adrenaline seekers pursue high-volume rivers, with the thrill of pushing through foam piles and playing in a whitewater environment. This kind of play builds confidence in the wake of new skills and a successful navigation of a tough stretch of river.

In the midst of the thrill and the skill, most paddlers share a desire to keep our rivers safe and accessible. They encourage beginners to take a course or gain some experience with a co-operative or paddling club that can provide skills, gear and instruction at a reasonable cost. New paddlers have to learn how to “read” a river and its features from experienced instructors. And clubs and co-operatives are great places to meet other paddlers too. 

P A L M E R FESTIVAL MAY LONG WEEKEND MAY 17 and 18, 2014

Whitewater canoe and kayak clinics for everyone from beginner to expert.

Join us at this annual gathering of paddlers on the May long weekend. Register for whitewater paddling and river-rescue clinics taught by qualified and quality instructors.

River Fest is a family-friendly event with clinics for kids, as well as daycare. Exhibitors from the paddling industry will also be on site.

Palmer River Fest is held at the Paddler Co-op Boathouse, located on the shore of the Madawaska River, Palmer Rapids, Ontario.

REGISTER ONLINE $120/adult (18+) $65/youth (6 to 17)

Photo by Madawaska Kanu Centre

www.paddlerco-op.com 613-758-2772

PADDLER CO-OP

Taking a break while whitewater canoing before forging ahead on a summer’s day on the Ottawa River.

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Whitewater Kayak and Canoe Programs River Safety and Rescue • WFA Exceptional Instructors Campsites on the Shore of the Madawaska River

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Test-paddle the Rideau waterway Variety on easy water close to home Allen Macartney

The Rideau River is on our doorstep but too easy to ignore by canoe or kayak paddlers.

Ignoring it could be a bad idea.

Whether you’re a novice looking for an easy weekend trip with calm water and semi-urban comforts, or an experienced paddler wanting a more advanced trek, you’ll find it here. The river is part of the Rideau canal and river system built in the early 19th century by British army engineers to improve trade and defend a growing nation. It meanders through lakes, rivers, narrow channels and wetlands, a perfect setting to learn new paddle strokes or simply relax after a frantic week.

Camping is easy because the Rideau passes available sites in provincial campgrounds,

villages and towns. And you can camp at 24 of the lock stations. Just buy a permit and set up your tent on the grass. Lock stations offer toilets, picnic tables and water, but no showers. Many have barbecue grills and campfire pits. You can portage around the locks or pay the toll and ride through with the rest of the boats using the waterway.

Here are three very different routes along this historic waterway 1. Upper Brewers locks to Jones Falls (18 kilometres upstream) 2. Smith Falls to Rideau River Provincial Park (46 kilometres downstream)

3. Kingston to Ottawa (202 kilometres, upstream and down) Upper Brewers to Jones Falls is a pleasant paddle through narrow river channels, lakes, islands and rock formations, including one called the Duke’s Profile – that’s the Duke of Wellington. Cranberry and Little Cranberry lakes will pass below your keel before you dip your paddle in White Fish Lake.

As you approach Jones Falls, consider a side trip into Morton Bay through a narrow passage on the right-hand side. It offers swimming, picnicking, and a hike to two large rock outcrops. At the top of an 85-metre climb there’s a rewarding view of lakes and woodlands.

Put it in Park!

Half way between Kingston and Montreal just off Highway 401, a series of eleven islands sweep in an arc through the St. Lawrence River like a green-jewelled necklace. Causeways connect these former hilltops of the Lost Villages now home to three unique campgrounds (Mille Roches, Woodlands and McLaren) offering over 450 campsites from RV to tent, exclusive Sunrise-Sunset sites, 5 cabins, a dive shack and two large sandy beaches nestled in the heart of river. Plan a camping trip with family and friends and enjoy winding bike paths, nature trails, picnicking, awesome diving and lucky fishing! Book an island site 24/7 at stlawrenceparks.com!

Long Sault Parkway Islands on the St. Lawrence River

1-800-437-2233 stlawrenceparks.com www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

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Back aboard canoe or kayak, it’s a short paddle to Jones Falls and its 1831 stone dam, the tallest in North America when it was built. Pitch your tent and head for a swim in the recommended middle pool.

Smith Falls to Rideau River Provincial Park is a great starter trip for beginner paddlers or young families gaining outdoor confidence.

This route runs through wide river courses, short narrow channels, lakes and wetlands teeming with loons, great blue herons, ducks and osprey.

You’ll ride a gentle current to Manotick through eight series of locks.

Start at Smith Falls and paddle the narrow channel to nearby Old Slys lock. Just metres west of here you’ll find the Heritage House Museum in a restored Victorian home, showing what upper middle class living around here was like 150 years ago.

Back in your canoe or kayak, the river both widens and narrows as it joins a series of lakes on the 23 kilometres

to Merrickville (23 kilometres from Smiths Falls). Watch for osprey nests on the northwest shore of the river about a kilometre above Merrickville. Beside the locks there’s a British army blockhouse worth visiting before a stroll into town for a snack Below Merrickville the landscape is dotted with horse farms, cottages and shallow wetlands all the way to Rideau River Provincial Park (another 23 kilometres).

Kingston to Ottawa is the full monty, an eight- to 10-day paddle along the entire waterway, with early 19th-century history as a companion.

Time could stretch out depending on how many historic sites you visit, or how much time you just sit, becalmed, watching birds. Beware of big waves on big lakes, and stay clear of big boats in the main river channels.

Check out the Rideau. It’s all close at hand, and nothing too challenging. You’ll never be far from nice camping spots, good local restaurants and access points. 

Allen Macartney has paddled thousands of kilometres and is ridiculously happy out on the water.

Useful info • Rideau Canal office: 1-888-773-8888, RideauCanalinfo@pc.gc.ca, www.pc.gc.ca/rideaucanal • Ken Watson’s Rideau Canal Waterway website is a mine of info: www.rideau-info.com.

• Routes, maps and descriptions at: www.rideauheritageroute.ca

Safe paddling • Boat wakes can swamp you, especially on big lakes, so avoid main boating channels.

• Avoid dams and wastewater weirs (yuk). Usually they’re marked, and near lock stations.

• Get off exposed stretches of water in high winds.

• Paddle with bailing can, throw rope and extra paddle.

• Everyone wears a lifejacket with a whistle.

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Which way does this river flow?

Both north and south. The Rideau River’s source is Big Rideau Lake on a height of land midway along the Rideau Waterway. So the system flows north to Ottawa from the north end of the lake and south to Kingston from the south end of the lake.

Toward the Kingston end, from Lower Brewer’s lock station to Lake Ontario, the waterway consists of the River Styx, Colonel By Lake and the Cataraqui River (most people lump these three together as the Cataraqui River system).

The Rideau Canal itself is only 18 kilometres of dug channels out of the waterway’s total of 202 kilometres between Ottawa and Kingston. Most of the actual canal is in Ottawa from Hogs Back Falls to the locks between the Chateau Laurier and Parliament Hill. This restriction to a bare minimum of expensive digging was due to the engineering brilliance of Col. John By. ~ Arthur Goldsmith

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To carb or not to carb Eat them. You need them. The Dietitians of Canada say that cutting carbs might help you lose weight in the short term, but that’s because you are eating less food and fewer calories. Drastically cutting carbs means you’ll miss out on the nutritional benefits of whole grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, and legumes. Stick to Canada’s Food Guide and frankly, you can’t go wrong. And if you’re working out a lot, you need the fuel that carbs give. How much is enough depends on intensity of exercise. 

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Ride the urban jungle Here’s how to do it safely Kathleen Wilker

If you want to boost your social and recreational bike riding into the work commute or just errands around town, give some thought to the challenges – it’s a different and sometimes scary world in traffic than on a secluded bike path.

So choosing your route with care is a good place to start. Google Maps can be tailored for cycling to make it easier to find bike lanes to get onto Laurier Avenue’s segregated bikeway, to connect with off-road bike paths.

If you’re a newbie to riding with traffic, ride predictably! Stay a metre away from the curb or parked cars, and shoulder-check and signal if you want to change lanes. That way motorists can give you the space you need.

Some Ottawa roads are painted with “sharrows,” an arrow and a bicycle symbol to remind everyone to keep an eye out for cyclists and let everyone know where cyclists should ride. On narrow streets, when the sharrow is in the middle of the road, this means the cyclist takes the lane because there isn’t enough room for a car

NO BIKES LEFT BEHIND www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

and a bike to ride side by side. When there is enough room, the sharrow is down the side.

In tight spots, walk your bike. For example, if my mom has to turn left, she dismounts from her bike and crosses the two streets with pedestrians. Then she shoulder-checks before joining traffic again. She also walks her bike on the sidewalk if her route takes her into traffic that’s too hairy for comfort.

Dress for the ride, and the choice is wide open, from bike shorts and a jersey to office clothes. A Velcro trouser band or reflective metal clip protects dress pants from rips or chain grease in the absence of a chain guard.

My choice for trips to the library, grocery store or multi-day touring is a skirt over bike shorts.

Carry stuff in your container of choice, whether a back rack with panniers, a backpack, or front basket. I remind my kids to buckle up their backpack straps so they don’t get caught in the spokes. If you’re using a front basket for the first time, you have to get used to a slight change in steering and the way the front wheel handles. With more weight up front, the front wheel won’t pop up over curbs quite as easily. When I have to take

my laptop out on a rainy day, I borrow a dry bag backpack from our canoe camping gear.

If it’s a grocery run, distribute heavy items evenly in both panniers for bike balance.

With a bit of practice, it’s easy.

Lock your bike. Not just the frame. Don’t lose an unlocked quick-release wheel to a thief.

Use a U lock for the frame and back wheel and a cable lock for the front. Bike lights are removable, so take them along. Lock your helmet to the bike if you don’t want it with you.

There’s a piggyback option if you don’t have the time or stamina to ride the whole way to work. OC Transpo can help on buses and on the O-Train and many stations have covered parking to keep your bike dry on rainy days.

You can also ride to the bus stop and take your bike aboard using the free “rack and roll” hitch on the front of the bus. Let the driver know, then lift the bike onto the rack, pull the front clamp up and over your front wheel and gently let the clamp go so it holds it in place. Get off from the front door – and let the driver know so he or she doesn’t drive off with your bike. 

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TriGear 1 - Sugoi RS Women’s Tri Suit MSRP $149 Be seen in Sugoi’s brand new racer back Sugoi Women’s RS Tri Suit. This suit features Sugoi’s new Revo fabric which is a unique construction designed to reduce surface friction and improve performance. Rear panel fuses hydrodynamic performance with bike and run breathability. Flat seams and ergonomic tailoring improves comfort with a low profile fit. Two easy access rear fuel pockets with sleek top flap to reduce drag in the water 2 - Rudy Project Wingspan Time Trial Helmet MSRP $299 Wingspan is the most advanced Time Trial and Triathlon helmet.

Wingspan is highly ventilated, ultra light and extremely aerodynamic to guarantee top performance and minimize drag.

3 - Women’s Race X Lite Hilo Triathlon Shoe MSRP $189 Efficiency. It’s the name of the game in triathlon, whether it’s an Ironman event or a sprint-distance race. And efficiency is what the RXL Hilo WSD is all about. From its quick-entry heel loop and large no pull-thru top strap to its efficient Silver Series Carbon sole and performance-proven inForm Pro WSD last, every detail of the Hilo’s ultra-lightweight design is there to help you save precious energy for the run. Look out PR, here you come.

4 - XLAB Torpedo-System-400- Red MSRP $130 Are you looking for the latest in hydration systems and still wanting to be as aero as possible? You must check out the new XLAB TORPEDO SYSTEM, the cutting-edge of aerodynamics, combined with ultra light design and state-of-the-art ergonomics…your next hydration system is here…and here in a big way.

5 - Speed Concept 7 Series Women Specific Design shown with Aeolus 9 D3 Wheels MSRP $6,999 Tuck in and make things happen. Speed Concept 7 Series pairs its best-in-class tech with the industry’s best fit window, so your position and power output never falter.

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The Aeolus 9 D3 clincher road wheel combines a 90mm depth OCLV rim with silky smooth hubs with DT Swiss internals. The optimal wheels for time trials, triathlons or any ride where the clock is the only thing that matters. 

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Campground yoga can

B

stretch those urban muscles Kathleen Wilker

C

C

amping and canoeing are a welcome break for body and soul from office cubicles, computers and just plain being indoors. But if your back is touchy from deadline stress and if shoulders are tender from clicking and scrolling, doing some stretches in camp could help your body sleeping on an inflatable mat more comfortably after paddling all day.

We consulted Donna Davis, yoga expert and founder of Ottawa’s Elation Centre www.elationcentre.com.

She’s a seasoned marathoner used to tailoring yoga routines to runners, but she agreed to demonstrate easy and effective stretches for campers.

Sleeping on hard ground is a challenge and even luxurious sleeping mats can leave you with a stiff back. Davis suggests easy stretches you can do in a tent as soon as you’re out of the sleeping bag: One knee to chest (A) means simply pulling knees one at a time towards your chest. Hold for a few moments to feel a gentle stretch.

The simple twist (B) starts from the knee-to-chest position. Twist one leg across the other using the opposite arm (left arm for right leg and vice versa), while the other arm extends away from the body to open it up.

A bridge (C) results in straight, even posture. There’s a line from Davis’s knees to her chest. Shoulders stay rooted on the ground while you hold for a few moments.

A

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D

Knees to chest (D) simply means hug your knees to your chest before crawling out of your tent to greet the day.

For stiff shoulders from canoeing or too much screen time, try what Davis calls shoulder opening forward bend (standing (E) This stretch is all about shoulders, so feet should be shoulder width apart with knees lightly bent. She is stretching a yoga strap between her hands to pull her shoulders back as she slowly bends until her head is at knee level. She suggests using a sock if you don’t have a yoga strap in your camp gear.

E

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G

F

Then there’s modified eagle pose prep The seated eagle (G) pose works if you have (seated) for tight shoulders. (F) This gentle a little more flexibility. Move from the modiself-hug with hands on opposite shoulders and fied eagle pose into this one and hold for a few elbows pointed straight out gives a great stretch. moments.

