Issue #49 - Ottawa Outdoors Magazine

SPRING 15TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

OTTAWA • GATINEAU • ONTARIO • QUEBEC • US & BEYOND

ADVENTURE • TRAVEL • HIKE

150

BIKE • CANOE • KAYAK • CAMP

Bikepacking is a new way to explore the outdoors An Algonquin monster attack?

Family camping rewards Join any of these outdoor adventure clubs

CANOEING TIPS TO GET YOU WHERE YOU'RE GOING

HOW TO CYCLE TO WORK AND WEAR A SUIT EACH DAY P.8 COVER | Just one of the islands where you can camp. www.PoissonBlanc.ca

CELEBRATING

15YEARS

AS OTTAWA'S OUTDOOR ADVENTURE + TRAVEL MAGAZINE OTTAWAOUTDOORS.CA

WWW.

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS ALL 'ROUND! My how time flies. Not only is it Canada's 150th, it is also this magazine's 15th birthday. Lots to celebrate!

Yup, the magazine top left is the first issue we published back in June of 2002, and the issue you're holding in your hands now is the spring issue 15 years later. That equates to about 1400 articles of all things outdoors, written for you by a team of anywhere from 10 to 50 writers (kudos to Allen, Sheila and Katharine as our core squad), plus countless photographers and our super illustrators (Keith and Gord). And of course a special shoutout to Roger Bird, our devoted editor for so many years.

We put our heart and soul into each issue to come up with creative and relevant aritcle ideas that you, our outdoor enthusiast readers, would love. And don't forget to support our advertisers and mention you saw their ad in our city-wide distribution of over 200 locations.

Whether you read and enjoy the printed word in your hands, or prefer the digital version on your iPad or computer, we're pleased to get you quality content in all formats so you can learn and plan your next adventure.

As with every issue, there are pages of photos, how-to's, tips, and adventure destination articles to enjoy. Just look to your right and start flipping the pages the way you've been doing for the past 15 years.

Until next we meet, happy trails!

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Your outdoor adventure and travel guide

Spring 2012

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Summer 2012

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Your outdoor adventure and travel guide

Ottawa • Gatineau • Ontario • Quebec • US & Beyond

Top 10 outdoor adventures in Ontario Just choose ‘em, book ‘em and go

Mountain Bike Polo Yup, exactly what it sounds like

Cycling trips Two easy ones close to home

Ottawa • Gatineau • Ontario • Quebec • US & Beyond

Six summer workouts that sizzle!

Stand up paddling, boot camps, kayaking and more Canoe trip for the girls Getting together in Temagami

Glamping it up When camping meets comfort

Prepare for the outdoors

Dogs and paddling Training for their first time

Win $27,000

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WINTER 2012

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Your outdoor adventure and travel guide Ottawa • Gatineau • Ontario • Quebec • U.S. & Beyond

Get ready for the snowshoe sunny days of winter

Where the fun begins is up to you

Winter Fitness

Which burns calories best?

Backcountry family ski A guide for each glide you take

Speedskating 101

The blades of Brewer beckon

Lost in the bush

A father and son’s experience

And the wilderness will welcome you

Hit the trails Trail running tips

A compleTe ouTdoor AdvenTure prize pAckAge

Exploring the Bonnechere Caves Escape from the heat

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Spring 2013

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Women’s paddle adventures

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Your guide to the local outdoor adventure scene Ottawa, Ottawa Valley, Gatineau, Québec

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Whitewater rafting the Ottawa River

Snowboarding basics for beginners

Why, where and how to get wet and wild this summer

Three tips to stay up

Why guided trips make it so easy

Alpine powder tips

The great Canadian nature detective hunt See if you can solve these puzzles

Cycling Ile d’Orléans A jewel within easy reach

WIn

A complete outdoor Adventure GeAr pAckAGe

Collecting wilderness water Four ways to guarantee safety

Feature: running a jungle marathon

Skiing with your poles and feet

The essential après ideas for all sports

Cycling Perth

How to truly relax in comfort

A pedal paradise

Seven tinders for fire

Survival

Identifying which are the best

A book review on who lives, who dies and why

Paw prints in snow Knowing your wild animals

Paddle plans

Choose the right one for your adventures

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ROGER BIRD CONTRIBUTORS Allen Macartney Sheila Ascroft Katherine Fletcher Shannon Peddell Eric Fletcher Elizabeth Mabie, Arthur Hidden, Jim Clarke, Rose Kivi, Dave Simpson, Florin Ciobanu, Roger Bird, Eric Martinat, Chuck Fraser, Keith Milne, Gord Coulthart, Dave Brown

02 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

Dave Brown is the publisher of both Ottawa Outdoors Magazine (15yrs) and Fish, Hunt & Ride publications published seasonally and distributed FREE at more than a 200 locations around the region and into Québec and Ontario. © Copyright 2017.

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

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BIKEPACKING IS A NEW WAY TO EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS

SPRING ISSUE

YOUR CANOE 16 BUY AFTER PADDLING IT 2 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 26 28 29 30 30 31 32 34 35 36 38 39

Cover Photo of just one of the islands by www.PoissonBlanc.ca

34 COOLGEAR HOT STUFF

READ IT ONLINE

40 43 44 46

Publisher’s letter Canada’s great, new, really long trail Camping etiquette makes everyone happier Share that trail!

Three Saguenay cycling trails – for the fierce, the determined and the lazy How to cycle to work and wear a suit every day An Algonquin monster attack Camping nightmare: a true story Bikepacking is a new way to explore the outdoors In the wilderness, optimists live, pessimists die Dreaming about camping on your own island?

Don’t buy that canoe until you paddle it Canoeing tips Converting rails into trails on both sides of the Ottawa River Why travel can be good for your stress Know your canoe trip buddies Voyageur Canoe Culture Dows Lake Pavilion Tips for great backyard designs Lightweight packs crowd the market Backpack basics Falcons moving in to Gatineau Park North Frontenac Park Lands bikepacking loop rough, and ready Frontenac Outfitters pass the paddle to new ownership Outdoor Summer Adventure Clubs Cool gear | Hot stuff Bike, bird, paddle Presqu’ile Carve your own paddle Bikepacking bags a big assist toward lighter pedalling New astronomy park in Luskville to open this summer Wildlife await in National Capital Region A pilot reflects on fear of heights Many roads lead to fun in family camping What to do when you capsize

READ EACH ISSUE ON YOUR COMPUTER, IPAD OR TABLET!

Check out some hot items to pick up this SPRING!

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OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 03

Canada’s great, new, really long trail

BY SHEILA ASCROFT

www.thegreattrail.ca

04 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

Trails. Hiking trails, biking trails, ATV trails, deerhunting trails, X-C ski trails … so many Canadians have a favourite trail. Soon, we’ll be able to share the longest recreational trail of them all – the Trans Canada Trail, aka The Great Trail. The best part is the entire trail is free. You can hike, bike, paddle or ride a horse on any section part of these 432 interconnecting trails (and snowmobile or cross country ski them in winter).

And if you have the time and energy, travel the whole route. At 30 kilometres a day, that would take two years, two months and one week of your life.

Spokeswoman Christina Kozakiewicz at the Trans Canada Trail office in Montreal said the Trail is within 30 minutes of 80 per cent of Canadians, “a link to the frontiers of our past and our future, linking 15,000 communities.”

As of early March this year, the Trail was 91 per cent complete, a whopping 21,500 kilometres in 13 provinces and territories. Only 2,200 kilometres to go! The gaps are in remote unpopulated areas with tough terrain but the goal is to complete the links in time to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.

Kozakiewicz emphasized that even though the Trail will be completed in 2017, it’s “ever-evolving and will continue to improve and grow beyond 2017 … for future generations of Canadians and visitors.”

She praised the 477 groups of ordinary citizens as well as local, municipal, provincial, territorial, and federal government agencies that care for the individual trails and have made it all happen.

The Great Trail travels through urban, rural and wilderness landscapes, along greenways, waterways (26 per cent of the whole shebang) and roadways.

It stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans, and north to Tuktoyaktuk and the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic.

Some dreams take a long time to turn into reality. This one began with the National Trail Association in 1992 for Canada’s 125th birthday.

Donations poured in from private citizens, corporations and governments, and the Great Trail is now the world’s single longest network of multiuse recreational trails.

The website (www.thegreattrail.ca) provides a map of the full route: green for the completed sections, orange for the gaps and blue for waterways. Zooming in on specific areas shows access points, parking spots and rest areas. Blue waterways are for canoes and kayaks, including a spectacular stretch along the shore of Lake Superior from Sault Ste. Marie to Kenora.

That stretch means you cannot hike or bike the trail from coast to coast without using some alternative routes and roads – the Trail is not 100 per cent car-free. There’s an app for iPhones, iPads and Androids providing the Great Trail map so it’s available wherever you are.

Some sections have already proven popular, such as the Sea to Sky Trail in British Columbia, the Salt Marsh Trail in Nova Scotia, l’Estriade in Quebec, the Caledon Trailway in Ontario, and the Banff Legacy Trail in Alberta. Kozakiewicz says that these well-travelled sections aren’t necessarily the most scenic. For stunning scenery, try the Millennium Trail in Yukon, le P’tit Train du Nord in Quebec, Fundy National Trail in New Brunswick and Ontario’s Waterfront Trail.

Donations will be needed forever, so you can kick in via www.thegreattrail.ca.

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Camping etiquette makes everyone happier

BY ALLEN MACARTNEY Late last summer after a week on Algonquin’s Burnt Island Lake we arrived at the first portage only to find a large garbage bag in the bushes beside the trail. Stuffed with the remainders of at least a five-day trip and weighing 10 kilograms, it held everything from crushed cans to half-rotted food. Without saying a word, one of my paddling buddies hefted it out over all five portages that day.

Luckily, most campers are thoughtful, not like the goons that left their trash behind. But we can all use some reminders.

Leave no trace. These words are an outdoor mantra and putting it into practice is simple? When you arrive at the campsite, take five minutes to clean up any obvious garbage you find. Then when you leave, make the site cleaner than when you got there – take another five minutes to pick up the less obvious stuff from other campers like cigarette butts, bottle caps, burnt aluminum foil in the fire pit, bits of rope. Make a rule that everyone has to pick up at least five pieces of trash before leaving. Kids included, but tell them to avoid broken glass.

Leave firewood and kindling for the next camper. Nothing like arriving at a new site, especially at night, to find a small pile of firewood left by previous campers.

Absolutely delightful!

Use a timer for your lights. When trailer parking, set a timer on your lights (including awning lights), and angle them down so they don’t disturb nearby campers. Bright lights left on late can make it hard for others to sleep.

Keep noise down. Tone down loud talking and music. Wildlife will benefit. They need the forest’s peace and tranquility. Whispering around a campfire adds a delicious layer of serenity for people.

Follow existing trails. This limits erosion, breaks fewer branches and stomps fewer plants.

Buy firewood at the park. Never cut down a living tree. Green wood burns poorly if at all, and fines will cost you. Bring no firewood

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from home. You could be transporting destructive bugs into a new location.

Protect water from pollution. This includes never using soap to bath in a lake or river. Even biodegradable soap has destructive chemicals to lift dirt and grease from pans or sweaty bodies.

Wash yourself and your stuff at least 100 metres from water.

Use a flashlight at night but aim it downwards so it doesn’t flash into other people’s tents.

Avoid pitching your tent close to your neighbour. Everyone wants privacy.

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Share that trail!

BY SHEILA ASCROFT Trail etiquette is a nice way of saying be polite and consider others when walking, hiking, biking or riding horses on multi-use trails. Trail use is a privilege. Don’t abuse it, or everyone could lose it.

Before rushing off down the path, read the trailhead signs. Maybe your dog isn’t welcome, or must be kept on the leash (and poop must be scooped!). You could learn there’s a fine for picking plants. You’ll certainly be urged not to litter. Obeying these rules keeps the trail clean and ensures a natural experience for all users.

If you are biking, be aware of other users and always let walkers, hikers or horseback riders have the right of way. They may be sauntering, rubbernecking plants or fauna, unaware they’re blocking the path (birders are often clueless this way). If you are slow, move off the path or stay to the right to let others pass.

When cycling past others, slow down and let them know you’re coming. You don’t have to be loud or annoying, just alert them to your presence.