H

This over-the-shoulder (H) stretch helps if one shoulder is more flexible than the other.

The goal is to connect your finger tips with one arm raised, bent at the elbow and reaching over your back towards your other. If your fingers don’t reach each other, dangle a sock with your first hand and reach for it with your second. Posture should be straight and tall, with the chest open.

The half down dog (I) (looks just like one) stretches shoulders without straining a tender lower back. Instead of starting from an upright position, kneel on the mat. Then lean forward from the waist until your forehead is almost touching the ground. Stretch your arms in front of your head until you feel a stretch in your shoulders. Hold the pose for a few enjoyable stretch moments. 

Top Workout Secrets

By Tom of Free Fitness Tips 1. Hire an exercise trainer who will help you exercise well in the proper manner. Most people usually ignore this and end up hurting themselves. A professional trainer will not only push you harder but also ensure that you use the gym equipment in the right way.

2. Follow an effective exercise routine: Incorporate different kinds of exercises in your exercise routine. In order to maintain overall fitness of the body, it is essential that you undergo cardio training as well as strength training. In addition, getting rest is also important to prevent the muscles from being over-strained.

3. Plan according to your lifestyle: Too busy to get to the gym? You don’t need fancy equipment to be fit. If you’ve got some floor space at home, you can try some floor exercises that target areas such as hips, abdomen, legs, chest and arms, among others. Try making 10-12 reps of each exercise to build your strength and gain muscle weight.

4. Maintain a strict diet: You cannot afford to eat fatty foods and except to burn off the calories in your next workout session. When you following a stringent regime, it is important that you eat healthy foods. Including foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, etc. in your regular diet that provide a heavy dose of proteins and vitamins is beneficial.

5. Avoid taking supplements: Supplements are a great way of enhancing performance while exercising. However, they have a detrimental effect on the body. It is observed that people who stop consuming supplements all of a sudden lose muscle weight drastically. Nonetheless, if you are looking to gain muscle weight in less time, taking protein supplements can definitely be of great help.

What Shouldn’t You Do? People who are new to exercising might experience soreness in the calf region and muscles at the initial stages. However, this is not the reason to stop exercising. The main reason for this is that the body needs time to get used to such strain. It will surely take time to get used to this pain but once your muscles are acquainted, there will be no problems.

Summing it up, the best way to stay fit is to exercise regularly and eat healthy as much as possible. 

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Northern tours beckon cyclists And pretty much around the world too Sheila Ascroft

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or adventure on your cycling trips, an outfit called Bicycling Extraordinary Alaskan Roads offers a 13-day tour covering 1,056 kilometres in nine days. Not enough? Well, there’s another taking in both Alaska and the Yukon on a 16day trip. Or maybe cycle the Klondike gold rush route on an 11-day Yukon tour.

These three northern trips are the latest new offerings from Manny Agulnik of OK Cycle and Adventure Tours. You’ve maybe heard of him. He’s the full-bearded Ottawa runner and cyclist who has been organizing charity races and cycling tours for 19 years. The 72-year-old commercial real estate broker started in 1995 with a 614-kilometre, five-day June cycling tour from Ottawa to Kennebunkport, Maine.

It’s still so popular that a second trip is scheduled for mid-July.

Alaska-Bear starts in Anchorage and heads up the Parks Highway, passing through the historic communities of Talkeetna and Nenana.

Next comes Denali National Park, and then you pedal through lush forests, tundra and the majestic Alaska Range. After reaching Fairbanks, riders cycle south to Prince William Sound to finish in Valdez, where a ferry returns them to Anchorage. Both camping and inn-to-inn options are available. Departs July 6 (camping) and July 21.

Alaska-Yukon adventure offers 12 days of cycling over 16 days. It combines the magnificent Haines Highway, with the Kluane Lake section of the Al-Can Highway (now called 18 I ottawaoutdoors

the Alaska Highway), plus the most beautiful stretches of Alaska’s Glenn and Richardson Highways. An outstanding selection of campgrounds and small hotels awaits the riders, plus imaginative camp cuisine. Departs June 15.

Yukon-Klondike Gold is an 11-day tour that covers 746 kilometres in eight days of cycling. Back in the 1890s when gold was discovered at Bonanza Creek, thousands of prospectors set out on the arduous journey over Chilkoot Pass, then by trail, wagon and riverboat to the gold fields around Dawson City, Yukon. This tour travels in reverse, starting from Dawson. You’ll cycle past historic remnants, be able to soak in the hot springs at Takhini, visit old rail towns like Carcross, and eat plate-sized cinnamon buns from Braeburn Lodge. Departure August 10.

OK Cycle and Adventure Tours has grown largely due to Agulnik’s understanding of cyclists’ needs and his organizing abilities. Over the years I’ve heard cyclists say that his tours are safe, well-organized, and offer a sense of camaraderie along the road. One website testimonial says, “you meet as cyclists and leave as friends.”

Some of OK Cycle’s European tours combine cycling with boating or wine and beer tasting. Among the current crop of tours are: Bulgaria: Mountain bike adventure.

Guided riding over 390 kilometres in seven days. Ascent is 4,700 metres.

Netherlands/Denmark: A friendly corner of Europe to cycle, with well-marked routes, great hotels with fantastic breakfasts – nine days and eight nights. Hybrid bike rentals included.

Agulnik himself will be riding this one.

Piedmont: A hotel-based cycle tour in northwest Italy. Four-star,18th-century hotel for seven days/six nights. Or a 510-kilometre road bike tour for eight days and seven nights.

Spain: Beautiful Andalusia for nine days and eight nights.

Tibet: A new 17-day tour has just been added.

Tuscany: Hotel-based Italian tour located outside of Florence or tour along the Italian coast from Pisa to Elbe Island.

Lots to choose from. 

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ottawaoutdoors I 19

01

Cooking green

is getting easier New-old technology puts oven heat into cardboard boxes Leslie Foster

S

olar cookers are part of “going green” as people reduce their carbon footprint by burning less firewood and other fuels. A solar cooker (or oven) transforms free sunlight into heat for cooking, and making one is cheap.

It works by converting sunlight to heat, capturing sunlight with a reflective surface, and retaining the heat with a black cooking surface to raise the air temperature inside the oven.

If you’re intrigued by the idea, we have expanded on a few of these key steps with photos – follow them to learn how to build your own oven. #1 Solar Oven Materials Get two cardboard boxes, one small enough to nest loosely inside the other. Then more cardboard (large flat sheets cut from other boxes), shredded paper, duct tape, aluminum foil, an oven bag, plastic wrap or a

piece of glass/Plexiglas, black construction paper or non-toxic black paint, tape and white glue diluted with water. For tools you need box-cutter or scissors, measuring tape, a marker or pencil, oven thermometer, oven mitts and sunglasses. #2 Solar oven black insert Line the inside of the smaller box with black construction paper (or paint it black with non-toxic paint). This will be the cooking chamber.

DRAWING OF TRAPEZOID Use a box cutter or scissors to cut four trapezoid-shaped

sections like this drawing from those flat cardboard pieces. After they are covered in aluminum foil (see next step), you’ll fit them together to form a reflector funnel that slides into the cooking chamber. #5 SOLAR OVEN PAINT GLUE Dilute white glue with water and paint each cardboard panel with it. Then cover the panels with foil, shiny side out. Fit it tightly around the cardboard and smooth out any wrinkles or folds. #8 SOLAR OVEN REFLECTOR PANELS ASSEMBLED When all four are covered in foil and assembled with the shiny sides facing inward, they become a reflector funnel. Cover

the small end of the funnel with plastic wrap, an oven bag, Plexiglas or glass to seal it. #9 SOLAR OVEN COOKING CHAMBER INSULATION Put the small box inside the big one and stuff shredded newspaper between them as insulation. #13 SOLAR OVEN FULLY ASSEMBLED VIEW B Your cooker is now complete and ready to be pre-heated in direct sun for an hour before cooking. Best cooking time is when the sun is high overhead – wear sunglasses for protection, and keep small children away from what will be a dangerously hot device.

Take that TV outside Cheer your team or watch a flick from patio or deck Kyle Cooper

Canadian DNA has some kind of gene which craves the wilderness. You can feel it when you catch yourself staring at the tree line, wondering what’s back behind that first row of pine. Wise in the ways of Mother Nature – or wishing we were – we stay outside as long as possible.

Come spring, who says we have to watch every game in the living room with the heat on or – alternate days; it’s Canada eh? – with 20 I ottawaoutdoors

AC blasting away. Canadians are always looking for something outside the norm, and outdoors. This past winter more than 50,000 of them travelled to Michigan to watch an annual outdoor hockey game known as the Winter Classic – in the unforgiving winds of Ann Arbor – between the Leafs and the Red Wings.

It was a more than brisk day, but energy, spirit and camaraderie kept them warm. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

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04 First time around, place a simple food item (like a potato to bake) in the cooking chamber and seal the box with the glass or plastic cover at the bottom of the reflectors. More elaborate recipes will require a dark cooking pot, oven-safe glass container, or oven-safe bag. Move the cooker around follow the sun during cooking – an oven thermometer helps keep tabs on the temperature. Stir liquids and rotate solid food to ensure even cooking.

Try beans, lentils, baked potatoes, rice, vegetables, cookies, brownies, hot dogs, nachos or leftovers. Experimenting is part of the fun. 

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

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This event has become so popular that the NHL has boosted what used to be one outdoor game to six of them. Now there’s a hint for taking that spectator spectacle onto the patio or deck, making it an outdoor venue for one night. Guaranteed, it’ll be an entirely different perspective and experience.

For starters, nothing beats any activity – dinner, movies, hosting a game on TV – with a group of friends. It’s as simple as bringing your television set outside and setting up seats. With winter behind, we migrate to the BBQ grill and Adirondack chairs, so think

12

about hockey on the tube as Erik Karlsson works into the zone, finds a seam and backhands a rocket top shelf where mom keeps the peanut butter. It’s even better on a sunlit patio with a warm breeze, blue skies and friends.

OK, you have to do a bit more than set up seats. But not much. In order of importance, think about: Weather, meaning no rain. Last thing you want is having to move everything back inside. Wait for a clear-sky forecast across the board.

Second pair of hands. Moving a TV outside has to be done carefully, so ask a friend for a hand for the heavy lifting (well, maybe next year).

13

Safety. Keep wires and cables as dry as possible. They’re insulated, but don’t risk shorting one out.

Food. BBQ would be a great touch, plus a cooler with refreshments.

Forewarn everyone that you’re hosting an outdoor game night. That way friends can bring everything from sunscreen and shorts to warm sweaters, depending.

Even if it’s once a year, a game outside harkens back to those ancestors who watched every game outdoors, a time when the same guys playing hockey would shovel the ice. Anything can be done outside. So, grab the beaver by the tail, have fun and go team!  ottawaoutdoors I 21

After three days Al decided to hike out to the main road. He never reached it – he just disappeared (his body was found months later).

After about a week rescuers launched an international search, but it was called off after no trace of the couple or their van could be found. They seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Rita lived 49 days in the van until hunters on ATVs stumbled across her.

She had lost almost 14 kilograms – not bad considering all she had to eat each day was a teaspoon of trail mix, a nibble of hard candy and melted snow.

Her survival was no fluke. She knew little or nothing about wilderness survival but her heart kept her focused on living, which conserved her energy.

Photo by iStockPhoto

Keep it simple

Wilderness survival 101 Rita Chretien’s odyssey

In his classic, Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why, Laurence Gonzales writes, “Everyone who dies out there, dies of confusion.” Chretien did not get confused.

Stress overloads any ability to reason in life-and-death situations. Intelligence defaults to the IQ of a hubcap.

That’s why sticking to basics, keeping decisions simple, is important. One plus one equals two is about as much complexity as a stressed mind can handle.

Kids are taught to hug a tree when lost. It’s simple to remember, and usually good advice. It’s essentially what Rita and Al did for the first three

S

ome people who are lost in the forest perish even though their pack is jammed with everything they need for survival. Wilderness guides have died after a weekend lost in the bush while a four-year-old has endured near-identical conditions for days until rescued.

Why? This issue of Ottawa Outdoors Magazine begins a series called Wilderness Survival 101 examining this kind of question. Each column will feature a single true survival story or several short ones on a single theme. We’ll explore what went right, what went wrong, and what decisions led to the outcome.

We’ll cover the five survival elements: attitude, shelter, water, fire and food. PayAllen ing attention to only one of these five by a lost hiker often leads to tragedy.

Macartney It’s important to have experience and gear on hand in a crisis, as well as backcountry training. But it turns out these aren’t absolutely critical for surviving when someone goes missing.

Whether lost in the Arctic, adrift in a life raft, or trying to live through another day in a concentration camp, it’s not what’s in your pack or your head that counts. It’s what’s in your heart.

That brings us to Rita Chretien.

Surviving 49 days on trail mix and attitude In March 2011, Rita and Al Chretien of Penticton, B.C. were on their way to a trade show in Nevada when they took a shortcut down a snowy logging road. The road narrowed, their van slid to the side and got immovably stuck in mud and snow.

Their GPS told them their position – deep in Nevada wilderness. But knowing this was no help, so they waited for people in other vehicles to rescue them. None came. They were well off the cellphone grid, so 911 was no help either.

22 I ottawaoutdoors

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

days until Al decided to hike for help. When rescue is apparently not going to happen, trying to walk out can be a good decision. But it works best when one group of people stays with the vehicle (or wrecked aircraft or whatever) and a second group of at least two people sets off together with a plan. Al was by himself.

When Rita found herself alone, she simplified everything.

She probably didn’t know the survival mantra: attitude, shelter, water, fire/warmth, food – in that descending order of importance.

But her heart steered a true course.

She didn’t allow herself the deadly luxury of regret or panic.

Her disciplined attitude took over.

Accepting the new reality, she started writing out her experiences regularly in a journal, almost observing her situation from a distance.

This established a routine, which builds predictability – something from which to draw strength. It’s the take-command-and-move mentality that even a kid can have. Deciding to do anything is often good. It focuses the mind on solutions.

Prayer and her religious faith kept her hope alive, and hope is a survival tool. Those who lose hope die, usually soon.