06 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

Obviously, recreational trails go through the habitat of small wildlife. It’s their home, so no disturbances please. Don’t shout, chase, or throw things to get their attention. Take a photo but not their peace of mind.

Finally, liquor does not belong in the woods! If the party urge hits, go to a bar or have a barbeque.

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Three Saguenay cycling trails – for the fierce, the determined and the lazy

BY ELIZABETH MABIE Whether you want to test those longdistance leg muscles to the limit, have a brisk ride, or just tour leisurely through stunning scenery, Quebec’s Saguenay/Lac Saint-Jean region has it all.

From the towns surrounding the wide but shallow waters of Lac-Saint-Jean itself to the hills along the rocky northern shore of the St. Lawrence River getting there, three trails beckon cyclists able to handle different levels of effort. Attractions along the way are easily accessible by bicycle, and there are plenty of rental and maintenance shops.

Here’s a look at the route in stages, starting with the most demanding, closest to Quebec City.

LA MALBAIE TO TADOUSSAC This 74-kilometre stretch starts at La Malbaie, about 140 kilometres downriver from Quebec City is not for the faint of heart. Breathtaking views of the St. Lawrence River are reached up steep hills – an intense challenge. Starting in this town of about 9,000 people, head northeast up Highway 138 for an astonishing view of the river, with kite surfers racing across the water near the harbour.

Continuing up 138 to Tadoussac, you pass villages with impressive views, restaurants and comfortable places to rest. Tadoussac is where the Saguenay River empties into the St. Lawrence, and it’s home to the Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park, and the Marine

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PHOTO BY ARTHURHIDDEN – FOTOLIA

QUEBEC’S NORTH SHORE LONG ON OPPORTUNITY

Mammal Interpretation Centre. It has some of the best whale-watching tours and marine education in North America focused on rich aquatic life – including Greenland sharks, the longest-living vertebrate on the planet.

TADOUSSAC TO LAC SAINT-JEAN If you want to stop and smell the roses, this is the ride for you, and it will give you a decent workout along the way. It follows the Saguenay River for 200 kilometres north up Highway 172 to Lac St-Jean over hills (some steep), through forests and farmland. Hiking trails and scenic landscapes off the main road are a strong temptation to spread the ride out over three to five days.

Near the town of Sacré Coeur you’ll find Pont Couvert Louis-Gravel, a covered bridge built in 1934 named after a 19th-century settler. The route’s highlight is Quebec’s Saguenay Fjord National Park, home to multiple species of animals and plants, and activities and attractions geared towards athletes, artists and amateur naturalists.

A stop in Saint-Rose-du-Nord offers Gîte du Paradis, a small inn run by a couple offer homemade cooking and good conversation, restaurants, and family-friendly hiking trails

with plenty of rest stops and landmarks for picnics and photos.

LAC SAINT-JEAN LOOP Definitely the easiest route, this 256-kilometre trail around Lac-Saint-Jean is a breeze for hill-averse cyclists and families. It’s also known as the “Blueberry Bike Trail” for all the blueberry farms and fruit-filled desserts.

One of the many off-road attraction is the abandoned village of Val-Jalbert on the lake’s southern shore, a step back in time to the 1920s when the original inhabitants left after the paper mill closed.

Now open to the public as a heritage site, you can explore the mill, view theatrical performances, and ride a cable car uphill for a view of Lac Saint-Jean. On the western shore is the Zoo Sauvage de Saint-Félicien, home to 75 species from around the globe, including polar bears and tigers.

It’s a scenic circle replete with villages, inns, and restaurants along the way, as well as many rest stops and picnic areas.

OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 07

How to cycle to work and wear a suit every day

BY JIM CLARKE Most of us are aware of why we should cycle to work, but the “how” part can be more elusive. How can you bike to work and still look like Harry Rosen’s best customer?

Here are a few tips on getting started: Scout out places in advance to lock your bike during working hours. Many progressive workplaces provide bike cages for their employees to encourage cycling to work. If your employer doesn’t have a locking facility, ask for one. If you get fired for asking, it wasn’t a good place to work anyway.

bussing, but lots of people do it. Alternatively, some people take fresh clothes in each day by carefully rolling them up in their saddlebags – it works nicely for some women’s outfits and most men’s “working casual” attire. Harry Rosen would probably advise you don’t roll up his suits.

On Monday night, pack a knapsack or your saddlebags with seven items: tie, belt, socks, the easy-to-forget underwear, cellphone, patch kit and bike pump. (Women will vary this list slightly according to their needs.)

Biking with a backpack causes heat build-up

aren’t as hard on a hairstyle as you think, so everyone should wear one.

In about two weeks, repeat Steps 1-8. This assumes you wear each clothing item twice, which should allow you to remain safely under the international body odour limit.

Cycling to work can be done easily; lots of people do it. But realistically, it isn’t for everybody. Some folks will be hamstrung by child and daycare arrangements, proximity problems, and personal health limitations. If you live farther than 25 kilometres from work and are not directly related to Hercules, you

Find out if your workplace has shower facilities. If not, don’t use this as another lame excuse to avoid riding. In most weather, toweling down and deodorant are an effective combination. And, have a good chat with your body and sign a mutual agreement to avoid sweating. Besides, most sweating occurs on the way home when temperatures are higher – go jump in your neighbour’s pool.

Find a place to change at work if you don’t have a closed-in office. Bathroom stalls work just fine. If you do have the luxury of a closedin office, check out the visibility that nearby office workers have when your lights are on; you don’t want to see yourself toweling down on the Internet.

It’s Sunday night, and you’re winding down from a fun weekend. Drag the ironing board in front of the TV and iron five shirts (guys) or five outfits (girls) while you watch America’s Funniest Videos.

On Monday, take the car or bus to work and bring three suits and the five ironed shirts (guys) or your five outfits (girls) with you. This can be a bit of a haul if you are

and sore shoulders. Saddlebags make cycling way more fun. The cellphone can be handy for calling work in the morning or home in the evening if you have a flat tire. No, don’t use this prospect as another excuse to give cycling a pass; cars and busses get flat tires, too. Besides, studies show you’ll only get a flat if you don’t pack a cell phone.

Tuesday morning and good times are here.

Have a good breakfast, put those biking shorts on, transplant your important papers from the briefcase to pre-packed saddlebags, and away you go. You are now on target to enjoy the exhilaration of waving at your carbound neighbours as you pass them. You’re taking in copious cubic metres of sweet air, working those muscles, and saving the environment, all in one fell swoop.

Once you arrive at work, resist the temptation to throw your slightly moist biking clothes into the corner. I have learned they won’t dry even after eight hours when they’re left in a heap. Makeup and hair challenges might exist for women, but my wife has proven time and again that this too can be overcome. Cycling helmets

may not want to ride every day. There are some hardy souls who commute downtown from Kanata and Orleans, but there’s no shame in limiting longer treks to Fridays, because every ride is a good ride.

Some people won’t be able to bike to work for good reason. But, don’t avoid it because you’re afraid to organize your clothes in advance. Fill the water bottle, slap it on the bike and go for it. You’ll soon have your own list of reasons for pushing those pedals all over town.

08 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

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An Algonquin monster attack

WITH BEAVERS, KNOW WHEN TO YIELD WITHOUT HESITATION way. That can’t be a beaver, I thought.

Beavers don’t threaten. My imagination was turning it into the Godzilla of all Algonquin water creatures.

When it dragged its huge body onto the shore, I ran the 10 metres to my tent for an axe, thoughts flooding my mind. Would it charge? How fast could it run? Was it rabid?

“Get out of here!” I yelled through the gloom, swinging my axe, though the flashlight could barely light up its form. It stood its ground, hissing for several minutes, and then backed into the water and slipped below the surface.

That night, I slept little, fingers around my axe handle, senses alert for an attack that never came. Next day I found a pile of mud and branches on the bank where the beaver had landed. I moved my campsite.

After returning home, I told my father-inlaw about the incident, thinking he would chuckle about one beer too many, but no. He knew an old Quebec carpenter who had been working at an isolated cottage in northern Quebec when a large beaver came out of the water and attacked him. He fought it off with a hammer.

I started to pay close attention to beaver stories. A man in Belarus was attacked and bitten by a giant beaver. Its teeth bit right

through an artery, killing him. In the United States over the past couple years, other people have been attacked by rabid or cornered beavers.

Here’s the moral of this tale. The forest belongs to the wild. We’re invading animals’ territory.

Give all animals, small and large (beaver record was 50 kilograms; normal weight is between 13 and 25 kilograms) the space they need to live in peace.

And if one of them demands more room in unmistakable terms, yield without hesitation.

MELISSA ROLLINS

I don’t believe in monsters but …

About five years ago I was paddling into Algonquin for a late-season solo canoe trip. It was mid-September and almost no one was in the park. Perfect.

In early evening rain, I paddled down Canoe Lake, and took the portage into Joe Lake. Low, dark clouds scudded overhead as I paddled, wet and cold through the narrow waterways formed by Tepee and Fawn Lakes that lead to Little Doe Lake. Day faded into night in what seemed like a few minutes.

Mist and rain had reduced visibility to just beyond the canoe’s bow, but finally, I found a campsite. Soon the tent was up and gear unloaded. Before turning in for the night, I took a last walk down to the water and looked out over the mist enshrouded lake.

Spooky. Rain hissed down through leaves, no other campfire pierced the darkness.

Suddenly, a lone beaver appeared out on the lake not far from where I was standing.

Its bow wave (pushed up in front of its nose as it swam) was enormous. I’d never seen anything like it. Then a deep hissing, growling sound from it carried over the water towards me.

I freaked! Then it turned and swam directly toward me, hissing and growling the entire

ILLUSTRATION BY KEITH MILNE AND GORD COULTHART

BY ALLEN MACARTNEY

10 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

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Camping nightmare: a true story

BY ALLEN MACARTNEY

“Dad?” My 10-year-old son was frowning, pressing in close to me. “Is he OK?” Sheets of rain driven by fierce winds pummeled trees and ground. Standing under a giant tarpaulin, sipping hot chocolate, we watched a man who, minutes before, had pulled into the Algonquin Park campsite beside ours.

Without a raincoat, he had stepped out of his small vehicle, into a puddle. Oblivious, he took several steps through more puddles.

His car door remained open. Rain whipped inside where three other people and an enormous dog peered out of fogged windows. Squinting with concentration, he surveyed the campsite. Rivulets of water ran down his cheeks and chin, and disappeared under a thin shirt.

“Excuse me,” I called, “but would you like to stand under our tarp?”

For several seconds he continued looking at the water-logged ground and swaying trees as if pondering some deep philosophical truth. Then he slowly swung his gaze toward us, and grunted, “No.” Period.

My son tried to suppress a snicker. Everhelpful, I added: “Ah … would you like a raincoat?” Then I added, “That store down the road sells tarpaulins.”

Looking like a soaked cat on the back porch, he turned towards us again and mumbled, “Nah.”

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With that he returned to his car and rallied the others to set up camp. His wife, two kids and dog piled out, and dutifully stepped into the large puddle lapping at his car tires. No one wore raincoats. Piece by piece, they dragged camping gear out of the trunk, and into the rain where it lay exposed.

Over the next half hour they erected a tiny, faded three-person tent. His wife searched for the assembly instructions, which she located, partly-ripped, soaking in a puddle.

The man discovered that one of the tent’s ridge poles was broken. The fly sagged, focusing streams of water directly onto and into the tent. No one noticed or seemed to care. The kids dumped wet sleeping bags inside. The tent door stayed open throughout.

At one point I opened my mouth to offer advice, but my son tugged at my elbow, and sensibly observed, “Let it go, Dad.” At high-volume, their car radio sent rock ’n’roll shock waves through the trees. Sparrows and nuthatches scattered.

Neighboring campers cringed.

But the dog was happy. Tail wagging, it crossed onto our campsite, squatted and, even happier, deposited a large mess. His master looked up at the critical moment, watched, then resumed his labours.

Over the next hours as we watched, the pathetic “holiday” continued to unfold: soggy supper, slipping in mud, crying kids, overcrowded tent.

Next day, after packing up in the rain, the father came over. “I don’t understand,” he said frowning. “I used to come here as a kid.

Camping was great. But my wife never wants to do this again.” He shrugged, walking back to his car, almost stepping in the dog poop.