Dry shelter was Rita’s biggest immediate need, her van provided

it, and she stuck close to it. Hypothermia can kill, but she stayed warm and dry enough to live in her sun-heated van, huddled under blankets.

Water is the next essential.

Humans can live only several days without it. Rita was surrounded by snow, which she melted in a plastic tub. The water eased her hunger.

As for food, the fact is the body needs little of it if it’s not burning calories from physically activity.

And most of us carry extra calories around our waist – a survival food source. Rita conserved energy by resting in her van and limiting physical movement. Every bit of energy went to survival, not running around in panic or

frustration or rage.

Years after her ordeal Rita is accepting her husband’s death and moving forward.

“I feel on the up and up,” she says. “I don’t feel depressed or anything.”

Mark these words of a survivor: someone with hope, with direction, moving into the future. 

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ottawaoutdoors I 23

sample food list for a two-week solo canoe trip

By Max Finkelstein

Photo by iStockPhoto

Suppers

Celebrate canoeing’s scrapes and dents Allen Macartney

Beauty! My heart thumped with pride and delight as I gently unloaded a brand new Mattawa ultralite canoe off my car. Then I headed for nearby Smoke Lake in Algonquin Park and a put-in.

Splashing in up to my knees so I wouldn’t scratch its glistening finish, I eased it into the water. It rocked gently in the early morning swells like a thoroughbred ready to take off.

Soon it was loaded with gear for my annual, weeklong solo canoe-camping trip and I paddled off toward the first portage ….

A week later, back at the same trailhead, the Mattawa was scratched and scraped, its flanks scored from rocks and branches. What had gone wrong?

“I shouldn’t have gone to Algonquin this fall,” I told my wife after arriving home.

“Oh? Did you buy that canoe for the living room?” she asked.

Then she led me into our “boathouse,” just a regular garage with two canoes in it. Standing beside the Mattawa she pointed at a particularly long, deep scar, and asked, “What happened here?”

I groaned.

“No, I mean, where were you and what were you doing?”

“Well it was early last Wednesday.” Then I started to remember, and told her about it. The lake was shrouded in mist, quite magical and I heard splashing. I grabbed the canoe and slid it into the water – right onto a sharp rock. No matter.

I paddled silently toward the splashing until a 24 I ottawaoutdoors

moose appeared right out of the mist, swimming across the water. I stayed far enough away in the cool greyness that she didn’t see me. It was a beautiful wilderness sight.

“And what did it cost you?” my wife asked slyly.

“What do you mean? I was camping. It didn’t cost anything.”

“Sure it did. That incredible memory cost you a mark on your canoe. Was it worth it?”

Then the light went on in my head. Was it worth it?!

“What about these marks?” she asked. “Tell me about them.”

For the next 15 minutes we explored the canoe’s battered surface, as I related story after story about a fabulous trip. The marks seemed to change even as we talked. They weren’t really scars, more like art. (To frame this honestly, I admit that looking at new scratches, at least for a couple of seconds, still makes me disheartened.)

So have submerged rocks etched an impressionist landscape on the canvas of my canoe?

Nah. It’s really just carbon fusion material. But I’ve learned to accept the inevitable, even celebrate it. My canoe is tattooed with memories.

So from time to time I venture into my boathouse/garage to run fingers over the hull and relive canoeing adventures like the September evening I followed a beaver up a narrow stream and scraped the canoe’s bottom along a sunken tree trunk.

Unforgettable, thanks to the scratches. 

• Noodles, parmesan cheese and dried spaghetti sauce (1,750 mL bottle, dried = three meals) • Dried kidney beans (1.3 cups = four chili dinners) • Fantastic Foods Chili Mix (one bag) • Dried black beans (one heaping cup = three meals of beans and rice) • Rice (three cups - bring extra “minute” rice to add to soup at lunch) • Couscous and lentils (2 cups = three meals) • Three boxes Kraft Dinner (1.5 boxes fills me up, but bring extra for extra-hungry nights, or one for lunch) • Oil (one small bottle) • Spices: curry, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, garlic • Add to each meal: • Dried onions • Dried tomatoes • Dried peas • Dried green beans (from the garden) • Dried corn • Sultan brand Crispy Fried Onions (available at Brian’s Food Basics)

Desserts • Tapioca and custard powder mixed with dried fruits and fruit leather • Pop Tarts: they pack a load of calories into a small package and can be fried up over a fire - you’ll be amazed at how the sugar frosting doesn’t melt!

Breakfasts • Oatmeal with dried fruit (raisins, dates, apples, apricots) and milk powder • Brown sugar • Granola (to sprinkle on top)

Lunches • • • • •

Peanut butter (500 grams) Honey (one squeeze tube) Jam (one squeeze tube) Dried soup (one serving each day) Bannock mix - flour, baking powder, salt (8 cups = eight single-portion loaves) • Tortillas (package of 10) • Dried humus (available at local health food store) • Butter (one squeeze tub, about ½ pound)

Snacks • Gorp (I mix my own) • Chocolate bars: Mars Bars are the densest and my choice for cold weather. Eat More bars don’t melt and are my choice for hot weather trips.

Drinks • Tea, coffee, powdered milk, lots of hot chocolate, juice powder, and hootch. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

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www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Getting kids on their bikes, but safely Leslie Foster

M

ention bike riding for kids and parents could break into a sweat – children under 10 lack judgment, physical co-ordination, depth perception and the plain thinking needed to negotiate traffic safely. When they get older and gain the freedom a bike represents, the worry gets worse.

To ease that worry, the City of Ottawa offers courses to give children the knowledge and confidence to ride their bicycles unsupervised and safely. Ottawa uses CAN-BIKE, nationally standardized courses on all aspects of cycling safely designed by Cycling Canada for the more than 14 million Canadians who ride bicycles. Ottawa offers it from April to October at community centres across the city.

Here’s what’s available: Bike rodeo, ages six to 10, two hours for $15 Essential bicycle handling and traffic skills for young cyclists in a fun festival type atmosphere. Topics include helmet fitting, bicycle maintenance, handling, signalling, gears, braking, avoiding road hazards and more.

Participants must know how to ride.

Learn-to-ride private lessons, ages six and up, two hours for $80 For children and youth who cannot ride a bike. Participants learn to balance, start, stop and turn. One two-hour or two one-hour sessions are offered on a one-to-one basis.

Participants must have a bicycle and helmet.

Instructors meet you at your local school parking lot. To book, email cycling@ottawa.ca or phone 613-580-2854.

CAN-BIKE for kids, ages nine to 13, eight hours for $80 Learn steering, signalling, right and left turns, changing gears, braking and avoiding road hazards.

Young cyclists are taught to ride safely to school or to a local swimming pool on residential streets.

Participants must know how to ride.

Cycling safety for kids, nine to 13, two hours for $45 Essential bicycle handling and traffic skills for young cyclists.

Helmet fitting, bike maintenance, handling, signalling, gears, braking, avoiding road hazards and more.

Participants must know how to ride.

The City has other programs geared to teenagers and adults at www.ottawa.ca/en/residents/parks-and-recreation/other-activitiesand-events/cycling-education-programs.

And since parents usually pay the bills, be aware that ignoring the rules of the road can be costly – no helmet, $60; no horn or bell, $85; no lights or reflectors (from a half hour before dusk to a half hour past dawn), $20. 

Discover canoe-camping Introduction to canoe-camping Learn the basics and the joys of canoe-camping with a passionate, qualified guide. All the food, a fully equipped canoe and most of the camping gear are included.

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www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

ottawaoutdoors I 27

Ottawa’s natural environment It’s spring so watch for musk turtles

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ow that spring’s here, it’s not only herpetologists (people who katharine study amphibians and reptiles) who are fletcher eager to see creatures emerge from winter dormancy. Most of us outdoorsy types enjoy seeing spring migrants returning – and watching resident, sleep-overwinter species start to move about.

With spring, I thought about a great find last August when I took to the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club Facebook group to confirm my identification of what I believed to be a rare eastern musk turtle. They agreed, and my sighting created a buzz.

So what’s the big deal about eastern musks?

This turtle, known to science as Sternotherus odoratus, is easiest to see in spring because that’s when females leave their watery homes to lay their eggs. But they’re nocturnal creatures living in the shallows of wetlands, so they’re seldom seen at all. And the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources classifies this species as threatened due to habitat loss. A field naturalist member recalled that the previous two reported regional sightings (before mine) were roadkill.

The ministry’s website describes this species (also known as the Stinkpot) as “a small freshwater turtle named for the musky, skunklike odour it produces when disturbed. Its narrow, highly arched shell, less than 13 centimetres long, easily distinguishes [it] from most other Ontario turtles that have wide, flatter shells. [This] turtle has a dull black-brown body except for two distinctive yellow stripes often found on the side of the head.”

Check that out against these photographs to see how they measure up.

Musk turtles live in wetlands, including rivers where they move about on muddy bottoms. They do live alongside the Ottawa River, but because its shoreline is less developed on its northern shore they are more frequently sighted in the Outaouais.

I discovered “my” musk turtle near Morris 28 I ottawaoutdoors

Island Conservation Area (near Galetta, and Fitzroy Provincial Park) on Loggers’ Way. I was anxious to do something to prevent it becoming roadkill.

I carefully picked it up and moved it to the shoulder of the road in the direction it was heading. Before releasing it, I photographed its carapace (shell) and plastron (plates covering its “belly”) with my iPhone. Because I use this device’s geolocation feature, it geocodes where images are taken. This provides a crucial tool for proving and investigating a sighting.

There are dos and don’ts about picking up turtles.

Essentially, “never do this” if you can avoid it. However, moving a turtle basking on a road represents lifesaving circumstances. So …

Be very cautious: they’re wild animals.

With both hands, gently but firmly grasp both edges of the shell immediately behind the front legs and in front of the hind legs (never by the tail). Carry it well away from your body.

Turtles may start “swimming” with their legs; if their claws contact you, you could get cut.

Similarly, they telescope their neck out and may bite.

And they may pee on you. Really. So mostly, leave them alone.

Always note the direction a turtle is facing or moving and release it in this same direction.

Never remove it from its habitat. Never bring it home. Leave wild animals in the wild – unless it’s injured (contact Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre kawarthaturtle.org).

I identified the turtle on the Internet and sent my images to the field naturalists’ Facebook page. Following their confirmation and advice, I reported my sighting to both the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas and Natural Heritage Information Centre and included the geolocation in both reports. Photos and geolocations are important evidence, so share them.

Sightings – especially of rare species – enable scientists to understand where animals still exist and hence, how best to protect habitats. It’s equally important to record and mention sightings on social media and in col-

umns like this so people appreciate that wild animals need our compassion, understanding, and conservation.

You can help turtles by keeping watercourse embankments and shores in their natural state because wildlife requires the protection and food offered by native plants and undisturbed shorelines. If you want to get involved in an organized effort, join groups such as Riverkeeper www.ttawariverkeeper.ca and the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club www.ofnc.ca.  Katharine Fletcher’s environmental column will appear here every issue. She is author of Historical Walks: The Gatineau Park Story | www.katharinefletcher.com

DIDYOUKNOW? To carb or not to carb Eat them. You need them. The Dietitians of Canada say that cutting carbs might help you lose weight in the short term, but that’s because you are eating less food and fewer calories. Drastically cutting carbs means you’ll miss out on the nutritional benefits of whole grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, and legumes. Stick to Canada’s Food Guide and frankly, you can’t go wrong. And if you’re working out a lot, you need the fuel that carbs give. How much is enough depends on intensity of exercise.

Packing on a few pounds?

Getting a little thicker because you are not be training as hard as usual? Don’t fret.

Athleticism, (like life), happens in cycles.

Peak fitness and ideal racing weight go hand in hand so when you going full throttle, fuel needs and output change. Healthy weight ranges and optimal racing weight are two entirely different things for athletes. Taking it easy and letting your body rest from intense training is a good thing. You’ll crank it back up and once again you will be a lean, mean fast machine!  www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

NATURE AT ITS FINEST

Cross the Ottawa River and immerse yourself in the region’s most authentic Canadian wilderness!

Just 45 minutes from Ottawa | Pontiac is a wild playground with loads of adventure to get your adrenaline pumping and plenty of clean air that is sure to invigorate your senses. Some of our best include the Chutes Coulonge Via Ferrata and Areal Park, Moonlight Rafting and Summer Dogsledding!

Visit the Pontiac region, the perfect day-trip escape.

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6

Top 10 reasons to RACE RaidPulse

HELL OR HIGH WATER May 10-11, 2014 | HOHW.ca

MAY 10-11, 2014

PETAWAWA, ON

1. They are fluent in Frenglish. No matter how bad your Francais or your English, you will be understood and will in turn understand almost everything.

2. Thierry Raymond – Raidpulse has been his labour of love for the past 13 years, and that experience and passion shows in his races.

3. Annick –behind every great man is a great woman. She keeps everything running smoothly, with a dazzling smile to boot.

4. Lots of really cool racers that you’ve probably never met before.

5. Cheerful, helpful, fantastic volunteers and staff.

6. It’s pleasantly different from Ontario cottage country terrain, through which most of us have raced over and over and over.

7. The maps are good, and the checkpoints are where they’re supposed to be.

8. Beaucoup post-race awards along with beaucoup yummy post-race food.

9. They have new team options which allow teams of three in addition to solos and duos. They can race three in a canoe or one canoe and one kayak.

10. Finish line beer. ‘Nuff said.

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A rainy day’s slog to help other hikers Two Canadians volunteer in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom Glen and Janet Allingham

I

Photos: Cody Sayers of NorthWoods Stewardship Center

The area is sparsely populated. The Northeast Kingdom Mountain Trail Guide (2010) calls it an “emblem of wildness, symbolizing the rugged nature of the least populated corner of the least populated state.” Its proximity to Canada (just over four hours from Ottawa) and an abundance of trail guides and books lures many hikers, campers, skiers and outdoor adventurers.

At 1,010 metres, Bald Mountain is one of the higher peaks in Willoughby State Forest, an expanse of lakes, ponds and mountains.

From its summit, hikers are rewarded with a panoramic view of mountains and more than a dozen lakes and ponds. To the east are New Hampshire’s White Mountains; to the west the Green Mountains. Looking north you can just see the southern tip of Lake Memphremagog that extends from Newport, Vermont to Magog, Quebec.

We were to join the crew at the base of Bald Mountain at 8:30 a.m. en route from the

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Canadian border at Highwater, Quebec. During a steady drizzle we arrived to have the American customs officer look skeptical when we said we were “going hiking.” The arrival of heavier rains and swollen streams made us wonder if the hike might be cancelled. If still on, it would be a wet day on the trail. The warm, dry car would be hard to leave.

We reached the meeting place right on time.

Minutes later, a truck pulled up and out jumped four young adults. Yes, we were the expected Canadians, yes, the event was on, so out came the ponchos. The enthusiasm of our U.S. companions was infectious, and we felt energized.

A kilometre and a half hike would take us to the supplies. Then another three kilometres up the mountain. The trail started in an open field, and when we entered the woods the footing quickly went from damp to wet to muddy.

At first we were cautious, hoping to protect our boots, but gave up through a succession of deep mud puddles and water-filled ruts.

We reached the pile of building supplies.

Our loads would consist of pine wedges to jack up the building. As the ascent grew steeper across slippery granite rock faces, the pine boards helped maintain our balance. In the trickier places we clung to wet and balsam boughs along the trail edge.

Photos: Cody Sayers of NorthWoods Stewardship Center

t was not a promising day for a hike. On a sunnier day we had responded to a call for volunteers from the Northwoods Stewardship Center in what Vermonters call the Northeast Kingdom. The idea was to convert a dilapidated fire warden’s cabin on Bald Mountain into a shelter for hikers. We were to be the pack mules for building materials.

(clockwise) An outside view of the area, an inside view of the newly built hikers’ shelter; the crew.

At the summit, we gathered in the derelict cabin to compare notes. A professional carpenter had left his tools there, and would hike up in the afternoon. The weather blocked any enjoyable summit views. After a meal of granola bars, it was time for the descent – often tougher than climbing up. We were grabbing for balsam branches again.

As we trudged back through the mud, we the thought of dry socks and the car heater pushed us on. But the sense of accomplishment was profound. While we had no great views from the summit, we had been part of a project that will greet other hikers for years to come. We drove home damp and muddy, but happy.  The Allinghams live in Kemptville, and have hiked the Northeast Kingdom for almost 40 years. Check out the NorthWoods Stewardship Center at: www.northwoodscenter.org ottawaoutdoors I 31

WHEN THE NAHANNI BECKONS...

By Debbie Clouthier

...IT’S TIME TO FOLLOW Remote and challenging wilderness more than a walk in the park

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fter 10 days, 103 kilometres and 4,500 metres of total ascent, four of us had hiked through, over and around some of the most vast and rugged territory Canada has to offer – Nahanni National Park in the Northwest Territories.

Our trek last summer was in the Logan and Selwyn mountains inside the park.

We were all older than 50, members of the Alpine Club of Canada with mountaineering skills, but we did no actual rock climbing

32 I ottawaoutdoors

unless you count our descent into a 900-metre rock gorge at one point.

It started on Canada Day with a flight from Ottawa to Whitehorse, Yukon. After a night in the Beez Kneez hostel, we started our journey in a rented SUV down the Alaska Highway. Five hours later we logged our last stop on pavement at Watson Lake, followed by another five hours on the gravel and dirt surface of the Nahanni Range Road. At that point we parked at the side of the road, within walking of Flat Lakes, N.W.T and hit the trail with 22-kilogram packs.

We had seen moose, black bear and red fox on the highway, but after we startled a huge wolverine on the hunt for prey just after our boots hit the trail, we knew we were in for exciting sights.

Then came the grizzly bear. It didn’t run away like the wolverine, but just kept its distance after scampering up a huge rock outcrop to keep a wary eye on us.

During the eight days it took us to reach Glacier Lake (and our float plane rendezvous) we crossed three river systems (Flat River, Rabbitkettle River and Brintnell Creek), as well as lakes, streams, canyons, steep-sided valleys, high passes, plateaus and saddles.

We managed to stay dry on a slog through a big beaver swamp, and bushwhacked terrain alive with animal tracks and meadows full of orchids, Arctic cotton, Arctic poppies, fairy orchid slippers, fireweed, wild rose, mountain avens and Indian paintbrush.

At every step above the tree line, with ice and boulders underfoot, we were happy to have our microspikes. We encountered an avalanche that had come to rest and formed a 25-metre-wide snow bridge across a river, its snow as deep as it had been when it thundered down from the towering mountains above.

Parks Canada had happily taken $147.50 from each of us to enter Nahanni and camp for the duration of our hike. They had no maps and no advice. We had bought and pieced together about six 1/50,000 scale topo maps of our target area to augment our GPS. There were no entry qualifications to determine whether you can find your way and not get lost. We thought something like www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

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Photo spread by Anthony Ganev

the Gros Morne National Park requirements should be in place. At that Newfoundland national park, all back country hikers must pass a navigational test. Nahanni is vast, uncharted and remote and map and compass capabilities are crucial to survive.

We had those capabilities, but for backup, our pilot (scheduled to pick us up at Glacier Lake), a few friends and Parks Canada staff followed our progress with reassuring SPOT messages each evening.

After a re-group and rest at Glacier Lake we hiked up and into an area called the Cirque of the Unclimbables, a rock-climbing challenge (not for us this time) and an area of intense scenic beauty. We camped and met climbers from the U.K. and Norway waiting to climb the Lotus Flower wall, listed in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, the standard climbing guidebook and history. Lotus Flower’s 19 pitches take most climbers one to two whole days to

master its 750 metres from top to bottom..

Then we waited for our Beaver float plane to pick us up – a $2,750, one-hour charter to Flat Lakes, N.W.T. where we hoped our Ford SUV was still parked at the side of the road.

We waited some more.

And then some more after that. And then the weather closed in.

We were down to a few granola bars, so it was a long day and night before the Beaver landed – to everyone’s relief – at 4 p.m. the next day, the 11th of our trip. The flight back to Flat Lakes took us over the Brintnell Glacier and we looked down on the Cirque of the Unclimbables from above.

The flight provided time enough to reflect, and all four of us – Ivan Wood, Patrick McCabe, Dianne Wadden and myself – felt honoured and humbled to have had this incredible experience.  ottawaoutdoors I 33

benefits, but this destroys the plant. Instead, look for some dying flowers or stems, and weave them into your hat rim.

Mosquito info

Our ancestors knew how to keep bugs off 19th-century insect repellants worth a try

Allen Macartney

Pioneers and aboriginal people faced a ferocious bug problem and they harnessed nature itself in their battle against bites. So now is the time for 19th-century wilderness lore that could cut down on the need to spray dangerous insect repellant onto 21st-century skin.

Garlic magic Pioneer gardens all grew garlic, and not only for the spark it provides for bland food. Mosquitoes and ticks hate this lovely plant.

Though some back-to-nature websites counsel you to “crush garlic and dab the juice on your skin,” don’t do it. Garlic pulp and its oil can burn anybody’s skin, so do this instead: Mix one part garlic juice (from grocery or health 34 I ottawaoutdoors

food stores) with five parts water.

Then spray it on, after you’ve made sure you’re not allergic to it by touching a tiny bit of it to your skin and waiting five minutes.

If no redness or itch happens, you’re probably fine.

Wildflowers and ferns Mosquitoes and other biting insects are not wild about all forest plants. They’re averse

to rosemary, marigold and bracken ferns among others.

So if you’re hiking or paddling through a swampy area looking for a lunch stop, watch for yellow clumps of marsh marigolds or pale white bunches of bog rosemary. (Pioneer gardens featured them in abundance.) Park your canoe nearby, and chances are you’re in a bug-free zone.

Some people advise crushing the leaves to reap the full

Stay away from standing water where mosquitoes live and breed. It’s a mosquito Hilton.

Pioneers encouraged bats to nest in their attics and barns because at least on species – the little brown bat – of these winged mammals eat between 1,000 and 1,500 blackflies and mosquitoes in a single hour. So, if you find an area where bats are active at dusk (often near a lake or water), put up your tent and stay a while.

Klondike miners put smudge pots around their camps and fed the fire with cedar bark from the forest floor.

Mosquitoes and blackflies dislike and avoid the aromatic scent that rises through the smoke. Or toss a bit of sage on your barbecue coals after supper. It’s a sure bug repellant.

Combine 19th- and 21stcentury smarts.

Because mosquitoes cluster in the evening when temperatures cool, pioneers and aboriginals covered up. That’s easier for us than it was for them. No more heavy woolen pants and sweaters – we have high-tech fabrics like nylon splash pants and a hooded shell.

A strip of laundry-drier fabric softener around your hat will help keep mosquitoes at bay.

So will spritzing yourself with lemon eucalyptus oil from a health food store. Mix five drops with a cup of water in a spray bottle.

Citronella candles work. And wearing light-coloured clothing does too, and it helps you stay cooler as a bonus.

Finally, relax! Stress, fret and sweat trigger the body to release hormones and other chemicals that act like a dinner bell for biting insects.

None of these methods – alone or in combination – can guarantee a no-bite hike or evening around the campfire, but they’ll tilt the odds in your favour. Work with nature, and leave the bug spray in your pack.  www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Allen Macartney

A

mere 12-hour drive from Ottawa you’ll find outstanding coastal and mountain hiking, and backpacking trails for anyone – beginner to super-fit advanced. On top of that there are cozy bistros, inexpensive hotels and gourmet food – this is Quebec after all.

The Gaspé Peninsula forms the northern tip of the Appalachian mountain chain that runs north-south along the U.S. coast. And it’s a beauty! The trails range from one-hour strolls along salmon streams to multi-day backpacking adventures across mountain peaks, plateaus, valleys and Atlantic shorelines. You can camp in your tent, or choose from lean-to shelters or luxury camping bivouacs far up in the mountains.

As for cyclists, if high winds sweeping in from the sea, steep, narrow roads and unexpected squalls turn you on, you’ll love it here. But despite abundant less-exposed trails, I left my bike at home.

Here’s a sampling for those on foot.

Parc National de la Gaspésie, a gem in the Parcs Québec network, is worth days of exploration. Start by limbering up on an accessible 4.5-kilometre hike up Mont Ernest-Laforce through the heart of moose habitat. Or climb Mont Jacques-Cartier, the second highest peak in Quebec at 1,270 metres – this one takes at least five hours. This mountain rises like an island remnant of the 36 I ottawaoutdoors

far north, with ice age evidence everywhere amidst alpine tundra.

As you climb to the mountain observation tower, watch for caribou.

A more ambitious day hike for the very fit follows Le tour du mont Albert trail. Climbing 870 metres (puff, puff) for 17.4 kilometres, this circuit includes spectacular lookouts. But you have to be in top physical shape

to survive it comfortably.

Overnight backpackers can speak to park wardens or check at visitor centres (more English at these; the language barrier isn’t – everyone makes an effort) to find out about a whole series of trails through this rugged area, including a sweeping 10-day expedition trek. Hard to beat.

Parc National Forillon is near the town of Gaspé itself. A Parks

Canada site, it’s in a cove where convoys to Europe assembled during the Second World War. Check out Fort Peninsula where concrete bunkers on the cliffs still hold artillery overlooking the sea. In 1943 German submarines tried to torpedo merchant vessels here.

Forillon offers a range of hiking and backpacking, mostly at beginner and intermediate levels. If you have teens, head for the Petit Gaspé Beach parking lot and take the six- to nine-kilometre loop (depending on which side loops you take) up Mont Saint-Alban.

The beach is a great place to cool off after the hike. This trail weaves through heavy forest to a wooden lookout platform where on a clear day, you can see, if not forever, a faint smudge of distant Newfoundland. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Photo by Flicker | Harold

Hiking the Gaspé Peninsula

Make the trip as the view is completely worth the drive.

Another trail – perfect for young families – winds along the Atlantic shore from Petit Gaspé Beach to the very tip of Cap Gaspé. Along the way there’s a 19thcentury fishing home to explore, gannets diving almost vertically

into the surf to catch dinner, and a picnic site surrounded by fields of wildflowers.

More ambitious hikers can take a trail loop north from near Fort Peninsula for 16 kilometres up a valley to L’Anse-au-Griffon,

with camping spots along the way. Another trail starts not far from the Anse-au-Griffon trailhead and turns west to lakes and lookouts all the way up to Highway 197 about 17 kilometres away. This trail has camping

spots for both tents and lean-tos.

Why haven’t more people discovered Gaspé? Reasonably priced four-star hotels with hot tubs and excellent restaurants are waiting after a day (or week) exploring trails. 

How to get there

Drive to Quebec City, cross the St. Lawrence River and continue east on Route 132 to circle the Gaspé Peninsula clockwise. Saint-Anne-des Monts (on the north shore) is a beautiful town near the entrance to Parc National de la Gaspésie. Stay at Auberge Chateau Lamontagne and use this as your hiking base. The food is fabulous and the accommodation is luxurious but won’t empty your wallet. Or reserve a Huttopa, a semipermanent tent-like structure in the park.

Continue south through Parc national de la Gaspésie on Highway 197 to the city of Gaspé. Use this as a base for hiking into Parc National Forillon.

• Adventure Eco-Tourism Quebec: 1-866-278-5923 www.aventure-ecotourisme.qu.ca • Camping Quebec: 1-800-363-0457 • Quebec Federation of Canoeists and Kayakers: 514-252-3001 www.canot-kayak.qc.ca • Parc national de la Gaspésie: 1-866-665-6527, 1-866-727-2427 www.parcsquébec.com

Photo by Flicker

Contact info

Taking a break on the trail in a quiet cove.

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ottawaoutdoors I 37

Protect what matters.

SPOT GEN3 SATELLITE GPS MESSENGER BEACON | $169

F

or those who adventure beyond cellphone coverage. Provides a vital link with your family and friends, lets fans and sponsors track your progress, and allows you to summon help in an emergency. This multi-purpose communicator has twice the battery life than earlier generations, a USB power option, and motion-activated tracking with a choice of modes. Requires a pay subscription service and a clear view of the sky to work.