His camping neighbours were glad to see them go. It took us 15 minutes to clean up his campsite, including the pile of porridge dumped beside a picnic table. You can avoid a similar fate and be nice to other campers.

Ask an experienced camper for advice if you’re new to the outdoors, clean up your campsite before leaving, be quiet at night (whisper in the dark), keep the pooch on a leash. And check out the weather forecast.

The word means “ahead of time.”

OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 11

Bikepacking: a new way to explore the outdoors

BY SHEILA ASCROFT Bikepacking.

You sure you don’t mean backpacking?

Yes, I’m sure.

Bikepacking is backpacking with a bike, a nifty new way to get out there. It lets you go further into the outdoors with less effort and still have camping comfort at the end of the day. Instead of hauling gear on your back all day to reach a campsite, the bike (usually a fatbike or wide-tire mountain bike) does the heavy lifting for you.

You still have to peddle.

It differs from traditional bike touring on paved roads, hauling stuff in cumbersome front, and/or rear racks with panniers (saddlebags). This new kind of touring relies on a lighter, no-rack, multi-bag system (see Bikepacking Bags on pg.38). This bag system makes it easier for cyclists to handle rough terrain – mountain single track, ATV dirt roads or rails-to-trails. You can go for a simple overnighter or, with the soon-to-be completed 24,000-kilometre Trans Canada Trail (pg.4), head out for a multi-week tour.

To find out more about how to do this new “mobile but non-motorized camping,” Ottawa bikepackers explained the basics for Ottawa Outdoors readers.

Mountain biker Mike McGuire said, “If you enjoy the outdoors, sleeping outside and mountain biking, you’ll probably love bikepacking. There’s nothing like starting early, riding all day, watching the sunset from the trail, riding through dark wilderness, pitching a tent or bivy, waking to a frosty sunrise … and then doing it all over again.”

He pointed out that biking instead of hiking lets you cover much greater distances and get you to remote campsites and trails with less stress on legs and back. A backpacking trip might be 30 kilometres but a big bikepacking trip might clock in at 60 to 160 kilometres.

“This is a really good way to explore a large area, or if the pace of walking is just a little slow for you.”

McGuire and friends all use fatbikes for their trips. Big four- to five-inch-wide lowpressure tires handle almost any terrain in any season, and newer “semi-fat” mountain bikes, with tires 2½- to three-inch-wide can handle less rugged routes.

McGuire’s bikepacking friend Adrian Grant – there’s a great photo of him out there

12 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

riding on gravel wearing a plaid shirt – said backpackers would find an easy shift to bikepacking, because they already have the lightweight gear needed for a few days in the woods.

“You don’t need a special bike or bags; it just makes it more comfortable, especially if you are just trying it out,” said bikepacker Sean Ralph. But he cautions newbies to keep that first trip short and simple. Pack a lunch and drinks, and a sleeping bag with ground pad or hammock. Pick a route that takes a few hours of riding and find a spot to camp.

In the morning, ride back until you find some place for breakfast, and then head home.

“I hear camping in a graveyard works in a pinch. Though I’ve never done it,” he offered.

“And never leave home without toilet paper and baby wipes!”

Sandra Beaubien, president of the Ottawa Mountain Bike Association, concurs on that short-and-sweet first overnight ride. She knows her way around the whole scene, having been a force to contend with to get the NCC to accept mountain biking and fatbiking.

She says, “the first time you put all of your bags and gear on your bike, it can be a bit tricky to figure out and takes a surprising amount of time. It’s important to put the heaviest items in your frame bag or on your fork cages.”

But once you figure how to pack efficiently, it’s amazing how much gear and food you can bring.

PEDDLING DOWN THE TRAIL McGuire and Beaubien have both done overnighters, a few two-night trips and one multi-day ride. Overnight campouts involve riding 30 to 50 kilometres, while multi-day trips average 40 kilometres a day, or more than 100 over a long weekend. They said whatever the trip, it’s important to stop and rest regularly. Not everybody is of equal fitness, and the goal is adventure and exploration – nobody needs medical grief.

Ottawa has lots of bikepacking options, Adrian Grant said, suggesting regional rails-totrails, “including the Cataraqui Trail, the K&P Trail, the Hastings Trail, and the Veloroute des Braveurs.” He said each of these is well mapped, good places for beginners on multiday rides.

Bikepacking routes often require extra

planning. Backpacking trails have been identified and mapped, but that can’t be said for all the forest service and fire access roads, transmission line cuts, ATV trails and gravel roads bikepackers might encounter. So check out the Ontario Cottage Country Backroad Mapbook (5th edition, 2016). It lists every possible road, path and trail between Ottawa and Georgian Bay. Bikepacker Ted Sewell said Ottawa Valley forests and lakes are rich in trail networks and Crown land campsites. “Calabogie is a hot spot for trail users and lake-seekers alike and at an hour’s drive from Ottawa, is a great launching point for a weekend on the bike and under the stars.”

One of his favourite rides is the North Frontenac Park Lands Bikepacking Loop, but it’s not for the faint of heart! Sewell called it a “beautiful route of varied terrain over 110 kilometres that encompasses flowing doubletrack descents, blazing-fast logging roads, lung-busting single-track climbs, and 2,000 metres of elevation gain.”

OLD ROADS He loves Calabogie’s network of old logging roads. “They shamelessly ignore Highway Design Code conventions in favour of grades and turn radii that send you on a roller-coaster ride up, down, and around the region’s hills, and leave you wondering how mountain biking on a dirt ‘road’ could be so much fun.”

And there are good routes closer to home.

Last fall, the group rode to the yurt (booked ahead of time) at Taylor Lake in Gatineau Park before snow closed the trails to bikes.

The yurt has kitchen equipment so the group didn’t need to pack much cooking gear.

McGuire said his group of friends have been using Ontario Crown land and ZEC areas in Quebec, both offering old double-track logging roads that “grow more interesting to ride as the forest reclaims them.”

He said they end up at campsites and enjoy the relaxation, preferably on a lake or river. “Most of us even have pack-rafts and four-piece paddles that we carry so we can get out on the water or cross small rivers when necessary.”

McGuire said he learned quickly to leave things behind. To keep bike weight roughly below 35 kilograms loaded, skip extra

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a small fire grill to make campfire cooking easier. Most people carry a single pot and use it as a bowl.”

The bikepackers leave two-person tents at home in favour of hammocks with bug mesh and triangular rain flies. They take up a lot less space than a tent. An inflatable camp pad and down sleeping bag inside the hammock make sleeping comfortable down to 5C.

cutlery, plates or even extra shoes (he straps sandals to his seat pack since he rides with clipless pedals and cycling shoes). Many also pay a slight weight penalty to bring a packable Helinox camp chair for comfort around the campfire.

“Riding on an old train track bed for 50 kilometres on a 70-pound bike is tough, even with five-inch tires at 10 psi,” he said.

After two multi-day trips he ditched a coffee press for Starbuck’s packets. “This freed up one of my 10-litre fork-mounted dry bags for more food.”

To reinforce individual efforts, he group combines gear lists to consolidate equipment and reduce weight.

“We pretty much carry a single JetBoil now, and canisters, which we also use as a stove,” McGuire said. “We carry one large silicone tarp for base camp, and usually lug around

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Sean Ralph likes freshly made trailside guacamole and corn tortilla chips especially since the chips can be used as a fire starter.

And you gotta drink! If water gets boring, add powder flavouring or Nuun tablets. Since beer is bulky, the group brings spirits for mellow times around the fire.

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD AND DRINK Food choices come down to calories versus weight. Pre-baked potatoes with butter are a great weight-sizecalorie trade-off. Corn on the cob is wonderful over the fire, but takes up way FURTHER INFO AT: too much space in the frame bag.

– Ottawa Valley Bikepacking Collective on Facebook McGuire likes to – Bikepack Canada (www.bikepackcanada.ca) start the trip with – Ottawa Mountain Biking Association (www.ottawamba.org) fresh meat and then – Ottawa Bikepacking (www.ottawabikepacking.net) move to MRE’s and – Ottawa Fat Bike Society on Facebook instant packet food.

For lunches it’s salami, cheese, chocolate, pitas (flatbreads Sean Ralph’s favourite campsite cocktail: travel well) and olives. He suggests In a 500 ml bottle, mix: beginners start with dehydrated food • 1 Nuun lime tablet packs from any camp store. Although • 2 Nuun cola tablets expensive, they are easy to carry and • 1 generous serving of dark Rum heat. To make them better, add butter, • Top off with filtered, tap or hot sauce, and cheese. bottled water

OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 13

In the wilderness, optimists live, pessimists die

BY ALLEN MACARTNEY Several years ago in Alaska, while paddling solo 1,300 kilometres to the Arctic Circle, I got lost.

Getting lost was a slow, hours-long process that evolved as I paddled deeper into an enormous swampy area on the Yukon River called Yukon Flats. That’s where the river broadens out and enters a wilderness of tens of thousands of islands. Maps became incomprehensible. Even my GPS could make no sense of the utterly flat maze of forest, water and dead-end sloughs.

As the reality of being lost sunk in, I could only place myself somewhere in a 230 square kilometre area with the next village somewhere within 100 kilometres. If I missed the village, and Arctic villages can be hard to see tucked into the shoreline, the next one would be several days further on. Worse still, I had been warned about a bad whirlpool somewhere up ahead.

Panic would almost seem a normal reaction at that point, especially for a pessimist. I didn’t know it at the time, but though I was lost and alone in the wilderness I had a great advantage. I’m an optimist.

14 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

Wilderness survival demands that you take a bad situation and make it better. It involves accepting the problem as the new reality, and not pining about the safety a 100 or so kilometres ago. If you lack this positive state of mind, you’re on a fast track to oblivion.

Martin Seligman has studied optimists and pessimists for years, and written about them in a book called Learned Optimism. When something goes very wrong (like getting lost), he has found that the pessimist will generalise, broaden the failure, and start emotionally bleeding all over the place. This pessimist will quit, believing that nothing will help.

A pessimist anticipates failure, which short-circuits creativity. Negativity narrows thinking into constricted boundaries where brainstorming and flexibility are difficult.

And survival challenges demand that you stay flexible in a sometimes rapidly changing environment.

Seligman found, on the other hand, that an optimist will isolate a bad event and say, “Well that didn’t work. I’ll try something else.” An optimist has hope as the default attitude, even when things get dire. And hope is the front door to a solution.

It turns out that optimism also has benefits completely unrelated to survival. Seligman

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writes, “Optimists catch fewer infectious diseases than pessimists do … our immune system seems to work better when we’re optimistic. And evidence suggests that optimists live longer than pessimists.” This is especially true in the wilderness.

Survival situations are fraught with change and the unexpected. And in the words of Charles Darwin, looking at the very big picture, “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive, but those who can best manage change.”

I’m happy to report my reaction as the Yukon River spread out into a trackless maze. Despite knowing my location was vaguely “somewhere” within a 230 square kilometre area, I looked at my canoe and actually chuckled. Yes, I did.

Besides tent and water, I was carrying at least 10 days of extra food that could stretch to a full month if needed. I could live, even thrive, for weeks. To drive the point home to my conscious mind, I said aloud, “I’ll be lucky to get off this river without gaining weight!”

Family history was part of the story. When my wife was a teenager, she and her family got lost in La Verendrye Park for 18 days. They were down to crackers and peanut butter three times a day when the chopper arrived. Ever since, she insists I carry a reserve food supply.

After 24 well-fed hours, I found the Arctic village by sticking to the right-hand section of the river, through all the sloughs and turns.

When the village appeared suddenly around a bend, I paddled hard across a very swift current to the shore, whooping and hollering the entire way. An optimist was back on track.

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Dreaming about camping on your own island? There is a way.

POISSON BLANC REGIONAL PARK Located 1h30 north of Ottawa, this magnificent wilderness of over 100 sq.km will charm you with its cliffs and golden beaches.

The park has 50 campsites on sandy points or rocky headlands overlooking the water where you can relax under the stars for one or more nights.

lead you to a spectacular lookout where you can picnic while admiring the reservoir and its 100 islands.

The Bastion, the Leed or certified park office, is the gateway to the Poisson Blanc reservoir.

From there, the paddlers head south to discover all the beauties of the lake, 25 km long and four kilometres wide.

Each location is secluded to ensure total tranquility for you and your fellow campers. You will never be disturbed by a neighbouring snorer or curious wild animal.

Reefs, cliffs and hills provide enchanting scenery to hike, paddle or swim, all with a minimum trace of civilization.

Do you need to take a break? Relax at the beaches, rest on the sand. And just try to overcome the temptation to jump from its innumerable cliffs with cool, refreshing water waiting below.

The park has three hiking trails accessible only by watercraft, and each of these short treks will

Canoes, sea kayaks and paddleboards are available for rental. As well, the park has an island delivery service and offers the sale and delivery of firewood, drinking water and ice straight to your island.

You can easily book your campsite and canoe/kayak/sup online by visiting poissonblanc.ca. While park access is free, it’s important to know that the campsite’s prices include parking, one bag of firewood per night and a laminated map.

It's time you own your own island . . . if just for a little while. Make your 2017 summer the most amazing one yet!

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 15

Don’t buy that canoe until you paddle it MOST STORES OFFER WEEKLY 'ON-THE-WATER-NIGHTS'

BY ALLEN MACARTNEY If you’re planning to buy a canoe this year, get ready for a bewildering range of choices.

You’ll hear “experts” tout secondary stability and aesthetics, durability and seaworthiness.

The best bet is to stick to essentials – price, length, stability, weight and keel.

And know what that boat is made of.

Although first-time canoe buyers may dream of eventually shooting down Class 3 or 4 rapids, most just want a relatively cheap, stable canoe for lake and river paddling. Or maybe looking forward to weekend or fiveday canoe trips. Here’s how to get you into the best canoe for this kind of us, and one that matches your experience.

PRICE Canoe prices range hugely from $500 to $5,000, but a first-time buyer can get an excellent, new one for about $1,500 – or cheaper at the end of the season. Good used canoes are about half this cost. Avoid cheap hardware store canoes unless you’re only going to use it a few times a year at the cottage. These boats are heavy and about as easy to control as an aircraft carrier.

LENGTH MATTERS Most first-time buyers want a craft that will carry two people and gear. A 16-foot model works for most weekend activities, or even a five-day canoe trip into Algonquin. If you pack gear efficiently, a 16 footer has enough room to add a child and a dog, and it’s short enough for solo canoe practice. If you’re planning longer canoe trips (seven to 10 days) rent a 17-foot canoe rather than buying one. Most of the time, a 16-foot canoe will be more manoeuvrable, and fun for all but the most seasoned paddlers.

STABILITY Kids won’t get into a tippy canoe. Never buy a canoe without test paddling it first out on the water to find out what it actually feels like.

Though sales staff may reassure you with talk about a canoe’s initial and secondary stability,

16 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

you need more than talk. Many canoe stores have an “on-the-water-night” every week all summer for people to try their boats for half an hour or so. They also offer day, weekend or week-long rentals.

Some canoes are tippy until loaded with gear, and then feel solid. So, will you use yours mostly heavily loaded or just with the kids and a picnic lunch? When our kids were young I bought a Swift Algonquin 16-footer – extremely stable empty or loaded, but fast and manoeuvrable. It’s roomy and responsive, and inspires confidence whoever’s paddling.

Another stability factor involves the canoe’s amount of “rocker.” From the side, a boat with a lot of rocker looks like a banana, with its bow and stern raised far above the middle section. Canoes with a lot of rocker are good for running rapids and quick turning. But on a lake, a lightly loaded canoe with lots of rocker can feel very tippy with two paddlers in it – like balancing on a pin. So most new paddlers should aim for a canoe with minimal rocker.

trying to keep it heading straight across a lake on a windy day.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL Canoes are made of everything from aluminum and fibreglass, to carbon fibre, plastic, and wood. A first canoe should be rugged enough to withstand a lot of knocks as you master paddling and trip skills. So look for a good fibreglass, composite or plastic boat.

Buying your first canoe is an adventure.

Enjoy the trip. And start by trying out the model you’re considering.

WEIGHT If you’re just going to be paddling around the cottage and rarely portaging, weight doesn’t matter much. A good, general purpose canoe weight is about 27 to 29 kilograms. This allows a portage without killing your back. Ultralight canoes (about 18 kilograms) are an absolute joy when portaging but less able to take rough treatment and may be twice as expensive because of special construction material.

KEEL Buy a canoe with a keel if you’re planning only occasional paddling on local lakes or gently flowing rivers. It will track over the water well, even in wind. But it won’t turn quickly. And a keel in rapids may provide leverage for swift, strong currents to flip your canoe.

A canoe with no keel can spin on a dime – a lot of fun for experienced paddlers. But a less experienced paddler will fight frustration

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CANOEING TIPS

STEP 3

BY ROSE KIVI Every canoe trip should be a fun experience. It is not uncommon for a canoe trip to be spoiled because an important item was forgotten or lost. Safety precautions should always be taken, even if you are an expert at canoeing. Accidents can happen. Being prepared is the best protection. Follow these basic tips to ensure that your canoe trip is not only a fun one, but a safe one, too.

STEP 1

Bring life jackets, sunscreen, a first aid kit and important medications. Always let someone know where you are going and how long you anticipate you will be gone. That way someone knows when and where to look for you if you do not return home.

STEP 2

Canoe with at least one other person, if possible. Another person can be of assistance in the event that you become injured. Sharing the joy of canoeing with another person can be fun, too.

Use maps to plan your trip well.

Research the area you will be canoeing in to make sure it matches your skill level. If you are a beginner, you do not want to get surprised by canoeing in an area that requires expert experience. If possible, bring a GPS on the trip to assist navigation and help prevent you from becoming lost.

STEP 4

Bring plenty of food and water.

Bring more than you anticipate needing in case you get stranded.

An emergency pack with nonperishable items should be brought on every canoe trip.

STEP 5

Make sure to use the correct paddle size. Paddles that are the wrong size will not only be more difficult to use, but will also tire you out faster.

OWL Rafting

STEP 7

Bring extra paddles. Paddles can break or get lost. You don't want to get stuck without paddles on your trip.

on the Ottawa River

STEP 8

Wear shoes instead of sandals.

Sandals can easily fall off the foot and get lost, leaving the person barefoot. Carrying a canoe barefoot on rocky terrain is not a pleasant experience.

STEP 9

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Don't take any chances. It is better to carry a canoe around situations that you are not certain you can paddle through.

STEP 10

A good pair of gloves is always good to have handy in case the skin on your hands starts to become tender from paddling.

STEP 6

Place all of your belongings in dry bags. Dry bags are waterproof bags that float. In the unfortunate event that your canoe tips, you want to be able to locate your belongings and have them remain dry.

Keep a change of clothes, including sweaters and jackets, in the dry bag.

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Converting rails into trails on both sides of the Ottawa River

BY SHEILA ASCROFT Rails-to-trails is a hot topic in our region this year. Besides the completion of the 24,000- kilometre Great Trail this summer, two shorter routes are under consideration: the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail and Sentier Chelsea Trail.

The main question for both, besides the age-old matter of where the money will come from, is who will use the trails, and for what kind of activity. Walkers, hikers, bikers and horseback riders (plus crosscountry skiers and snowshoers in winter) often prefer nature’s quiet. Still, ATV riders and their counterpart, snowmobilers, want (and certainly think they deserve) to ride the trails too.

However that falls out, here’s the territory.

OTTAWA VALLEY RECREATIONAL TRAIL Last year Lanark County, Renfrew County and the Township of Papineau-Cameron together agreed to acquire ownership of 296 kilometres of abandoned Canadian Pacific Rail line between Smiths Falls and Mattawa (about 60 kilometres east of North Bay).

Lanark’s portion runs from Sturgess Road in Montague Township to the Renfrew-Ottawa border. The plan is to co-operate with local municipalities, the Lanark County Trails Corporation, the public, and other partners to develop a multi-use trail.

18 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

In his annual report March 14, Carleton Place mayor Louis Antonakos indicated that municipality has surveyed the public and spoken with community leaders about this trail. “Work will begin in 2017 with the intention of it being open to the public in 2018,” he said.

Lanark County has done a safety review of all of the trail’s structures, including seven bridges (three in Almonte, two in Carleton Place and two in Pakenham). Lanark official Kurt Greaves said all the bridges need work (like safety railings), so the corridor remains closed this summer.

As of this writing, we are waiting for a decision on whether the trail will be open to motorized traffic.

This local non-profit on the Quebec side of the river wants to convert a former rail bed into a “green” trail network linking Chelsea’s village centre, schools, community centres and neighbourhoods to the natural world of Gatineau Park and the Gatineau River.

Over the past few winters, a chunk of the rail corridor previously used by the Wakefield Steam Train, has been groomed for cross-country skiing and other winter recreation. Supported by local sponsors and

Photo of Tammy Scott (Ottawa Citizen credit).

private donors, it’s been a hit. So Chelsea’s Tammy Scott, who lives near the tracks, started a petition to turn the 16-kilometre rail corridor into a year-round, multi-use recreational path.

The petition is still being circulated by a coalition of six local groups, and as of midMarch it had more than 1.200 signatures.

Scott said turning tracks into a trail would also “allow children to get to recreation programs and camps without riding on busy or dangerous roads.”

ACCESS POINTS The Cascades Club, Larrimac Golf Club, Gatineau River Yacht Club, Farm Point Community Centre and sports field, and the future Chelsea senior’s residence in Farm Point would all be accessible by the trail.

Alain Piché, a co-founder of Sentiers Chelsea Trails, said it would draw visitors to the area, given the popularity of walking, hiking and cycling there – and the very slim chance of a return of the Wakefield Steam Trail (or any other train project). A cost estimate of $50 million to repair and upgrade the washout-damaged track was bandied about in 2012 by Quebec’s Ministry of Transport. Though a stone dust trail is also costly, Scott said it could largely be covered by selling the steel rails.

Not everyone agrees with the trail being “green” though. ATVers and snowmobilers are not happy about being excluded, and, at least according to Facebook comments, some residents think the rail corridor could become a future commuter route, and should be left as is.

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Why travel can be good for your stress

BY DAVE SIMPSON HAVING stress in your life is something which has been proven to kill people. However, when you have a great way to relieve your stress you will find it is easier for you to start to enjoy your life even more and know your stress will be removed. The problem is many people do not know why travel is so good to help them in getting to remove the stress from their life. Once a person knows about this, it will be easy for them to be living a stress free life and know just how important it is for them to take vacations.

It allows you to get to a place where you are not worried about cooking or cleaning the room.

Typically if you are traveling you will not have to be concerned about how you are going to cook your food or even who is cleaning the room. Since you do not have to be concerned about this, you are going to have a tremendous amount of stress lifted from your shoulders.

It lets you have some time with your family you may have been missing beforehand. Family time can be a good thing to have, but when you are constantly working all the time it can create quite

LIMITED EDITION

a bit of stress. When you are traveling with your family, though, you can start to talk to each other and learn even more information about what is important in each others life. Without this, you may never really connect to your family members.

Something else travel lets you do is get to enjoy all of the sites and sounds around you. Getting to see new areas or even seeing the same area you have always lived in all the time can be a good thing. However, when you are not traveling you will never get a change to enjoy these. By taking the time to have a vacation, though, you will be able to enjoy all of this time and know you are going to be able to enjoy what exactly is going on around you.

Typically you are going to notice travel allows you to get away from work. Work is a big stress for many people. However, you will find when you are traveling you will be away from your boss and anything associated with your company. So you are

not going to be stressed out about what is going on around you all the time at your job.

Having a great trip when you are stressed out can be a good thing. However, you may find it is nearly impossible for you to have a good reason to travel at times. This is when you should know just how good traveling is for your stress. Once you know about this, it is easy for you to have a great time in getting to travel and know you are going to be able to enjoy yourself even more then what you imagined.

The author also runs a website full of great travel tips [http://www.toptraveltips.biz]. If you are planning a trip or want some advice on how to see the world in safety and comfort then be sure to check out his travel website www.toptraveltips.biz.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/ Dave_Simpson/220101

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OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 19

Know your canoe trip buddies

BY SHEILA ASCROFT

A 4-IN-1 CUTLERY MULTI-TOOL Alone or with companions, if you’ve ever lost eating utensils out on an adventure, check this cutlery tool. It contains a stainless steel fork, spoon, knife and bottle opener in a compact folding design – perfect for camping, hiking or cycling. Each utensil separates for individual use. It fits into pocket or backpack. Available at Mark’s Work Wearhouse, $16.99.