Track progress (additional subscription required) allows you to send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress in near real time using Google Maps.

The Gen3’s vibration sensor allows motionactivated tracking, with a choice of track updates every 5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes to maximize battery life. Extreme tracking allow updates every 2½ minutes.

38 I ottawaoutdoors

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• Dimensions are 8.7x6.5x2.5cm.

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• Humidity rated to MIL-STD-810F, Method 507.3, 95% to 100% cond. (unit is not waterproof when powered via USB).

• Vibration rated at per SAE J1455.

• Includes batteries, strap, USB cable, carabiner and quick reference guide.

• 2 lanyard anchor points allow multiple attachment options.

• Takes 4 AAA Energizer™ Lithium Ultimate 8X or 4 AAA Energizer™ NiMH rechargeable batteries. 

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Arizona calling

Getting to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with kids Kathleen Wilker

When some bonus time materialized last December we flew to Phoenix, Arizona, aiming to drive a rental north to hike the Grand Canyon. Then we’d check out Sedona’s red rocks and the saguaro cacti at Tucson’s Sonora Desert Museum.

It was a no-brainer. Off-season rates and a desert to enjoy when it wasn’t 40 degrees brought us to the Bright Angel Trailhead, just below the rim of the Grand Canyon.

We paused to take in the repeated warnings – about turning back before exhaustion sets in, and about carrying enough food and water.

While fit locals run down to the Colorado and back to the top in a day, visitors can find the change in altitude and temperature very demanding. Without a lot of hiking experience as a family, we weren’t sure how far we would get. The kids are old enough to hike on their own, and too big to be carried, so we had 40 I ottawaoutdoors

to move at the pace set by the youngest.

We were hoping to hike down with our gear and camp in the bottom of the canyon, retracing a pre-kid trip of years ago. This could only happen if the backcountry camping sites at Indian Gardens and Phantom Ranch were available, but you couldn’t go online to reserve a site in the off season. But, optimists all, we packed our gear, tent, sleeping bags, mats and backpacks for everyone, hoping to hike to the bottom. We booked cabins in Sedona and Tucson because December in Arizona means temperatures as high as 20 degrees and as low as zero.

Flying with camping equipment meant leaving our cooking gas at home and stowing knives and anything questionable in the checked luggage. We squeezed the equipment into three checked bags with some lighter stuff in carry-ons. En route to the canyon, we

stopped at an outdoor store in Flagstaff for propane.

Down, down, down

Hoping there wouldn’t be too much snow, we brought running shoes with good treads for everyone. Apart from chilly toes at the rim of the Grand Canyon, this made for comfortable hiking. So did wool socks for padding and warmth. Down jackets, hats and mitts added bulk to our bags, but not much weight, and they were welcome in the cool mornings and evenings.

The hiking was stunning. Each of us – including our 10-year-old and seven-year-old – carried a backpack with water, snacks and some equipment. It didn’t take long on the Bright Angel Trail before we had passed day hikers. Each layer deeper into the Canyon offers new vegetation, new layers of rock www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

rancher from outside Edmonton and other campers, mailed postcards to ourselves in the lodge, to be delivered by mule train, and chatted with the rangers about scorpions, snakes and other canyon inhabitants.

Blessed with sunny weather, we hiked smaller trails for views of the Colorado and some quiet time. Snack breaks were spent sunbathing like lizards on the rocks. We checked out the beach where rafters come ashore, crossed both bridges over the Colorado and made friends with the mules.

Meat-lovers can eat dry too Start simple with jerky Lynette Chubb

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hen people think of jerky, most think of beef. But just about any firm meat – turkey, bison, venison, salmon, even tuna – will do. As always, fresh is best when it comes to ingredients.

First, slice it. Asian grocery stores sell fast-frozen thinly sliced meat. If you’re slicing it yourself, expensive, tender meats can be cut thicker (up to ¼ inch) and with the grain. Cheaper cuts should be up to 1/8 inch across the grain and then soaked in acid-based marinades to tenderize them before drying. Slicing thin is easier if the meat is frozen.

Smaller or thinner pieces dry fast and rehydrate quickly for a meal. Thicker strips take longer but are easier to eat on their own. Ground meats can be formed into jerky strips – easy to break up and chew.

Ground meats can be spiced, fried, dried and rehydrated fast for camp meals like shepherd’s pie or burritos. Some people rinse it first in hot water to drive out the fat before dehydrating. I use very lean meat, lots of spices and olive oil to add in camp if the meat is too lean.

To avoid spoilage, think dry, think high salt and acid levels in marinades, and think lean. Fatty meats go rancid. Figure out a packaging method that sucks air out of meal-size packages to reduce oxygen exposure. Most dry meat keeps for weeks on a trip, but at home, freeze it.

Up and out from the Canyon

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try this easy recipe

Photo by Flicker | Chris Deahr

and more amazing views. Our route was well marked and took us past composting toilets and water stations. It was slow going at first someone wanted a photo every time we rounded a corner onto a new, stunning view.

The children scampered ahead, meeting other hikers, touching every cactus they found and looking forward to catching sight of a mule train. The mules are part of a luxury dimension we ignored. For a fee, a mule train will cart your bags to the bottom of the canyon; for a steeper fee, they’ll cart you too. As well as camping at the bottom of the canyon, you can stay in cabins and dine at the lodge.

By mid-afternoon we reached the cottonwoods of Indian Gardens campsite and refilled our water bottles. At this point the route becomes less steep for a stretch before descending into another layer of rock and canyon down to the Colorado River and Phantom Ranch campground. We got there just before night fell at 5:30 p.m.

After setting up our tent by petzl light, preparing and eating dinner, we adults were worn out and crawled into the tent by 7 p.m., encouraging the kids to join us. Morning dawned with stiff legs from the previous day’s descent, but we had a whole day to explore before retracing our route up. We met a buffalo

The next day we packed up and headed up toward the Rim, our brisk start was fuelled by dark chocolate and sandwiches. Spirits stayed high throughout the day and our pace only slowed when we gained significant altitude in late afternoon. The kids introduced us to lots of hikers by being friendly, curious and clearly enjoying themselves. Our daughter became “MG,” short for Mountain Goat, to a group of friends in their 50s who loved hiking, but were finding the upward journey a slog and our girl an inspiration.

We could have spent another week in the Grand Canyon, but Sedona beckoned with its red rocks shaped by wind into fantastical formations, including a sandstone Snoopy on top of his doghouse. A stop at Sedona’s Hike House the next morning for cookies and a chat with a hiking guide who drew up an itinerary of hikes for the next two days – which ones to do in the morning and which to do in the evening – and got sun, incredible views and rocks for the kids to scramble up. Two days of hiking just scratched the surface of Sedona’s trail network, but it created memories of sunsets and long days spent outside, together.

Before flying out of Phoenix, we visited Tucson’s Sonoran Desert Museum, for the backdrop of saguaro-clad mountains, a glimpse of coyotes and visits to butterfly and hummingbird gardens, all part of Arizona’s non-stop variety. 

Toss meat strips with steak spice (or other salty spice mixes) before dehydrating. The salt helps preserve it. Vinegar or soy marinades do the same. Dry meat at the highest setting in the dehydrator until it’s leathery or almost crunchy – better too dry than not dry enough. Softer jerky (not as dry, easier to chew) requires close attention to avoid spoilage.

For meat in a dried meal, like ground beef in spaghetti sauces, smaller pieces (ground, shredded, finely diced) dehydrate and rehydrate faster and easier. Large chunks may dry out poorly or make you think you’re chewing cardboard.  Lynette Chubb, an instructor with the RA canoe camping club, spends weeks up north on canoe camping trips. ottawaoutdoors I 41

TANDEM ON-SIDE TURNS

By Andrew Westwood | Photos by Paul Villecourt The tandem on-side turn uses the following four stroke sequence to turn the canoe to the bow person’s on-side.

Bow: Forward stroke.

Stern: Forward stroke.

Both paddlers tilt the canoe toward the inside of the turn.

Bow: Forward stroke.

Stern: Stern draw to initiate the turn.

Both paddlers continue to tilt the canoe toward the inside of the turn.

Bow: Forward stroke.

Stern: Stern draw to initiate the turn.

1

2

3

Both paddlers continue to tilt the canoe toward the inside of the turn.

Bow: Bow draw to control the sharpness of the turn.

Stern: Forward stroke.

Both paddlers continue to tilt the canoe toward the inside of the turn.

Bow: Forward stroke.

Stern: Forward stroke with stern pry to stop turn.

Both paddlers level the canoe.

Working as a team, tandem paddlers use the stern position to initiate the turn, and bow position to control the turn. Both paddlers provide momentum when not actively involved with a steering stroke.

This is an excerpt from The Heliconia Press’ new release Canoeing – The Essential Skills and Safety available for $16.95 at 888.582.2001 or www.helipress.com

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4

Grapefruit goes way beyond breakfast Julie St. Jean

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fruit that always seems to be out of fashion, grapefruit is making a revival this spring at my table. Drinking the juice and eating the flesh can provide two totally different taste experiences. The bitingly tart juice quenches a thirst, leaving behind a sweet pulp – a fruit that certainly isn’t just for breakfast. Pair with scallops to make a light salad or freeze with champagne for dessert. It’s an excellent source of dietary fibre, potassium, folate and vitamins C and A; it’s also available yearround. That’s just what we need after a long winter.

Tart grapefruit is an excellent companion to a rich avocado and the buttery scallops in this lively spring salad. Serve with leek and potato soup and crusty bread for a fuller meal.

• 16 wild sea scallops (about 300 g) • 8 bamboo skewers, about 15 cms long, soaked in water • 2 large ruby red grapefruit • 2 cloves garlic, minced • Sea salt and fresh black pepper • ½ cup (125 mL) white wine • 2 tbsp (30 mL) cold butter • 300 g fresh salad greens, baby arugula or Boston leaf lettuce • 1 large ripe avocado, sliced • ½ sweet onion, shaved in slices • ½ cup (125 mL) toasted sliced almonds • 4 slices of crisp maple bacon (optional) Remove muscle from side of scallops, pat dry and thread two onto each skewer. Peel grapefruit. Over a bowl, section the grapefruit removing the white membrane. Squeeze excess juice into bowl. Set grapefruit segments aside. Add to the juice, minced garlic salt and pepper. Marinate skewers for between 30 minutes and one hour.

Preheat grill. Brush scallops lightly with vegetable oil. Over medium heat, sear scallops two minutes or until browned. Flip and sear on the other side for two more minutes, or until opaque. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium high heat, reduce marinade and wine by a half or to approximately one cup. Remove from heat and stir in cold butter. Serve scallops on top of salad greens, sliced avocado, shaved onion and almond slices. Drizzle each salad with warm dressing.

Makes four servings **Alternatively, the scallops can be seared in bacon fat or butter in a skillet on the stove. Remove scallops, add marinade and reduce to make the dressing. 

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Explosions

of the Fun Kind

To give the kids a bang on a slow summer afternoon, take science outdoors where a nice big mess and loud noises don’t matter. Choose from these guaranteed-messy, explosive experiments to get them started.

Leslie Foster

Carry that stuff outside! Then add a tablespoon of baking soda to each of three large Ziploc bags. Then pour vinegar into three snack-size Ziploc bags: 1/4 cup in one, 1/3 cup in the second, and a half cup in the third. Seal the bags.

Place one vinegar bag inside each of the large Ziploc bags with the baking soda. Seal the outside bags, removing as much air as possible, and put them on a table. Punch the vinegar bags inside the baking soda bags to break them open – then shake the bags to mix the vinegar and baking soda.

How large does each bag get? How long does it take before the bag explodes?

To learn about the science behind these experiments, check out www.stevespangler.com, www.newscientist.com, and www.asc.org. 

Bang goes the bottle A geyser from a bottle of pop is waiting to happen after you add a package of Mentos chewy mints to a bottle of diet soda. It’s a remake of the classic vinegar and baking soda trick.

What it takes

• a package of Mentos chewy mints • a two-litre bottle of diet pop (regular pop works too, but diet pop is less sticky) • a piece of cardboard (like from a cereal box) • tape, toothpicks and safety goggles First off, put on those protective safety goggles. Then head outside preferably to the middle of your lawn, away from anything you don’t want to get covered in pop.

Then use the cardboard and tape to make a tube the same length as your roll of Mentos and the same diameter as the opening of the pop bottle.

Then insert two toothpicks parallel to each other through the base of the tube. They must slide freely. Unwrap the Mentos and pour them into the tube. The impending goal is to drop all of the Mentos into the bottle of pop at the same time. So open the pop bottle put it on the ground or a flat surface so it won’t tip over.

Put the tube directly over the mouth of the bottle with the toothpicks at the bottom. When everyone is a safe distance away, quickly remove the toothpicks and allow all the Mentos to drop into the bottle fast. Then run!

of them to a film canister half filled with water.

Snap the lid on the canister and stand back.

To boost the rocket-like effect, duct tape one end of the cardboard tube.

Repeat the water-canisterAlka-Seltzer steps above.

Place the film canister lidfirst in the tube and point the open end away from people. The canister will shoot out of the tube. You can also decorate the bottom of the film canister like a rocket, with fins and a nose cone.

If the kids are feeling scientific, try changing the water temperature or amount, and add more or less Alka-Seltzer.

Bag and bang a carbon dioxide “sandwich” This is another twist on the vinegar and baking soda theme. You’ll need those trusty safety glasses, and ...

• measuring cup and spoons • vinegar and baking soda • Ziploc bags

DIDYOUKNOW? Airline vapour trails tell weather secrets Next time you’re sitting around a crackling campfire with friends, perhaps sipping on sweet tea and talking about how good life is, look up high above your campsite. Can you spot any airline vapour trails? They might help forecast tomorrow’s weather.

If the sky is streaked with vapour trails, look out! The moisture left behind the jet engines isn’t evaporating because the atmosphere is damp. It could mean moist weather is heading your way. However, if high-altitude jet contrails disappear almost immediately behind an airliner, it means the upper atmosphere is bone dry – a good omen for dry days ahead.