What could be better than a spring or early summer canoe trip? Fast-flowing rivers, easy whitewater, cool nights for deep sleep, no crowds. A recipe for canoeing bliss.

But this outdoor heaven can sour quickly from an unforeseen mistake: a failure to know canoeing partners well enough.

A number of years ago I went on an overnight canoe trip with another experienced paddler. We discussed the trip briefly, but I sat back and let him chose the route and schedule. Our 24-hour restful trip to a nearby island (my idea) turned into a grueling, athletic marathon over six long, steep and rugged portages with hardly any food (his ideas).

Other canoe trips come to mind including a one-week endurance feat that included 24 long and tough portages – more a portage trip than a canoe trip.

So there are things to think about before setting out on a canoe trip with others.

PLAN TOGETHER Plan all aspects of the trip together, starting with the route: Pore over maps of the entire length of the trip before dipping a paddle.

Discuss menus, pace, equipment. What type of adventure do people expect? Do paddlers camp with heavy air mattresses and air pumps, or minimal equipment? Does someone want to carry a case of beer or litres of water? Do they plan to sleep under an open tarp in bug season, or pack a large tent with thick poles and screens? Are they happy eating Kraft Dinner and bannock for a week, or are they wilderness gourmets, needing time to prepare stir-fried veggies, steak and couscous?

OPTIMISTS, NOT PESSIMISTS Once I spent three weeks on a wilderness canoe trip with a new friend. The person seemed enthusiastic at the start, but became a severe pessimist whenever anything went wrong: cloudy weather, two days of rain, over-cooked supper, sparse firewood, slivers.

Any optimistic comment (“I think the sky is clearing,” “that breakfast really hit the spot”) generated cold hostility. It made for a long trip, and a short friendship.

PORTAGE RACES I like relaxing portages with time to look for wildflowers and listen for birds. No heavily loaded, single trip over a grueling portage for me. Yet I’ve been forced to portage with a fanatic who demanded we sprint over slippery, overgrown trails with all our packs and canoe in one carry. Are we having fun yet? Ask about portage attitudes before you leave.

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CAN YOUR BUDDY LIVE IN THE MOMENT? Find out whether people are flexible when things go wrong. Are they demanding and self-centred, or thoughtful and kind?

Are they reflective and live in the moment, or go pedal-to-the-metal?

A friend once asked me to help out by coming on a whitewater spring trip with his canoeing buddies. Each year they all did this trip, but one of them was sick. We were in

four canoes with a total of eight of us on the weekend trip. With canoes strung out in fast water, the guy I was paddling with was separated from his friends. He resented having to paddle with a virtual stranger, and turned harshly critical of my paddling for 72 hours even though my experience far outstripped his.

I couldn’t get off that river fast enough.

Talking ahead of time might have helped.

Sterling Lorence

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OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 21

Voyageur Canoe Culture PADDLING INTO THE PAST ON LAKE SUPERIOR’S NORTH SHORE

The big canoe feels at home on open water, floating between Lake Superior’s vast horizon and the rugged hills, stalwart headlands and sweeping beaches of the north shore.

With a dozen paddlers it clips along effortlessly, even when laden with a week’s worth of gear and food.

The simple repetition of swinging a paddle, combined with the wilderness coastline scrolling by, makes time stand still. As Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary, a voyageur canoe carries us forward on the perfect summer adventure—and also offers a profound glimpse of our past.

The fur trade began in the mid1700s and lasted nearly a century,

spanning much of Canada. The industry relied on trading posts scattered throughout the hinterlands, which collected furs from trappers. The Scottish-owned Northwest Company recruited paddlers (aka voyageurs) from communities in Quebec. Each spring, canoe brigades set off across the country delivering trade items like beads, metal pots and muskets to stock trading posts. At summer’s end, the canoes returned to the port of Montreal laden with furs.

The route was divided into two segments: Via the Great Lakes from Montreal to Fort William (Thunder Bay), at the west end of Lake Superior; and from the Lakehead into the Canadian interior, to Alberta’s fur-rich Athabasca country. Each leg demanded a

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different vessel: Massive, 36-foot canots-du-maître were supremely seaworthy on the Great Lakes; and 26-foot canots-du-nord were more easily managed on the numerous portages of the Canadian north.

They were paddled by up to 12 and six voyageurs, respectively. Canoes were constructed in workshops in Montreal and Fort William with of birchbark and cedar, and rendered watertight with pitch—essentially supersized versions of indigenous canoes. They were light enough to carry around waterfalls, seaworthy in waves and rapids, and capable of holding up to four tons of cargo.

To celebrate Canada’s birthday this summer, Wawa, Ont.-based outfitter Naturally Superior Adventures is celebrating voyageurs as national folk heroes. The company is organizing six sequential, all-inclusive, guided multiday journeys in a 36-foot fibreglass replica canot-du-maitre on the north shore. The route encompasses Lake Superior Provincial Park, Pukaskwa National Park and the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area.

Special guests on individual trips include author Kevin Callan, artist

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Becky Mason (daughter of the late canoe icon Bill Mason), and Group of Seven art historian Michael Burtch.

The heyday of the voyageur ended before Confederation. In the 1840s, changing European fashion decreased the demand for fur and the construction of locks made freight canoes obsolete. But the image of hardy, wilderness travellers—the voyageurs—remained as a pillar of Canada’s vibrant canoe culture.

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DOWS LAKE PAVILION 7 great reasons to visit this

adventure location all summer 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.

FUN ON THE WATER | Try out a stand-up paddleboard (SUP), a kayak, canoe, pedal boat or one of our brand new row boats!

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.

degrees of physical challenge that are bound to get the blood flowing and keep you smiling.

THREE FANTASTIC RESTAURANTS | After it’s all said and done, take some time to relax; no matter if you’re looking for TexMex, pub style fare, or casual fine dining.

Dows lake has it all!

ARBORETUM | Paddle along or stroll through the 26 acres of diverse flora.

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.

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

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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OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 23

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Tips for great backyard designs

BY FLORIN CIOBANU THE ART of backyard designs is mainly to fulfill one goal, and one goal only: to transform your outdoor space into a fabulous natural area which does wonders for your property, by providing a usable area for relaxing and entertaining. Most backyard design plans generally take into consideration the basic architecture of your house, seeks to complement it, while at the same time creating a beautiful, relaxing, functional area outside. Subtle blending of the general outdoor appearance with the interior décor, is the most effective way of ensuring that your outdoor area accentuates the existing architecture of your home.

Here are some helpful tips which will help you make the best decision for your backyard design.

CHOOSING PLANTS Plan your backyard well and be sure to include a variety of plants at various stages of growth. Trees, shrubs and flower seedlings are all available at varying heights and stages and they do go a far way in enhancing the overall appearance of your backyard. Be

certain to choose your plants well for your backyard. If you are not the kind of person who takes pleasure in high maintenance projects, then it is highly advisable that you purchase plants that are easy to care for as opposed to being aesthetically pleasant.

CONSIDER ADDING A PATIO Open backyard patios are among the most common backyard designs that work wonders for enhancing the general appearance of any backyard. The options are basically limitless, there are a plethora a patio designs that will work for any space in any backyard. It is quite possible that the only major drawback in deciding to put in an outdoor patio is the time spent trying to decide which one is best for your yard.

Patios are truly an asset to any backyard.

HOW ABOUT PERGOLAS? Contrary to popular belief that when starting out in developing backyard space, it is mandatory that one begins by planting seeds and establishing a lawn, this does not have to be so. An attractive item which you may want to consider starting with is a pergola. Pergolas create the effect of openness and they

also have the ability to create an illusion of enclosure depending on how it is used. While some people may prefer to just have a basic pergola in their backyard, you are certainly not restricted in this regard. The sky is the limit. And there are many themed pergolas which you may make use of depending on the image which you want to create.

LIGHTS, LIGHTS AND MORE LIGHTS! Outdoor lighting can create the right ambiance for your outdoor backyard living area. Electric or solar lamps made especially for lighting walkways, garden beds or even outdoor fireplaces can make all the difference to the final appearance of your backyard design.

Get inspired by these small garden designs: www.betterbackyards.com/49/ small-garden-designs, or stop by www. betterbackyards.com to see all the possibilities for an amazing backyard.

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Lightweight packs crowd the market

BY SHANNON PEDDELL

An ultralight backpack can trim hundreds of grams, giving weight-averse hikers a chance to lighten up. Features vary considerably, and so does the price. Prices below are all in expensive U.S. dollars because most lightweights come from smaller companies which either sell only online or in the U.S. I’m hoping some of them break into the Canadian market soon.

These packs have volumes of 40 litres and up, with details to help you pick the ultralight backpack best suited to your needs.

1 – GRANITE GEAR VIRGA 2 The Virga 2 comes in three sizes and range from 50–58 litres. It’s the lightest backpacking pack on the market coming in at 1 lb 4 oz and has the lowest price of the packs mentioned here at $140 U.S. Some features: • 100D and 210D nylon for durability where it’s needed and less weight where it’s not.

• Frameless, with room for a foam pad inside to line the pack • Compression straps • Load lifters • Outside carrying is minimal; no hip belt pockets Overall reviews are positive, but Virga 2 is no heavyweight carrier. It’s comfortable carrying up to seven kilograms, but did not fare well with heavier loads.

2 – GOSSAMER GEAR MARIPOSA The Mariposa 60L weighs in at 1.9 pounds and retails for $260 U.S., a mid-range price for ultralights.

• Lid with pocket, hip belt pockets, three side pockets and large front pocket; 21 litres total • Main compartment holds 36 litres • Ample attachments for strapping on gear or poles outside the pack • Load lifters, compression straps and removable sit pad for support and comfort padding • Load range for this pack is best under 13.5 kilograms, but can handle up to 16 kilograms Stellar overall reviews for this pack; main worry is its ability to handle heavier loads.



3 – HYPERLITE MOUNTAIN GEAR HMG makes three models of their 55-litre pack: the Southwest (mesh outer pocket), Windriver (solid material outer pocket) and Porter (daisy chain system for attaching gear). They weigh nine kilograms and cost $330 U.S.

28 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS



• waterproof • 150D poly hybrid fabric for black model; white version with 50D poly hybrid for its body and 150D for the bottom • frameless • compression straps • load range 11 to 18 kilograms Promising reviews, but the lack of load lifters and lame compressions straps could make these packs uncomfortable with heavier loads. The waterproof factor could make it all worthwhile if you keep your load light and often hike when it rains.

4 – GREGORY AMBER 70 Women’s Amber 70 is heftier than its competitors, weighing 1.4 kilograms. But its 70-litre volume our list’s largest, and the bells and whistles convinced me to include it. $200 U.S. • two side pockets, large, mesh front pocket, two lid pockets (one inside and one outside) and hip belt pockets • top access and sleeping bag compartment with bottom access • load lifters • sturdy frame and good ventilation • colour-matched rain cover Big difference with this pack is the load range, comfortably handling up to 24 kilograms. This model has been redesigned so there are no reviews out there yet.





5 – SIERRA DESIGNS FLEX CAPACITOR Sierra Designs recently launched a line called the Flex Capacitor. These packs have adjustable capacity from 40 to 60 litres. The pack weighs two pounds nine ounces, costs $200 U.S. and comes in two sizes.

• horizontal compression straps down the length of the pack adapt capacity as needs change with each trip, and make it easy to lash on gear • two side pockets, hip belt pockets and lid pocket • water bottle pocket on shoulder strap (why did no one else think of this?)

• material is 100D nylon-poly ripstop and 420D nylon oxford • lumbar and scapular padding for good ventilation • lightweight Y-flex suspension easily supports 16to 23-kilogram loads Reviews for this pack stress comfort and versatility. It’s new to the market so no tests of longterm durability yet. And you either love or hate the zippered-top access.



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BACKPACK BY SHANNON PEDDELL BASICS That big wall of backpacks on display at the sporting goods store can make you feel overwhelmed, ignorant and uncool. Understanding their anatomy and features means you can walk up to that wall with confidence, knowing pretty well what you are looking for.

Buy a backpack based on your gear, rather than afterwards having to buy gear based on the pack Start by figuring out what, exactly, your needs are. So, are you a day hiker, an overnight backpacker, or thinking about a longdistance trek over a few or many days? Logic says the day hiker pack will be a whole lot smaller than a trekker’s pack.

Then there’s lifestyle on the trail. Are you a comfort camper with all the bells and whistles, or a minimalist, packing bare necessities? Does your route require bear canisters (they take up extra space). It may be tempting to go with a larger pack, but bigger means heavier, and the pack feels bulky.

Here’s a look at sizes for a non-minimalist hiker carrying some comfort items.

• Day hike pack, 30 litres • 1–3 nights, 30 to 50 litres • 3–5 nights, 50 to 80 litres • More than five nights, 70-plus litres The length of back pads and shoulder straps should match your torso length. To find yours, measure from the top shelf of the hip bone straight up the spine to the seventh vertebrae (it’s really prominent for a friend to find it for you) from the bottom of your neck). Getting the right

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fit ensures the back pads, shoulder straps and hip belt are in the right position for your body, and the weight is being supported as intended.

INSIDE THE PACK Compartmentalized packs can be handy. Some have bottom access so you can reach gear at both the top and the bottom of the bag; others have front access to reach the stuff in the middle. Pockets are for anything you want to get at easily. Straps and attachment points provide even more options .

Then there’s cost. Check websites for reviews and prices. What do others have to say about comfort and durability? Find out what packs weigh. A lighter pack can easily shed a few hundred grams, but lighter packs use thinner material, reducing durability and load carrying capability. And they have less padding around shoulders and back, cutting into comfort.

Backpacking packs typically are made of rip-stop nylon and coated with polyurethane or silicon for water resistance. Some brands use Dyneema, Cuben Fiber or similar synthetics which may reduce weight, increase water resistance or even be waterproof.

Backpack specs often include a number followed by a D (like, 200D). The D (deniers) is a unit of weight that reflects the thickness of fibres in the material. The higher the D, the thicker and more durable the material, but the greater the weight.

Canvas packs are rare. The material is very heavy, can hold water if not properly waxed, and is susceptible to UV damage.

Offer expires June 15, 2017

Some backpacks have external frames. They can be tricky to balance because they carry the weight high and away from your back. This making climbing or descending steep terrain more challenging.

Frameless backpacks are light but have a much lower load carrying ability. The load itself or foam sleeping pad in these packs provide structure around and support for your back, so loading frameless packs must be done strategically – you don’t want that bear spray can sticking into your kidneys.

Some backpacks have an internal frame made of aluminum, alloy or plastic stays for support and structure, as well as contouring for your back. They can carry heavier loads and offer a more balanced center of gravity. They’re heavier and more expensive than external frame or frameless packs but respond better to loads over nine kilograms.

Some backpacking packs offer load lifters – straps between the shoulder straps and the pack itself near its top. They can reduce the load on shoulders and prevent the feeling of tipping back with a heavier load. Load lifter straps should be adjusted to a 45-degree angle.

“Compression” straps are adjustable side straps which compress the volume of the pack to bring the load closer to the body.

Lots of detail, yes, but the right backpack reduces discomfort on the trail or in the bush. And all backpacks obey the iron law of hiking: the longer you own one, the more and more stuff you will try to stuff in it.

OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 29

Falcons moving in to Gatineau Park HIKERS WARNED TO STEER CLEAR TO PROTECT THEM

BY ROGER BIRD Some hikers in Gatineau Park this summer might be surprised by NCC signs saying Keep Out! Four 300-metre circles below the escarpment have been flagged because there are peregrine falcon nests up top.

It’s all part of the National Capital Commission’s effort to sustain a success story for a species that was going under from pesticide poisons during the 1970s. The comeback began in 2010 when one falcon nest was spotted on the escarpment.

Today there are seven nests, monitored carefully every two or three weeks by telescope from a great distance by NCC biologists and local scientific colleagues.

Four of these nests are in popular hiking areas. Three are so remote that nobody goes there anyway.

These falcons are picky about where they live. They need south-facing cliffs, near water,

with wide open areas below. The Park’s escarpment fits that description to the letter.

The four Keep Out signs below the escarpment will stay up until the end of August, according to NCC biologist Sandra Cook.

Peregrines are “very sensitive to disturbance and could abandon a nest,” she said in an interview. And since they are officially “vulnerable,” the NCC is required to protect their habitat – for a lengthy period of time. “It takes four to five weeks to incubate eggs laid in April. Then the young depend on the parents for feeding until they migrate south,” she said.

In the meantime, steer your hikes around these areas (see aerial photos), and keep your eye on the sky. The peregrine falcon is grey and white, and it’s the fastest bird up there, hunting prey (other birds) at speeds beyond 300 kilometres an hour. Impact from that speed kills prey in the air.

Secteur ferm période de nid faucon pèlerin during the falcon nest

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Secteur Steele Sector

Secteur Steele Sector

Jusqu'à la fin août / Until the end of August

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Bikepacker Ted Sewell loves this one, so we went to him to find out where it goes.

The loop starts and ends at the information kiosk, an old log cabin with a blue door at 12517 Lanark Road. From there, it follows Highway 511 to Calabogie Road and turns onto Barrett’s Chute Road. The latter

30 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

transitions quickly from pavement to graded stone to dirt double track.

Riders get to feel “out there” fast.

From the dirt track at the end of Barrett’s Chute Road, the route follows a mix of double track and logging roads, punctuated by stretches of single track, around Wabun Lake and Norcan Lake to its southernmost point at Mair Lake. From there, the loop turns east and north to connect with

85

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NTA DE LA MO

GN E

Système de réferenc North Ame

Pu

North Frontenac Park Lands bikepacking loop rough, and ready

BY SHEILA ASCROFT

Jusqu'à Until the e

rough and steep double track on the Arcol “Road,” a much disputed term!

After offering dirt, cobbles and bedrock through a rolling pine forest, Arcol transitions from trail to maintained logging road. The loop passes a few kilometres and one punchy climb until it takes riders over more rolling double and single track and hydro line trail to connect with the K&P Rail Trail. From the

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Frontenac Outfitters pass the paddle to new ownership

AFTER decades of ownership, Christine and Larry Showler, are making the transition to the next stage of their lives and paddling on to retirement. Frontenac Outfitters gave them the opportunity to paddle all over the world, create lasting friendships, and lead to a healthy, environmentally conscious, active lifestyle surrounded by the outdoors. Now they are ready to pass the stewardship of this enterprise to the next generation.

REVITALIZING A GRANDFATHER PADDLESPORTS SHOP Zack and Kiley Fiddis are an energetic, youthful couple from Bowmanville, Ontario who are enthusiastic about this once in a lifetime opportunity. Along with their young daughter, the family is passionate about the outdoors and love nothing more than connecting with nature through kayaking, canoeing, and camping.

Trippers at heart, they never miss the chance to embark on outdoor adventures, exploring the natural world around them. It comes as no surprise the Fiddis’ thoroughly enjoy time spent with family and friends on the water and are always quick to recommend paddling to those looking for a new pastime.

Zack and Kiley are thrilled with the unique opportunity of rear their young family in a positive outdoor environment, sharing their passion for paddling, and love of nature. “Owning Frontenac gives us the opportunity to provide a better quality of life for not only our daughter, but for ourselves as well,” Zack stated when asked about the sale.

Despite being new to the industry, both Zack and Kiley come with backgrounds that complement the business and will ensure the continued success and high reputation Frontenac Outfitters has achieved. Their promise is to inject new energy and fresh ideas while maintaining the high level of service our

K&P (Kingston and Pembroke), the loop brings riders back to civilization via Barryvale Road and Highway 511 to the information kiosk.

When you’ve finished, treat yourself to a burger and local beer from the Red Neck Bistro just down the street.

CAMPING: Multiple Crown land campsites throughout the loop.

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customers have come to expect. They are excited about the prospect of meeting both new and old customers and to share with you their plans for expansion of courses and paddling programs.

COME PADDLE WITH THE NEW OWNERS With ownership taking place April 3rd/2017, Zack and Kiley will make their first appearance to the paddlesports community during the Kingston Boat & (above) Retiring owners Christine and Larry Showler. (bottom left) Recreation Show & Sale. new owners Kiley and Zack Fiddis.

The show is the ideal platform to present themselves and the new products for 2017 to outdoor and on-water enthusiasts.

The Frontenac Outfitters 33rd Annual Spring Sale and Open House on Apr. 28-30 marks the kickoff to the paddling season and the official introduction of the Fiddis’ as Frontenac Outfitters’ new owners. As such, the event promises to be the largest to-date with customers and manufacturers alike eager to meet Zack and Kiley to offer their congratulations. The sale also serves as an opportunity for Larry and Christine to say their goodbyes to those who helped propel them to the success they’ve achieved over the years.

A FOND FAREWELL Frontenac Outfitters was established in 1984 as a small rental outfit for canoeist camping within Frontenac Provincial Park and was sold to Larry in 1994. 23 years later, it is now one of Canada’s most respected paddlesports centres attracting an extremely loyal clientele from all over North America.

Larry and Christine have been instrumental in the growth of paddlesports in Ontario and Canada as a whole. Their impact on the industry will not be forgotten and they will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to have met them.

SUPPLIES: Calabogie has a grocery store and restaurants, but once you’re out on the loop there’s no support of any kind. So pack what you need and bring purification for drinking water from lakes and streams. Pack as light as possible, the better to handle steep, long climbs and fast descents. A light kit allows a rider to enjoy the terrain and not feel like a pack mule.

OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 31

OUTDOOR SUMMER ADVENTURE CLUBS ACC Ottawa Section

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Adventure Sports Access Group

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Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists

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Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society

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Hike Ontario

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Madawaska Kanu Centre

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Ottawa Bicycle Club

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Ottawa Inline Skating Club

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Ottawa New Edinburgh Club

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Ottawa Orienteering Club

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Bike, bird, paddle Presqu’ile RENT THE PARK’S ONE AND ONLY CABIN, THEN CHILL OUT AND EXPLORE

BY KATHARINE FLETCHER “SHHH. LISTEN! There’s a yellow warbler trilling, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing its melodious song, and a catbird meowing.”

Life’s like that during May and even into June at Presqu’ile Provincial Park, which lies adjacent to Brighton, on the eastern edge of the huge Prince Edward County peninsula that punches out into Lake Ontario. It’s a birding hot-spot because the peninsula provides a much-appreciated rest and feeding grounds for migratory songbirds who’ve just flown across the lake. All in all a superb spot to chill out, and birdwatch.

The spring flower “show” is spectacular here, too. Presqu’ile is still in the Carolinian zone, so there are species such as Mayapples, plentiful in local woodlands, but quite unknown here in Ottawa’s latitude.

And, because it has several kilometres of both biking and hiking trails (including boardwalks through a variety of wetlands) as well as beachfront (both sandy and pebbled) there’s a good chance to glimpse many species.

I’m always astonished by the distance these tiny migrants travel to and from their summer breeding grounds here in Canada from their overwintering areas. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak breeds, nests, raises its young and then fattens up for a 6,000-kilometre flight to South America from Ontario and Quebec forests. Incredible!

A huge treat for a stay at Presqu’ile is to rent the only cabin in the park. Other visitors use tents or RVs. The circa 1930 Clarke-Denson Cottage is literally about three metres from Lake Ontario. Fall asleep to the waves on the beach. It’s a long way from the 200 car-camping sites which means it’s really private. Eric and I stayed here two nights last May and we were all alone in this sector of the park.

On top of that, the heritage lighthouse is a mere eight-minute stroll away at the “tip” of the park.

Because Friends of Presqu’ile keep feeders stocked here, you can set up a tripod with a camera and quietly observe birds with binoculars or scope with a certainty of being wowed by colour.

What’s not to love about vivid indigo buntings alongside rose-breasted grosbeaks, yellow warblers and Baltimore orioles. The songs, the colours and the sheer numbers of birds amazed us (we logged eight orioles, 10 grosbeaks, many yellow warblers). Since they migrate in flocks, you can see a simultaneous fallout of numbers of the same species.

Meanwhile, along boardwalk trails that extend into the marshes, watch and listen for Virginia rail, American coot (white beak), common gallinule (bright red beak), Limpkins, American bittern. When we shifted to the boardwalks snaking through wetland forests, we spotted wood ducks, along with warblers, vireos and thrushes.