Jet contrails also make pretty good compasses. In Canada, most high altitude aircraft are flying east or west. How can we tell which end of a contrail is west? Watch the sun’s track for 10 minutes to find out which direction it’s moving. Once west has been established, it should be easy to locate south and north.

Next time you’re lost without a compass, your solution might be in the vapour! 

Alka-Seltzer rocket Launch a film canister rocket with an AlkaSeltzer tablet. The gas is carbon dioxide and the explosion it creates is awesome.

You need

• Film canister with a tight snap-on lid (still available despite digital photography) • One Alka-Seltzer tablet • The cardboard tube from a used-up paper towel roll • Duct tape, glue, paint, tape, cardboard for decorating and safety goggles As before, put on the glasses. Cut an AlkaSeltzer tablet into four equal pieces and add one www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

ottawaoutdoors I 43

Dehydrated meals make for lighter backpacking Do the drying on your own Kathleen Wilker

3. Pour salsa from a jar onto the dehydrator and it will be ready in about eight hours.

4. Packaged tortilla shells easily last a week.

Instant rice is also an option.

Hearty soup

1. Fry onions and garlic.

2. Add veggie broth made with just enough liquid to cook your veggies.

3. Add veggies, diced to a uniform size.

4. Cook until they have absorbed most of the liquid, and ladle the soup onto plasticcovered dehydrator trays.

5. Check veggies after eight hours. They dry at different rates (peppers are really slow)

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few weeks before our family heads off for summer canoe camping, we start tripling our favourite recipes. It only takes a little longer to prepare the larger portions and while we’re sitting down to dinner, the dehydrator starts drying out our camping meals. Usually one session overnight does the trick. Then it’s time to cool everything before packaging the meals in labelled plastic bags, complete with cooking instructions.

Our family is vegetarian, but dehydrating works with meats too – my friend Lynne Chubb shows how in the sidebar on page 41.

These are triple portions because everyone’s appetite increases on days paddling, portaging, hiking and swimming. If we’re getting tight for time or low on supplies, we usually dehydrate back-up pasta sauce – straight from a bottle – and bring dry pasta to go with it. If we end up with more than we need, dehydrated food is so light and packs so small that it’s worth it.

In between processing lunches and dinners, we dehydrate fruit to go with nuts and veggies to provide a blast of fresh taste to our meals.

Breakfast oatmeal is already dried and we add trail mix for flavour and sustenance.

Dehydrators are available at hardware stores and they have temperature directions for whatever foods you intend to carry. Most dehydrators look like giant transparent film cans with per-

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chickpea coconut curry (for a change from tomato-based camping food)

forated circular grates stacked up inside. The lid provides the heat and the fan. If you’re making a sauce, put a plastic sheet over each grate, so it doesn’t leak through the grates.

These recipes work for our family. You can use them as inspiration and modify them for your own king of meals.

Vegetarian chili

1. Prepare your favourite chili recipe, dicing the veggies so they dehydrate evenly.

2. Spoon the chili onto your dehydrator’s plastic covered grates.

3. It will likely take from eight to 12 hours for everything to dry out, so check..

4. Then let the chili – it will look like lumpy fruit roll-ups – cool completely and then transfer it to an airtight container.

5. To cook it, bring several cups of water to the boil, add the chili and stir.

6. Add more water to reach the consistency you like.

This goes well with pan-baked corn bread or instant rice.

1. Make a curry with coconut milk, chickpeas, onions and garlic, and dehydrate it.

2. Add raisins, shredded coconut and dried diced apples to the curry.

3. Serve with quinoa or instant rice.

Dried fruit – apples, bananas, mangoes tastes delicious in trail mix, boosts breakfast oatmeal, and is great on its own. Cut it to uniform thickness and dry it from eight to 12 hours. If it has to last longer than a week, it will likely need the full 12 hours. Then sprinkle it with cinnamon if you like. Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are delicious dried, but sometimes seem awfully small for the effort. 

Bean burritos

1. Using canned refried beans, prep and dehydrate (use the chili instructions, above) your own burrito recipe.

2. Dehydrate chopped chives or halved cherry tomatoes and sprinkle them on the burrito for a fresh-taste hit. www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

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Spring fever is here and love is in the air! Book the How to Elope in NYC Package and enjoy your stay in one of these beautiful suites. Upon arrival or delivered at your request, a chilled bottle of Prosecco and chocolate covered strawberries will be waiting to help you celebrate your special occasion. Of course, the romance continues with a rose petal turndown on your wedding night and two (2) Hotel Giraffe signature bathrobes, yours to take home! Upon booking, you will be contacted with all the information you’ll need to elope in NYC and they will assist you with the planning of your ultimate adventure. This package is for love birds who have solidified their plans as prepayment is required upon booking and is a non-refundable reservation. Rates start at: $455.00 per night plus tax | 365 Park Avenue South at 26th Street, New York, New York 10016 | Phone (212) 685-7700 | Fax (212) 685-7771 | www.hotelgiraffe.com

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Spring is here and love is in the air! The Guilty Pleasure Package is the perfect way to say “I Love You” to the booklover in your life! They’ve teamed up with two New York City literary icons to create the ultimate book lover’s “guilty pleasure”. The package includes “Books by the Foot” by Strand Bookstore, which is one foot worth of books hand-selected by the Honorary Librarian. Choose recent bestsellers or tell them your reading habits and they’ll have them ready for your arrival. This package also includes tickets to the beautiful Morgan Library & Museum and two cocktails at Bookmarks Lounge, the rooftop bar, which serves literary inspired cocktails. Rates start at $499.00 per night plus tax in April, May & June | This package requires a 2-night minimum | 299 Madison Avenue at 41st Street,New York, NY 10017 | Phone (212) 983-4500 | Fax (212) 499-9099 | www.libraryhotel.com/offers.html

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The Hotel Elysee’s Mad Men Package features a stay in one of the luxurious King Suites, just steps from the fictional Sterling Cooper Draper Price offices in Midtown Manhattan. Upon arrival you will find a dozen red roses, strawberries and a four-piece box of Leonidas chocolates (just as Joan Holloway may have arranged it for you). No Mad Men experience would be complete without two complimentary cocktails to enjoy at the Monkey Bar or in the luxury of your suite. This package is available all year, but blackout dates may apply. Please note that the Monkey Bar is closed on Sundays and occasionally it is booked for private parties. On such occasions, complimentary cocktails will be delivered to your suite.

This package is based on availability and cannot be combined with other sales or special offers. If plans change please allow 14 days in advance to cancel your reservation to avoid one nights room & tax charge.

Rates start at $457.00 per night plus tax www.elyseehotel.com/offers.html 60 East 54th Street between Park and Madison Avenues, New York, NY 10022 | Phone (212) 753-1066 | Fax (212) 980-9278 | www.elyseehotel.com

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Enhance your stay with a trip to the Top of the Rock Package and enjoy a bird’s eye view of NYC! Stay 3 nights or more in 2014 and receive up to 20% off the standard rates, plus two (2) tickets to the Top of the Rock observation deck. Enjoy the breathtaking views of New York City from the 69th floor of this iconic New York City venue. These great rates are only for travellers whose plans are definite, as prepayment is required at the time of booking and the deposit is non refundable. | Rates start at $271.00 per night plus tax in April, May & June | 147 West 43rd Street Between Sixth Avenue and Broadway New York, NY 10036 |Phone: (212) 869-1212 Fax: (212) 391-7585 | www.casablancahotel.com 46 I ottawaoutdoors

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Lighten the load on your back – and your wallet

Go backpacking on the cheap Jenna Thompson Camping when your gear didn’t cost too much is just a bonus.

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nyone looking at a first backpacking adventure might be put off by the cost of specialized ultralight equipment.

That car camping equipment found in so many basements won’t cut it – it’s far too heavy. So what to do? Friends might loan gear, and some outfitters rent the lightweight stuff.

But there are cheaper options, and good ideas on where to direct those hard-earned dollars.

Start from the ground up. Boots are the one item nobody should skimp on. Cold, wet, blistered feet and twisted ankles can destroy an expedition. Quality, waterproof boots with good ankle support should be a high priority despite their hefty price.

They’re worth it and are built to last.

Next is backpacks. New ones sell between $100 and $400. Instead, look for used packs on websites (try www.kijiji.ca and www.usedottawa.com), at gear swaps (Mountain Equipment Co-op holds a few every year), even garage sales. Just make sure your recycled pack fits well before you buy.

Tents: High-end backpacking tents can weigh as little as one kilogram, but more commonly two to three kilograms. Regular tents weigh a lot more. I learned this the hard way by hauling a massive five-kilogram tent on a weeklong hike. A couple extra kilos didn’t sound like much at the start, but by the end I was wishing those kilos would evaporate. Plus the tent was so large that it left little room for other necessities in my pack. Backpacking tents have a tiny footprint (get cozy) and pack down to an impressively small package. If they cost too much, rent one.

And then there’s food. The ready-made

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camping meals sold at outdoor shops are quick, easy and pretty yummy – but pricey.

You can easily concoct your own dehydrated meals from ingredients sold at bulk food stores like Bulk Barn, or create your own raw materials with a dehydrator. For ideas, check out www.trailcooking.com. Even the grocery store has things like powdered soup mixes and Knorr pasta and rice pouches.

Safe drinking water is vital and you can’t carry all you need over the course of your trip.

A fancy water filter is fantastic, but it will set you back anywhere from $80 to $300.

Boiling water takes time but it’s free except for the cost of fuel. Iodine tablets, around $10, get the job done too. If you buy tablets, read the instructions on the package.

Take a deep breath and buy a stove. Anyone can cook over a fire, but that takes significant time and effort. Backpacking stoves fold up to the size of your fist, and basic ones like the Snow Peak Gigapower stove, cost as little as $40.

Sleeping is easy if you’re exhausted, but something to sleep on helps. Simple blue foam mats are not as comfortable as their inflatable counterparts but are downright cheap at less than $20. And they’re superlight. Some people swear you can sleep right on the ground; I have to disagree and an inflatable sleeping pad was my first upgrade after exactly one backpacking trip.

If you finish you first trip and discover you love backpacking, you’ll slowly get more stuff to replace or add to the basic starter gear. All of it can be used on other types of trips, like canoeing. Bottom line: good boots, a comfortable pack and reliable shelter are crucial. Then it’s adventure time! 

Sweet and sour pineapple rice with cashews For COST-CUTTING gourmets on the trail

All ingredients for this quick, delicious recipe are at the grocery store. Nuts and rice provide much-needed protein and carbohydrates, and pineapples add pops of sweetness. Serves two hungry hikers.

• 2 ½ cups water • 2 cups instant rice (whole grain brown or white) • 2 tsp. sweet and sour seasoning mix (at the grocery store) • ½ cup dried pineapple cut into small bits (at grocery and bulk food stores) • ½ tsp. dried minced onion (in the spices aisle) • ½ cup cashew pieces The rice, seasoning mix, pineapple and minced onion can be pre-measured and stored in a zip lock bag. At camp, bring the water to a boil in a pot. Lower heat and add contents of bag. Simmer ten minutes, or until water is fully absorbed. Mix in cashew pieces.

Refuel after a hard day of hiking!

ottawaoutdoors I 47

Pitching from the rough | golf tips By gord percy a – This shot is often required to get the ball out of, or over, trouble such as rough, sand, or water.

The ball is placed closer to the middle of your stance and your weight should be 50/50 to start with. Hold down on the club a bit for control.

This setup and shot are just mini-versions of your normal full swing.

48 I ottawaoutdoors

B – The backswing should not be as long as a full swing. You want to control distance by how far back you take the club. You should feel some wrist hinge and your weight should shift to your back foot, just as you should in a full swing. If you are in trouble on the course, use this technique to get yourself back safely to the fairway.

c – You should feel some ground contact as you come forward to the ball. Accelerating past the ball is a must to ensure you get the ball up into the air and the club through the rough. Your followthrough should at least match the length of your backswing and you should finish with most of your weight on the front foot. 

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Thousand Islands Paddling Trail project lures today’s canoeists Scott Ewart The Thousand Islands are a geological and natural history at your paddle tip, and getting at this amazing web of waters just got easier thanks to the Paddling Trail Project, extending 100 kilometres from Brockville to Kingston, Ont. Before you check it out, consider what a storied area you’re about to explore.

Long ago – very long ago – a mountain range towered over what is now eastern North America. These mountains, almost a billion years old, have been reshaped and weathered right down to their granite roots by a series of glaciers which towered more than three kilometres high. They gouged out the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence lowlands, leaving an ancient land bridge called the Frontenac Arch connecting the still uplifting Adirondack Mountains to the south to the Algonquin highlands to the west in the Canadian Shield.

As the St. Lawrence River drains the Great Lakes eastwards to the Atlantic Ocean, its

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waters flow through these ancient mountains, continuing to wear down their granite roots that now dot the river as the Thousand Islands.

The islands are stepping stones for migratory animals and birds, and for plants to maintain and extend their range. In human history, this region has long been part of trade routes for w civilizations, and it played a key role in early Canadian settlement. The region was known by First Nations as “the garden of the Great Spirit,” a sacred hunting and fishing ground hosting Canada’s highest biodiversity because the five forest eco-regions of the eastern continent come together here.

Thanks to the Paddling Trail project, today’s paddler can dip into a world class destination with camping, waterfront restaurants, roofed accommodations, guided tours, kayak rentals, courses, kids programming and shuttle services.

Thousand Islands Kayaking and sponsoring partners in the 2014 Paddling Trail project provide maps of all access points and putins, paddling routes and Thousand Island National

Park accommodations. Available at www.1000islandskayaking.com and www.frontenacarchbiosphere.ca, are day trip and overnight routes for paddling, wildlife viewing, camping, swimming, hiking, fishing and photography. 

What’s available • 25 canoe put-ins • 18 serviced Thousand Islands National Park islands • 88 wilderness protected national park islands • 75 national park island campsites • seven luxury oTENTik cabins • 14 waterfront accommodations • six mainland campgrounds • 13 waterfront restaurants • 16 marinas • 27 hiking trails

ottawaoutdoors I 49

CoolGear FOR THE SPRING SEASON HELINOX CHAIR ONE | $103 The full, off-the-ground sitting experience is no longer reserved for car campers. Technology transferred from high-end tents makes this chair light enough for regular backpackers, bike tourers, and paddlers. Sit in comfort as you dine or stare into the fire.