Put simply, there are a lot of birds in May, and lists of current sightings at the Visitor Centre beside the lighthouse help you keep track.

Take your bike; cycling is easy here on the main circle roadway that provides access to the entire park. It has a bike lane which provides about as much protection as any strip of paint ever has. Lock bikes to the convenient rack at every trailhead, and don’t ride the footpaths.

Another way to explore this provincial park is by canoe or out on Lake Ontario by kayak. From Brighton Bay you can paddle into the cattail marshes: we did, and discovered Mute and Tundra Swans – males aggressive in the mating game (and hence, beautiful to photograph).

So many birds, so little time. Stay at that lovely cabin on the shore, or go car camping if you prefer, and rediscover relaxation.

If you go …

NorthumberlandTourism.com/Birding Presqu’ile Provincial Park (ontarioparks.com/park/ presquile). If you rent the Clarke-Denson Cottage, you must take your own bedding, linens, cutlery, pots & pans and cooking utensils. There’s a full kitchen (sink, fridge, stove), there are bedrooms accommodating six, but you need all your toiletries, towels, food.

Friends of Presqu’ile Park for birding reports at friendsofpresquile.on.ca/birding-report.php.

Presqu’ile’s wetland boardwalk trails offer observation lookouts, interpretive signs, and benches so we can search for and identify wildlife.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing its melodious song after flying from South America.

Yellow Warbler with mosquito!

Mayapples adorn the forest floor in early spring at Presqu’ile.

Mute Swan taking off near Brighton, as seen from our kayak while paddling through cattail marshes.

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 35

Carve your own paddle CANADIAN CANOE MUSEUM IN PETERBOROUGH SHOWS YOU HOW

BY KATHARINE FLETCHER PHOTOS ERIC FLETCHER IT WAS the start of a two-day paddle-carving workshop at Peterborough’s Canadian Canoe Museum, and instructor Russ Parker asked, “Do you know why we decided the modified otter paddle is the best style for everyone ?”

I replied, “Because this particular style is used for flat-water paddling, which is certainly what my husband Eric and I do most. Plus – it’s so graceful-looking!”

Plus, it’s a great choice for solo paddling too. While regular “otter” paddles have a long, narrow blade (where it enters the water), a “modified” otter is a bit broader – particularly in the “shoulder” or section where the blade meets the shaft. It’s slightly heavier because of this and allows a bit more control than its more slender cousin.

As I looked around the room I could tell that all participants were eager to start creating our very own paddle. What an awesome project for keen canoeists.

This museum is renowned for the largest collection of paddled watercraft in the world, and it offers workshops like this too. Eric and I joined nine other novices for this hands-on course, which included all tools (and their use), plus guidance from three dedicated volunteers.

Eyeing the 1.5 metres of precut cherry wood I was supposed to turn into a paddle, I felt a pang of self-doubt. Sure, that plank was sort of the length and breadth of a paddle, but its sheer bulk was daunting. Could I really transform this solid block into a graceful paddle – in two days?

We wanted to carve our very own paddle because 30 years ago we spent 250 hours hand-crafting Windigo, our cedar-strip canoe in Eric’s parents’ barn. Now everyone clustered around Parker for an overview of our goals and how the weekend would proceed, and then we started at a wood shaving bench.

There was one bench for everyone, and it was reasonably comfortable to sit on, lean forward, and carve. I took breaks to stretch my back and rest. After securing the blanks between “dogs” (wooden locks to keep the cherry from moving) we watched while Parker demonstrated how to use drawknives and spoke shaves.

These are two tools used to carve what turned out to be sweet smelling, beautiful curls of wood from the blank.

With three volunteer instructors moving about the workshop lending advice and stepping in to demonstrate a technique as we carved, the crude shapes of our paddles were there by day’s end. It was thrilling to evoke the shape from the block, like a water sprite, I mused, the concept emerging and shapeshifting into a physical presence.

The following day, I surprised myself. Not only did I complete the paddle, I sanded it for several hours after I finished. Yes, hours. The finesse of paddle-making is patience. That virtue required five different grades of sandpaper to remove every single catch in the wood and create silky smoothness.

As a bonus, sanding revealed the cherry’s lustrous red colour and sinuous swirls of grain.

Did we complete our paddles? Yes. Did we receive enough training and personal attention to learn the skills? Yes: completely satisfied with the pace and attention.

Mind you, we did give our paddles a final sanding at home, along with varnish. I believe all participants were thrilled with the experience and with what they achieved.

And last summer, when we drove Windigo out to B.C. tied to our car, you can bet Eric and I were absolutely delighted with our modified otters.

Owning a canoe and paddle is one (lovely) thing – but making it yourself lends a special feeling of being at one with it, exploring waterways together.

If you want to learn how to carve one, the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough awaits. Cost for non-members of the museum is $290 per person. It’s a terrific birthday, anniversary or Christmas present (just a hint).

Katharine using a spoke shave to shape the blade of her paddle at the Canadian Canoe Museum's paddle carving workshop.

Canadian Canoe Museum instructor Don Duncan demonstrates use of spokeshave.

Using her custom-made paddle in Windigo on Lake Superior.

MORE INFO • canoemuseum.ca: Paddle-carving offered four times a year • take a canoe and/or rent a cabin at elmhirst.ca overlooking Rice Lake • Peterborough and Kawarthas Tourism: thekawarthas.ca

36 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

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www.Yankees.com OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 37

PHOTO BY MIKE MCGUIRE

Bikepacking bags a big assist toward lighter pedalling

BY SHEILA ASCROFT When you need to carry everything for an overnight camp-out, weight matters.

Especially on a bike.

I’ve used a rear rack with saddlebags for road touring but wouldn’t want them for a bikepacking trip. First off, the aluminum rack weighs two to three pounds, and the saddlebags (panniers) themselves weigh another five (or more) – and this is before any gear gets stuffed into them.

Secondly, bikepacking as opposed to traditional bike touring means a route more likely be along old fire roads, converted rail trails, ATV gravel roads, and mountain bike single tracks through woods. Saddlebags sticking out both sides are like an obstacle course in tight bush areas.

Mike McGuire and his friends in the Ottawa Valley Bikepacking Collective (see Facebook for details) have a mantra: “The less you carry, the easier it is to pedal.”

Loading and carrying gear and food takes planning and practice. McGuire and friends use task-specific (but expensive) soft bags that mount on the bike’s frame, saddle, and handlebars.

Revelate Design, a U.S. company that pioneered soft bag design and manufacturing, is a sturdy favourite for this kind of gear. And Salsa, which leads the industry in fatbikes, also offers quality bags.

Some bigger bike accessory companies, like

Photo showing the basic bag setup for bikepacking.

Blackburn and Arkel, are entering the market with more moderate prices. Ottawa’s Tall Tree Cycles and Phat Moose Cycles carry these specialized bags. Mountain Equipment Co-op carries some premium gear as well as its own decent and moderately priced bags.

McGuire says a medium-size biking backpack is essential, but don’t expect to carry much weight on your back over rough trails. Put the weight on the bike, not your body.

FRAME PACK As the name suggests, this triangular bag tucks inside the open space of the frame between the top, down and seat tubes. It comes in various sizes and configurations to match different bike sizes and shapes.

It means water bottles must be moved elsewhere, such as below the down tube or to a “feed bag” on the handlebar for quick reachability.

SEAT-PACK Most cyclists use a small seat bag for basic tools and a spare inner tube. For bikepacking, this bag has been mega-sized by manufacturers to anywhere from 38 to

48 centimetres long. While it still attaches to the saddle, it has its own rails or arms, or a sturdy harness support, so a rear rack is not required.

FRONT ROLL This attaches to the front of the handlebars to carry long thin items like a tent, sleeping bag or clothes in a stuff sack.

ACCESSORY BAGS If you still need more bags for all your gear, a Jerry Can or a similar insulated bag(s) on the handlebar is easy to reach for a water bottle or thermos. Another cylinder-shaped bag (some have removable insulation that can double as a camp pillow) can be attached to the handlebar or a front fork. Just put the heavy stuff lower down.

INFLATABLE RAFT OK, so this is not a bag, but some bikepackers carry one. Confronted with a wide stream or even a river, rider and bike can find a way across. Talk to Grant Burke at Tall Tree Cycles. He has used one on several bikepacking trips.

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New astronomy park in Luskville to open this summer NON-PROFIT CALLED ASTROPONTIAC PURSUES A CELESTIAL GOAL

BY KATHARINE FLETCHER STEPHAN PAAPE is starry-eyed. This keen astronomer is determined to help people understand the night sky, and plans to open an astronomy park at the base of Luskville Falls to do it.

Paape is the visionary behind AstroPontiac, a not-for-profit corporation he founded with other volunteers in August 2011. Soon they decided they wanted to create an astronomy park in the Pontiac region. Luskville Falls made sense because it’s a well-known destination in Gatineau Park for hikes and picnics, roughly 40 minutes from Parliament Hill, off Quebec Highway 148.

Because it’s in the countryside, there is less ambient light than sites closer to Ottawa-Gatineau.

During an interview, Paape impressed me with AstroPontiac’s success in procuring stellar support.

“We raised $7,500 towards the project from individual contributors. The Caisse Populaire des Collines-de-l’Outaouais pledged $8,500 and the Municipality of Pontiac provided $5,000.” However, he said, a $34,500 contribution from the Quebec government “helped tremendously.”

The “park” is to have two components. The Luskville community centre will feature an inflatable digital planetarium for astronomy presentations.

Near the base of Luskville Falls, an observation site will house a SkyShed cabin – a structure with “two telescopes and features a roll-off roof,” Paape said.

There will also be a flagstone observing pad for additional telescopes.

AstroPontiac members will host interpretations of the night sky. “We plan to offer explanations of celestial phenomena, as well as linking these with stories from various traditions – such as classical Greek myths, the Islamic world and First Nations,” Paape said.

In a world and era where kids and adults alike spend lots of time with their devices, it’ll be refreshing to use a different technology – telescopes and such – to peer at the heavens. But I had to ask him, “Why bother with astronomy?”

Predictably, he’s given this question a lot of thought. “Understanding our universe brings a huge appreciation for what a special place our own, finite Earth really is. Beyond that, studying the cosmos can lead to further scientific, cultural or even personal discovery.”

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

As many of us know, that discovery is increasingly challenged. It’s tougher and tougher to see the dark night sky because of our cities’ – and our homes’ – light pollution, known as ambient light. A citizen scientist like Paape is in the company of scientists worldwide who are concerned about the effect of light pollution upon animal and plant systems.

That’s why the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada became involved in establishing “dark sky preserves,” “urban star parks,” and “nocturnal preserves” to preserve dark skies in nature and reduce ambient light in urban spaces. There are 17 dark sky preserves, two urban versions, and two nocturnal preserves in Canada.

Paape said that AstroPontiac is not part of a dark sky preserve, but “we do build light pollution awareness into our outreach activities.”

So, when can we anticipate an AstroPontiac astronomy session outdoors at the base of Luskville Falls? Paape said planetarium shows at the Luskville community centre could happen in July.

“By August, we would like to have the SkyShed cabin and the flagstone pad constructed,” all part of an ongoing “soft launch” throughout the summer.

“Then by September … we would have a more formal launch party.”

Until then, join me in watching the night skies more carefully, and also watching AstroPontiac’s website for announcements of the astronomy park’s opening. Check it out at astropontiac.ca for learning about dark skies.

OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 39

Wildlife await in National Capital Region SOME LIKELY PLACES TO OBSERVE FURRED AND FEATHERED NEIGHBOURS

BY KATHARINE FLETCHER PHOTOS ERIC FLETCHER The National Capital Region has a good share of wildlife. Whether it’s a great blue heron poised as it hunts at the water’s edge, or the nose and wake of a beaver swimming past while paddling, this is an area where animals are frequently glimpsed.

Here are five spots where my husband Eric and I get lucky (and, we remain on trails, don’t feed wildlife, and leave only footprints). Pack a sun hat, wear comfy shoes, take bug repellant and water, and field guides for identification.

Maybe a notebook to record what you see.