• Made with light, strong DAC aluminum and breathable mesh.

• Load capacity is 145kg.

• Packed size is 35 x 10 x 12cm.

• Assembled dimensions are 65 x 52 x 50cm.

• Seat measurements are 34cm from ground, 34cm deep.

• Carrying case included.

• Weight: 900g Look for it at www.mec.ca

GSI BUGABOO CAMPER COOKSET | $96 Summon your inner gourmet in the backcountry. This cooking and serving set has it all; non-stick aluminum pots and durable polypropylene dishes.

• Cookset includes 2 and 3L pots, a frypan, and 2 strainer lids. Nylon lids have silicone rims to withstand high temperatures.

• Serving set includes four insulated nesting mugs and bowls, with sip lids and four plates.

• Pot gripper and stuff sack also included.

• Mugs nest inside bowls, which in turn nest in the 2L pot.

• Integrated BPA-free strainer lids for draining the pasta or veggies.

• Stuff sack doubles as a wash basin.

• Weight: 1.64kg Look for it at www.mec.ca

MEC CAMPER 2 TENT | $189 Our game-changing Camper 2 is back and better than ever. No department store toy, it’s a real tent you can use for real camping and backpacking. The secret sauce is the combination of basic aluminum poles and inexpensive yet functional fabrics. It’s served up with quality construction and offered at a stellar price.

• Weight: 2.4kg • Classic, wind-stable, crossed-pole wedge shape.

• Twin doors and vestibules ensure you’ve both got your own gear storage and a way out in the night without waking your tent mate.

• A new cinch-down style stuff sack makes packing up simple and fast. You’ll be done before your second cup of coffee.

• Includes 6 wire pegs.

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GERBER GATOR COMBO AXE II | $47 Some combination gizmos make you scratch your head and wonder, “What were they thinking?” This one makes you wonder, “What took them so long?” This axe has a wood saw in the handle to save space in your pack.

• Forged steel head for excellent edge retention.

• Durable glass filled nylon handle, with a rubber grip for comfort and control.

• Stainless steel saw with a 16cm (6in.) blade secures inside the handle magnetically.

• Ballistic nylon sheath with belt loop.

• Overall Length is 38.6cm (15¼in.).

• Weight: 815g Look for it at www.mec.ca

PETZL TIKKA R+ HEADLAMP | $77 You’re adaptable when conditions change.

Now your headlamp can be, too. This version of the popular, compact Tikka headlamp has a light sensor that adjusts instantly depending on whether you need close-range or distance vision. It optimizes the light output to meet your chosen burn time, and keeps your hands free to study the map and find the next critical fork in the trail.

• Can be used in reactive mode or constant lighting mode.

• Red light mode saves your night vision.

• Mixed beam pattern.

• Lock functions prevents accidental activation when it’s in your pack.

• Includes rechargeable Lithium-ion battery with 30cm USB cable connection.

• Battery charge indicator. Quick charges in 4.5 hours with the integrated USB connection.

• Lasts for approximately 300 charges. Beyond this, the battery’s capacity is roughly 30% lower.

Look for it at www.mec.ca

Küat NV Rack (Autoracks) | $549 The Küat NV Rack is creating quite a buzz in the world of hitch-mount bike racks this year. Besides its eye-catching charcoal grey frame and orange anodized accents, the NV touts some nifty features, perhaps most notably an onboard bike stand for trailhead and campsite repairs and maintenance. Right out of the box, I was stoked to accent my rig with the NV. • Carries 2 bikes (Up to 60 lbs. each) • Total carrying capacity of up to 120 lbs.

• Folds up quickly for storage • Tilts down for easy vehicle access • Integrated cable lock system AND hitch lock for maximum security (locking hitch pin included) • Front and rear tire ratchets make loading and unloading a breeze • Hand-tight cam system - no need for additional tools!

• Increase bike capacity to up to FOUR bikes with available NV-Add On (sold separately, 2” model only) • The NV is the best option for downhill, free-ride, and other large bikes Look for it at autoracks.com

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

gear

FRONTENAC OUTFITTERS DELTA-14 KAYAK | $2175 (w/rudder) Its relatively short length, lightweight, and ease of turning suggest Delta Kayaks 14 is a day-tripper – perfect for day outings and weekend adventurers – but its exceptional tracking and surprising hull speed is similar to what one expects in some longer sea kayaks.

It’s a quick, lightweight, super stable paddling machine that still provides storage space comparable to most 17 ft. sea kayaks. A moderate Vee hull and long waterline length ensure super stable performance and predictability even in rough water conditions, while the multi-chined sides provide solid secondary stability when edging.

Hatches: Delta Kayaks 14 has 3 innovative Press-Lock Thermoform Hatch Covers that easily press down to create an extremely watertight seal. The two large bow & stern hatches offer immense storage dry storage - often as much as some seventeen foot sea kayaks – while the new centre day pod provides convenient storage of small goods (GPS, Camera, Snacks) that are needed while on the water.

• Bow: oval 16.5 x 11” / 42 x 28 cm | Stern: oval 20.5”x 14.25” / 44 x 26 cm • Day: round 8” / 20 cm and 3 thermoform curved bulkheads to maximize storage, strength and add positive buoyancy.

• Available Colours: Red, Yellow, Lime Green, White | Rudder:Standard | Skeg:Not Available • Length:14’ | Width:23.75 | Depth:13.25” | Weight:42 lbs / 19 kg | Cockpit:17’’ x 32’’ | Look for it at www.frontenacoutfitters.ca NALGENE EVERYDAY WIDE‑MOUTH LOOP‑TOP WATER BOTTLE | $12.25 A wide mouth is great for adding ice cubes, cleaning the inside, and is easy to open in sub-zero temperatures.

• Made of Tritan™ co-polyester.

• Loop top allows clipping onto a pack.

• Standard 63mm threaded opening fits water filters and other accessories.

Look for it at www.mec.ca

TRAVELCHAIR LARRY CHAIR | $62 Comfort for canoe camping or music festivals. The Larry Chair unfolds in 3 easy steps so you can get to the serious business of relaxing without exhausting yourself. For the smoothest assembly experience, our chair testers recommend expanding the top bar first and deploying the legs afterwards.

• Nylon mesh is cool and quick-drying.

• Capacity up to 113kg.

• Open dimensions are 48 x 48 x 61cm.

• Seat dimensions are 28 x 48 x 25cm.

• Packed dimensions are 6 x 30 x 48cm.

• Messenger style carry bag included.

Look for it at www.mec.ca

MEC VÉLOCIO MESSENGER BAG | $65 - $70 Big enough to store you laptop, this canvas messenger bag won’t slow your ride to work or school. FYI: Paul de Vivie, who used the penname Velocio, was an early champion of derailleur gears, and is considered the father of bicycle touring and randonneuring in France.

• Main compartment has a key clip and pockets for pens and office stuff.

• Laptop sleeve has dimpled foam to protect your computer and help it cool down quickly.

• Internal zipped document sleeve and two curved pockets to hold travel mugs or tools.

• Zip-through pocket under flap lets you access your wallet or phone without opening the flap. One additional Velcro® closure pocket.

• Flap closes with big Velcro patch and a burly metal cam buckle.

• Reflective webbing on sides for attaching lights.

Look for it at www.mec.ca

UCO Candlelier Candle Lantern | $37.50 The family-sized UCO Candlelier candle lantern burns 3 candles for extra bright light.

It’s great for camping, picnics or power outages.

• Candle tubes are springloaded, so flame height stays constant • Stainless-steel fold-down handle makes it easy to carry or hang the lantern • UCO Candlelier candle lantern includes 3 no-drip candles that burn up to 9 hrs.

Look for it at www.mec.ca

MOMENTUM BY ST. MORITZ M1 TWIST WITH RUBBER BAND (UNISEX) | $145 Matching bezel and strap adds a hit of colour to this dive watch.

• Case is rugged 316L stainless steel.

• Shorter bands fit slender wrists well.

• Accurate quartz analogue movement.

• Luminous hands are visible in deep/dark places.

• Rotatable bezel for timing Look for it at www.mec.ca

PRIMUS FIREHOLE 200 STOVE | $165 A double-burner stove for the discerning basecamp chef, the Firehole 200 offers you double-barrelled cooking power, fumble-free piezo ignition, and side windscreens that fold down as work surfaces.

• Adjustable feet keep the stove level on uneven surfaces.

• Twist-click piezo igniter means no searching for matches or lighters.

• Recessed control knobs for snag-free operation.

• Easy-carry split handle.

• Integrated flexible fuel line stores under unit.

• Burns 465g propane canisters.

• Weight: 6.1kg Look for it at www.mec.ca

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ottawaoutdoors I 51

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Ottawa Outdoors Music Festival Guide Jack Webb

Ottawa-Gatineau has fast become one of the world’s summer music festival capitals, and this summer is no different. If you’re a music aficionado or just want to get out amongst your musical tribe, come unlock your body and move yourself to dance.

Here’s a look at nine music festivals this summer with something for everyone’s tastes, be it eclectic or mainstream.

Westfest When? June 13–15 Where? Westboro Village – Richmond Road (between McRae and Berkley Ave.) Bike friendly? Yes (plenty of bike parking) Beer? Yes Tip: Bring a stroller to fit in. www.westfest.ca

Carivibe Beach Festival When? Beach Festival, June 21 Where? Beach Festival, Petrie Island 727 Trim Road / Parade & Block Party, St. Josephs Blvd. to Centrum, Orleans Bike friendly? Yes (Bike Park) Beer? Yes Tip: Drink lots of water, bring your dancing shoes and a hearty appetite for jerk chicken. www.carivibe.com

Festival franco-ontarien When? June 12-14 Where? Marian Dewar Plaza, formerly Festival Plaza (Elgin Street and Laurier Ave.) Bike friendly? Yes Beer? Yes Tip: Ride the Ferris wheel. Practice your French. www.ffo.ca

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Ottawa Jazz Festival When? June 20–July 1 Where? Confederation Park (Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue) Bike friendly? Yes (Bike Park) Beer? Yes Tip: Try not to talk. Careful where you stand. www.ottawajazzfestival.com

Bluesfest Ottawa When? July 3–13 Where? Lebreton Flats Park (War Museum) Bike friendly? Yes (Bike park) Beer? Yes Tip: Leave your lawn chairs at home.

Take your bike, walk or bus to the site. www.ottawabluesfest.ca

Music and Beyond When? July 5–17 Where? Various venues in the city Bike friendly? Yes (no bike park) Beer? No Tip: Arrive early www.musicandbeyond.ca

Ottawa Chamber Music Festival When? July 24 to August 7 Where? Various venues in the city Bike friendly? Yes (no bike park) Beer? No Tip: Arrive early, try not to talk, no cell phones please. www.chamberfest.com

Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Fest When? August 28 to September 1 Where? Parc de La Baie, 988, rue St-Louis, Gatineau Bike friendly? Yes Beer? Yes and SAQ Tents Tip: Enjoy the Midway and the poutine! www.montgolfieresgatineau.com

Ottawa Folk Festival When? September 4–8 Where? Hog’s Back Park, Corner of Riverside Drive and Heron Road Bike friendly? Yes Beer? Yes Tip: Take your bike! Don’t smoke. www.ottawafolk.com

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outdoor clubs ACC Ottawa Section Adventure Sports Access Group Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists Black Sheep Cycling Camp Fortune Ski Club Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society Chelsea Nordiq Club Creative Wheel Cross Country Ontario Durham Outdoors Club Esprit Rafting Hike Ontario Kanata XCSki Club Liquid Skills Paddling Centre Madawaska Kanu Centre Nakkertok XCSki Club Natural Fitness Lab Ottawa Alpine Club Ottawa Bicycle Club Ottawa Inline Skating Club Ottawa Mountain Biking Association Ottawa New Edinburgh Club Ottawa Orienteering Club Ottawa Outdoor Club Ottawa Rambling Club Ottawa Rowing Club Ottawa Sailing School Ottawa Sport and Social Club Ottawa Triathlon Club OttawaCarleton Ultimate Association Oxygene RA Ski and Snowboard Club Rideau Trial Association River Run Rafting Ski Extreme Snowhawks Ski School Somersault Events TriRudy West Carleton Nordic Ski Club XC Ottawa

www.alpineclubottawa.ca www.asag.ca www.abrweb.ca www.blacksheepmtb.com www.campfortuneskiclub.ca www.cpaws.org www.chelseanordiq.ca www.creativewheel.ca www.xco.org www.durhamoutdoorsclub.ca www.espritrafting.com www.hikeontario.com www.kanataxcski.ca www.owl-mkc.ca www.nakkertok.ca www.naturalfitnesslab.com www.alpineclubottawa.ca www.ottawabicycleclub.ca www.ottawamba.org www.inlineottawa.com www.onec.ca www.ottawaoc.ca www.ottawaoutdoorclub.ca www.ottawaramblers.org www.ottawarowingclub.com www.boattraining.com www.ossc.ca www.ottawatriathlonclub.com www.ocua.ca www.cluboxygene.qc.ca www.raski.ca www.rideautrial.org www.riverrunners.com skiextreme.ca www.snowhawks.com www.somersault.ca www.trirudy.com www.wildernesstours.com wcnordic.com www.xcottawa.ca

Upcoming Events Run/Walk 04 May Walk So Kids Can Talk 03 May EpiPen Take Action 03 May 12th Annual Walk for Lupus 11 May Wylie Ryan Day Before Mother’s Day Run 17 May Colonel By Classic 17 May Wylie Ryan Dow’s Lake Kids 1 km Run 24 - 25 May Tamarack Homes Ottawa Race Weekend 2014 07 June 6th Annual Redemption Run 07 June Barrhaven Run for Roger’s House 14 June Britannia Beach 1, 3 or 5 km runs 09 June Wylie Ryan Quick Kids 1 km Run 08 June Walmart Walk for Miracles 08 June Walk to Fight Arthritis 21 June Emilie’s Run (5 km women only) 21 June Wylie Ryan Aviation Museum Kids 1 km Run 28 June Smiths Falls Figure eight 2 or 5 km Run 13 July Sydenham 2, 5 or 10 km runs 13 July Wylie Ryan Sydenham Lakeside Kids 2 km run Adventure Racing 17 May Raid Pulse Adventure Race 14 June Moraine for Life Adventure Relay run 10 June ESAR – Emergency Services Adventure Race 15 June Ottawa Spartan Race 26 July Rockstar Adventure Race 27 July Mitsubishi City Chase

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Duathlon/Triathlon 17 May Ottawa Early Bird triathlon, Duathlon & Relays 14 June Ottawa River Triathlon, Duathlon & Relays 21 June Baxter All Terrain Kids Triathlon 22 June Smiths Falls Classic Triathlon, Duathlon & Relays 05 July Gatineau Triathlon 13 July Sydenham Triathlon, Duathlon 13 July Graham Beasley Triathlon, Duathlon & Relays Hiking 04 May Hike for Hospice BIKING 20 April Hell of the North 06 April Clarence-Rockland Classic 03 May Diefenbooker Classic 04 May CN Cycle for CHEO 24 May Dandelion Grand Prix 01 June Cycle for Sight 07-08 June Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour 07-08 June MEC Bikefest 19-20 July Granfondo Ottawa PADDLING 19-22 June Tim Horton’s Dragon Boat Races and festival OPEN WATER SWIM 12 July

Bring On the Bay

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• Self-catering Cottages & Deluxe Chalets Deux Rivieres, Ontario • Mountain Biking T. 705-747-0851 F. 705-747-0035 • Houseboating Owners: Doug, Sandra • Fishing R and Jarett Antler.

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TRY OUR OFFICE Fresh air breathes Fresh ideas

Bring some fresh air into your next meeting by holding a corporate gathering, strategic planning session or team building event at Calabogie Peaks Resort. Close to the city – but far from distractions – this resort property boasts year round activities on the lake, land or mountain to complement the hours spent at the conference table. Spacious meeting rooms, a wide selection of guest rooms and our country warmth and luxury differentiates us from others.

• One hour west of Ottawa in the beautiful Ontario Highlands • Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout property • Provides an intimate and professional setting – the property is quiet for productive work, yet relaxing and fun with added activities • Ontario’s highest public ski mountain • 1500-acre property which is almost entirely surrounded by Crown land – lots of room to play

• Some of the best hiking trails in Ontario start at Calabogie Peaks • Physical activity rejuvenates the mind and body – more productive at the table • Warm weather activities include golf, tennis, unlimited hiking, boating, fishing and beach activities • Cool weather activities include skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, tubing, skating, ice fishing • Groups have hiked into a small camp on the Madawaska River, held a planning session in a small cabin riverside and were bused out later in the day – where can you do this in the city? 

Mountain, Lake and Land Calabogie Peaks Resort For more information go to www.calabogie.com, or call 1-800-669-4861 ex 1510

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ottawaoutdoors I 57

Great Canadian Journey plans to hit the roads Brendan Henry

Canada’s motto is A Mari Usque Ad Mare, Latin for “From Sea to Sea.” This summer The Great Canadian Journey aims to take up that challenge.

Joined by an ever-changing roster of travel companions from across Canada and one persistently adventurous Australian, Brendan Henry is journeying from St. John’s, Nfld. all the way to Pacific Rim National Park in British Columbia.

There’s a certain feeling you get from asking a local where to go when you arrive in a town. People appreciate being considered experts, and when it comes to their community they truly are. So Henry asked the experts.

The Great Canadian’s route, and all its stops, are based on suggestions from locals in each province. The amount of regional support for the idea has been sensational,

and even public figures like Olympic two-time gold medalist Heather Moyse are sharing what they suggest from their home province.

The idea began as a New Year’s Day thought: How would you create the greatest Canadian road-trip? Obviously you’d need to ask for suggestions, meet up with some musicians, and eat the best food every region has to offer. You would need to make a list of the greatest hikes, adventures, and the classic scenic drives available locally.

Thanks to the huge number of suggestions from Canadians, Great Canadian will have that list by the time the group pulls away from Cape Spear in August of 2014.

The Great Canadian Journey will be broadcasting its every move across social media and in the pages of Ottawa Outdoors,

providing a window into local culture and events all the way across Canada. So share with them what can’t be missed in your region, and maybe you might learn about somewhere you’ll want to visit. 

Check it out at: • www.foursquare.com/JourneyCanada • www.twitter.com/JourneyCanada • Facebook.com/GreatCanadianJourney

Register By April 30th 2014!

The Ottawa Sport & Social Club - Recess For Adults!

Join our Co-Ed Sprummer 2014 Leagues Today!

Play Softball, Beach Volleyball, Soccer, Flag Football and many more!

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PORTAGING DOs & DON’Ts Kevin Callan

• Avoid loading your canoe on shore! You can really damage it by dragging it into the water.

• Consider carrying lighter gear through to the end of the portage before taking the canoe. This way, you’ll be able to take note of any difficult or dangerous spots.

• Before you set the canoe down, look for sharp rocks and other things that may scratch or dent your boat.

• When you are walking over slippery rocks, move slowly, carefully picking your way through obstacles. Sudden movements can lead to falls and injuries.

• If you’re portaging in really buggy weather, before you put the canoe on your shoulders remember to spray yourself with bug spray.

It’s no fun finding your arms and neck covered in hungry mosquitoes half way down the trail, with a 27 kilogram canoe on your back.

• Take a drink of water before you begin your portage, and drink more if you take a break to stay hydrated.

• Don’t try to be a superhero and complete the entire portage in one trip. That can be dangerous. Some people carry a heavy pack on their back while simultaneously portaging a 27 kilogram canoe. If they slip, they’re almost bound to get injured. No fun.

• Rest several times over a long portage.

Look for a low-lying limb in a tree or a “V” formed by branches, where you can prop up your canoe.

• Keep the front of the canoe up above trail level so you can watch out for any dangerous obstacles or even wildlife on or near the trail.  www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

Plant a potted herb garden for a tasty summer Leslie Foster

There’s no need for a green thumb to grow a miniature but bountiful herb garden. Pot planting is fun and very forgiving for anyone, and super-practical for apartment dwellers or people with limited space. What we’re talking about here is an outdoor garden that you can bring indoors when the weather starts to turn in the fall.

Start by thinking about which herbs you enjoy cooking with or ones you admire just for their looks or fragrance.

Then think about how big they grow – seed packets, bedding plant spikes and garden center staff will tell you. Depending on your chosen mix, you can squeeze more than one plant into a pot. Some herbs are weedy looking, others are beautiful alone (chives!) or arranged together.

Sage grows tall, thyme is a creeper, and hot peppers or pansies (they’re edible) provide colour. Tall species in the centre of pots with shorter herbs around the outside is a good rule of thumb, green or not.

Then decide whether to grow from seed, or buy ready-grown plants to speed things up. In our part of the world, seeds need an indoor start one to two months before summer heat gets here, when you can move them outside.

Which brings up the question of matching pot size to herb size. Decide on how many herbs you want and the yield you would like to achieve and select containers wide and deep enough to hold them comfortably. Depending on the chosen herbs, two to six plants can squeeze into a 30-centimetre (12-inch) diameter container.

Herbs in the same pot should share similar needs for sun, water, and soil type.

Chives, parsley, marjoram and mint like a steady supply of water. Oregano, thyme, rosemary, and basil prefer to dry out a bit between watering. Soil type helps in deciding whether to add fertilizer. Many of herbs are Mediterranean in origin and are used to lots of sunshine.

Pots provide drainage so water doesn’t collect in the base, causing fungus to grow or roots to rot. Add a bit of gravel or

broken pot fragments to the bottom of the pot to improve drainage, or use potting mix (lighter than soil, made from peat or compost).

Fill pots three-quarters full of soil or mix. Squeeze each herb from its garden centre container and loosen the root ball to encourage the roots to spread. Plant them about 15 centimetres apart. Top with more potting soil, leaving a couple of centimetres between soil and pot rim.

Add water until it starts to drain out the bottom. Container gardens dry out quickly, especially in hot weather, so check soil moisture often – stick your finger in about five centimetres and if it feels dry, add water. Yellow or dying leaves on lower branches are signs of under-watering.

Go easy on fertilizer, because most herbs don’t like it. Thyme and oregano especially thrive and taste better if left alone.

Harvest time varies from about three months with seeds, to almost right away with bedding plants, depending on how mature the plant is. Cut leaves and stems off the tops first – the more you pick, the more you get.

In late summer or early fall some herbs brought indoors will keep producing.

Put them in a window with lots of sun.

Some may not survive, but you don’t lose anything by trying.

Mint, thyme, oregano and chives are perennials. They will die back over the winter but regrow in spring. Divide the roots into sections and replant them in early spring when the plants are still dormant, and hope for another tasty summer. 

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Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Photo by www.seus sville.com

Tips for travelling with children Dave Brown

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes You can steer yourself any direction you choose (An excerpt from Dr. Seuss.)

F

or many parents, teaching children the joy and value of travelling is a life lesson to be nurtured and shared forever. For others, travelling is an adventure that should be free of stress and children, thank you very much.

And then there are those who missed the chance to travel during their 20s, went on to marry and have kids, and now feel adventure must wait until retirement.

But lo, this is not so. Read on. For the average family, adventure is a relative term. It may be the accumulation of short trips hiking and camping

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every weekend or travelling the world a month at a time.

Well, this certainly isn’t the back seat of the family minivan, but it would be an adventure to remember.

Whatever it is, you can (and should) experience travel with your children. It will enrich your trip and your life at the same time. Here’s the how and why:

the warmth of adults from all countries. They are the perfect ambassadors becoming students of life when taken on journeys around the corner or around the world.

WHY CHILDREN RULE

IT’S EASY IF YOU ...

Did you know children are the ideal travel companions? Their zest for life, their adaptability, and their skill at picking up other languages faster than you makes them extremely valuable.

You’ll find their simple smiling faces speak the international language guaranteed to bring out

• Plan: For a daylong hiking trip with the kids, pack and prepare all you’ll need for any possible event. The same holds true for a month-long adventure to Thailand and beyond.

• Study: The Internet certainly has made

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it easier for us. You can see videos, read reviews and blogs of others who have gone before you. There are unlimited resources from which to draw when planning your day, week, or multi-day excursion ... just be sure to include the kids in the planning.

If they are part of your adventure from the beginning they’ll be all-in during.

• Choose: To consult and choose the first adventure is paramount to future successes. The children will generally be up for any adventure (at least my five-year old son certainly is), so pick something on which all can agree. If it’s a day trip, great!

A camping weekend? Super. And before you know it, no doubt you’ll eventually graduate to a three-week trip in a far-off land and the entire family will be collectively amazed.

• Pack lightly: Travelling light keeps the family mobile, energetic and sane. In your pack have fewer clothes and a first-aid kit; in their packs an appropriate toy, book and stuffy should suffice. Obviously, the destination will dictate what you bring.

YOUR ROLE As in all things with children, make it fun.

Make believe, make it interesting, be funny, and be imaginative. For kids it’s 100-per-cent about the journey – every bug, plant, rock and animal on the route – than it is about the destination.

Wherever you go during the day, when it’s time for bed, get ‘em cosy and comfortable so they’ll sleep soundly through the night. It won’t matter if it’s a tent, train or hotel, so long as they feel secure.

If you are taking the kids out of school for a few weeks for an education outside the classroom, be sure you have assignments in advance and set aside time each day for homework. It’ll be a reminder they need to learn both in and out of the school. Plus, it’ll give you some time to read, reflect or revisit the next stage of your adventure.

A dark forest or strange land can bring about inhibitions and fear. But if you show you are confident and excited, they’ll follow along.

TIPS • Take it easy. Choose shorter journeys and longer activities when possible.

• Start early. Keep the energy high in the mornings and let it taper off later in the day. Your mood affects their mood.

• Take breaks. Childhood is a perpetual state of recess, so you jump in and enjoy it too.

• Have nourishment. Whether hiking, visiting a museum or sitting on a cliff, have snacks and water available and offer it to them.

There are many lessons you can teach your children about travel, adventure and the outdoors. If you do this often and do it well, you’ll have given them the gift of confidence and wonder before they head out on their own. 

Dr. Seuss said it best

“So ... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray, or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea, You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So ... get on your way!”

Dave Brown, first published this article in his Outdoor Life column in the Ottawa Citizen.

And of course he’s busy as the publisher of this magazine. :)

Live Local Jazz every Sunday-Tuesday-Wednesday evening.

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dows lake pavilion Seven great reasons to visit this adventure location all summer 1. Lakeside escape in the heart of the city Don’t have a cottage, or the time to drive all the way out of town? No problem! Located at the base of Preston Street and minutes from downtown, Dows Lake offers an “urban hinterland” retreat in the centre of Canada’s Capital.

2. Fun on the water Try out a stand-up paddleboard (SUP), a kayak, canoe, or pedal boat, all available for rent at the Pavilion.

3. Experimental Farm Make a day of it! Bring the family and friends and after a nice paddle on the Lake, take the quick walk over to the Central Experimental Farm and enjoy one of the many programs and attractions on offer.

4. Arboretum Paddle along or stroll through the 26 acres of diverse flora.

5. Paths and trails Jogging, walking, biking, or rollerblading, there’s hardly a nicer setting in Ottawa than the paths running along Dows Lake and snaking through the arboretum.

6. Stay fit! Whether you’re on the water itself or taking advantage of one of the surrounding areas,

all activities in the vicinity offer varying degrees of physical challenge that are bound to get the blood flowing and keep you smiling.

7. Three fantastic restaurants After it’s all said and done, take some time to relax; no matter if you’re looking for Tex-Mex, pub style fare, or casual fine dining. Dows lake has it all!

Photos of activities you could be doing this summer AT DOWS LAKE PAVILION

• paddle on stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, canoes or pedal boats • Walk or Run the boardwalk ending where you began, at the Pavilion • DINE on the large decks of any of the three restaurants • RELAX watching the boats, SUP’ers and kayak/canoers come floating by • ENJOY the view day or night

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