PETRIE ISLAND Located east of Orleans, this site is actually a series of three or more islands, depending on water levels in the Ottawa River. It’s connected

40 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

to the mainland by road and bridge. Browse “nature trails” on its website to orient yourself (maps are there too). Spring is turtle nesting time, so drive carefully.We often paddle the islets that are protected by Petrie Island’s boomerang-shaped main island. Go during early morning or dusk not only to watch sunrise or sunset, but also because that’s when wildlife is most active. If you paddle the main channel of the Ottawa River, be very careful. The current is strong and wind can be discouraging at best, frightening at worst.

Wear lifejackets. Going ashore, visitors can hike the 2.4-kilometre Bill Holland trail, with seven shorter loops.

Species: Wood Ducks; four kinds of turtles: map, painted, snapping, and red-eared sliders. The observation deck at Turtle Trail offers great views. When paddling, watch for

muskrats. Unlike beavers, they have furred rat-like tails, not hairless and flat.

MUD LAKE, BRITANNIA CONSERVATION AREA AND BRITANNIA BAY Located about 14 kilometres west of Parliament Hill, this 60-hectare reserve on the Ottawa River is crucial habitat for migratory birds, providing a safe rest and feeding ground. A two-kilometre trail circles the lake through woodlands.

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

(clockwise) Northern Map Turtle sunning on a log at Petrie Islands.

Muskrat at Petrie Island Note the mosquitoes around this male Baltimore Oriole along the Voyageurs Trail enroute to Aylmer Marina Common Moorhens exploring the marshlands for food.

Species: Black-crowned night heron, green heron, great blue heron, ovenbird, hermit thrush, warblers and sparrows, Caspian tern.

In late May and early June and look for Arctic tern, a rare sight in our region. Lots of turtles sunning themselves on logs in Mud Lake.

GLENGARRY TRAILS AND PARKS, LAKE ALEXANDRIA ISLAND PARK The town of Alexandria in Glengarry township is about 100 kilometres southeast of Parliament Hill. Browse northglengarry. ca/en/thingstodo/trails.asp for a map of 16 kilometres of boardwalk and hiking trails through marshland and woods.

Species: In the marshes you can see Virginia rail, American bittern, red-winged blackbirds, common gallinule, kingfishers and more. Woodland birds include chickadee, white- and red-breasted nuthatch, woodpeckers (pileated, downy, hairy), as well as warblers, thrushes and vireos.

Ottawa side, until you arrive at the Aylmer Marina. It overlooks a vast broadening of the river called Lac Deschênes. West of the Marina there’s the beach and Parc des cèdres. In summer, beach and bay are thronged with families swimming, boating, kitesurfing and windsurfing. (Lots of info at tourismeoutaouais.com) Species: common loon, great blue heron, common and hooded merganser, beaver and muskrat. In the shrubs and trees lining the path, watch for northern cardinal, Baltimore oriole, phoebe, catbird, and nesting yellow warbler and common yellowthroat, warblers that stick around over the summer.

LUSKVILLE FALLS, GATINEAU PARK Located about 35 kilometres northwest of Parliament Hill, you get there west on Quebec Highway 148 to Chemin de l’Hôtel de Ville in Luskville. Drive almost to the end of that road and turn left into a park, complete with picnic tables and washrooms. You can climb the 4.5-kilometre path alongside the falls to the top of the Eardley escarpment.

Species: Look for red trilliums, an early summer specialty. Scan the woods for rosebreasted grosbeak, scarlet tanager, warblers, thrushes and vireos. At the trail’s rocky outcrops overlooking the flat Ottawa Valley plain, scour with binoculars. You can look down from this elevation onto the backs of turkey vultures or red-tailed hawks soaring on the updrafts along the Eardley Escarpment.

Chipmunks and red squirrels are a noisy presence even in the roar of the waterfall.

AYLMER MARINA AND BEACH, AYLMER, QUE. Biking from Ottawa to Aylmer’s Marina and Beach on the Quebec side is fun, easy and picturesque. There’s a panoramic sweep of the Ottawa River as you pedal over the Champlain Bridge. Pause at Bate Island in the middle of the bridge to watch kayakers in the rapids. Turn west right at the foot of the bridge for the Voyageurs Pathway along the north shore of the Ottawa River. You’ll cycle past Deschênes Rapids (across from the Britannia Yacht Club and Mud Lake on the

www.ottawaoutdoors.ca

OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 41

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A pilot reflects on fear of heights LIKE MANY people, I have a healthy respect for heights. It may seem counter-intuitive that a pilot get nervous about gravity, but among my colleagues, many are challenged even to put up Christmas lights. Fear of plummeting is possibly a good thing for a pilot.

Height can mean different things to different people. Falling off a ladder is one “height” and the thin air at Mount Everest base camp is another. One “height” can might break a bone, and the other can result in Acute Mountain Sickness, hypoxia, pulmonary edema. Or you can die. None of these outcomes is fun.

I know I’m a loser with high altitudes. A few years back my wife Robyn and I entered the Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache, Alta.

An extreme event by anyone’s standards, the 125-kilometre course begins and ends on a 4,200 foot plateau, passes over three mountain summits and includes over 17,000 feet of elevation change. We trained by running repeats at Camp Fortune and Mont Ste. Marie and made a pact that we’d run this thing together.

Foolishly arriving late – the day before the race – I noted I was a bit sluggish on our first jog. I found myself huffing and puffing like a smoker trying to keep up to Robyn. At the top of the first mountain at 10,000 feet I found myself strangely alone. I embellish the story to say Robyn abandoned me, but truth be told I told her to press on.

I was gassed! She gamely carried on with no ill effects and finished the race while I chugged into the end of stage three a broken man and out of contention.

Another time I was almost finished a track workout in Comox B.C. when my pager beeped and I was launched on a search and rescue flight. As a CC115 Buffalo search and rescue pilot, this was a regular occurrence. We left the airfield and climbed into the night sky in our unpressurized aircraft, and then the auto pilot broke. We levelled off at 10,000 feet and I was “hand flying” en route to the emergency. My co-pilot announced he was going to the back to answer nature’s call and I was eerily alone in the cockpit while the engines droned on.

Without warning, I started to feel light-headed. My vision closed in and a feeling of well-being, almost euphoria took over. Fortunately,

PHOTO BY RAWPIXEL.COM

BY ERIC MARTINAT

all Royal Canadian Air Force pilots carry out high altitude training so we understand these symptoms of lower oxygen levels. But I couldn’t let go of the controls to get my oxygen mask on and was about to pass out when my co-pilot responded to my panicked call, ran to the cockpit and took control. The combination of exertion from my track workout and the sudden climb to 10,000 feet had taken its toll.

Cut to the present. Robyn and I are hiking to Mount Everest Base Camp and I have reason to fear. Base Camp is at 17,598 feet and, once there we’ll trot (drag, surely) ourselves up to the famed lookout at Kala Patthar at 18,192 feet. Without buying an oxygen tent or breathing through a straw, we have done all the reasonable training we could in low-altitude Ottawa.

I’ve done mind-numbing repeats of the staircase at National Defense Headquarters, climbed Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and Mount Marcy, N.Y. in winter.

My only goal is to lay eyes on Mount Everest and not be turned back by the effects of high altitude. For Himalaya acclimatization, we planned to start our Nepal trek in Jiri, elevation 6,250 feet, a six-hour drive from Kathmandu. Wikipedia says only five per cent of trekkers who attempt to get to Everest Base camp on foot start at Jiri. The rest fly into the small airstrip at Lukla (9,383 feet), thus cutting off a week of difficult but beautiful trekking. Hopefully acclimatization and Diamox (an anti-altitude drug) will be enough.

Face your fears. ~ Maj. Eric Martinat is a Canadian Armed Forces search and rescue pilot.

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OTTAWAOUTDOORS | 43

Many roads lead to fun in family camping TIME TO IGNITE CAMPFIRES AND IMAGINATION

BY CHUCK FRASER

THIS YEAR as families to come together to celebrate being Canadian, one of the richest experiences parents can give the children is camping. Readers of magazines like this one likely have their own outdoor favourites, but most people like to pick up tips and test new adventures.

Family camping is fun in itself and also an opportunity to share discoveries, challenges, stories, jokes and memories. And adults can find that inner child and be silly too.

Start simple and keep it simple, with provincial parks. Every park has unique natural features, trails, wildlife and public presentations about nature and camping. You can reserve campsites online and on the way for your adventure there’s a chance to check out museums, festivals, powwows, star parties and historic sites you encounter. Or – a specialty in our family – find the most amazing ice cream stops.

Beyond ice cream, kids need a tool kit with craft materials, books, music, DVDs, toys and games like trivial pursuit. While driving, try Bumper Stumpers (the TV show original is still in reruns) the licence plate reads ISPK43S; that turns into “I speak for trees.” Knock knock jokes and “I spy with my little eye,” also work to head off those are-we-there-yet questions.

The campground itself is a chance to polish the art of storytelling. My family still talks about that Harry Potter road trip with dad’s crazy accents for every character, by flashlight in the tent during a wicked thunderstorm.

And then there’s food. Whether at a cottage, cabin or yurt, an RV trailer or tent, backcountry hiking or canoeing, make food fun.

44 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

You can start with meals just like at home with a propane stove, set of pots and utensils, but camping has its own culinary arts. Kids love campfires and they love sticks, a natural food combination.

Boost hotdogs into “spider dogs.” Slice a wiener lengthwise from each end, but not past the middle.

As the kids cook it over the fire on a stick, the “limbs” curl up, and the wiener becomes a spider dog. Bannock is traditional bush bread, with recipes and cooking methods online, but you can use premade biscuit mix or crescent roll dough from the grocery store. The dough can be baked flat in a frypan or tilted in front of a campfire, made into pizza pockets, rolled around a stick into spirals, or toasted on a stick, buttered and rolled in cinnamon and sugar for a tasty treat.

Roasted wienies can be wrapped in bannock and toasted. Turnovers or bannock foldies can be made with fruit filling or jam, toasted with a stick or wrapped in tinfoil.

Kids can help with cooking but they need adult guidance. They can learn how to lay a fire and tend it safely. Toasting marshmallows is an easy path to fire safety. Turn that stick carefully so its flaming treat doesn’t fall off. Walk carefully around the fire so nobody trips or bumps into anyone else. Leave no children unattended, and be ready to pull them back in a hurry if necessary. A bucket of cold water

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is a handy fire extinguisher as well as first aid for minor burns.

S’mores are another tradition with many variations. The classic is roasted marshmallow on milk chocolate between two squares of graham crackers. Or bake the whole thing in a foil packet and try to guess the perfect time to retrieve it. If you are camping during a fire ban, practically anything can still be roasted over a BBQ or stove.

A different kind of fun is planning the menu around a different national theme every day. Our gang has had French cuisine as voyageurs, been pirates, made Mexican meals, English ones, Spanish, German, Chinese, Indian … the list can be long as a portage. In our family, everyone speaks with a matching accent through the day. Throw in costumes (hats at least!) to add to the fun.

Pierre Trudeau said if you paddle 100 miles in a canoe, “you are already a child of nature.” Everyone can be childlike when they go camping out there.

~ Chuck Fraser is an outdoor educator, canoeist, and all-season camper.

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What to do when you capsize

KNOW WHERE YOUR SAFETY EQUIPMENT IS, AND KEEP A COOL HEAD

BY DAVE BROWN

If you can’t get out of the water, then huddle together for warmth, and secure yourself to your floating craft so you’ll be safe.

Also, if the capsized boat is a canoe on a calm lake, don’t forget to try turning the canoe upright and bailing it out. In a past Outdoor Life column I’ve explained and illustrated how one or two people can do this.

If your capsized boat is a sailboat, release the main and/or jib sheets. Then, by standing on the keel, you can get her upright; then bail and start again.

But if you’re near a large boat that’s about to go under, swim away quickly to avoid a resulting whirlpool, which will suck you under.

ACT QUICKLY Every scenario, just like every boat, is different. First, always wear a lifejacket. Why? Because if you get knocked unconscious, you’ll still float and be able to breathe.

If you have time, and before the boat potentially sinks, grab any flotation devices,

RETRIEVE Always try to retrieve what you can right away. Items potentially important for your safety may be trapped underneath your boat yet still easily accessible.

Coolers, paddles, flares, extra lifejackets, seat cushions, ropes — all can be used to aid in your safety and rescue.

If you are in a large, open body of water where a helicopter or plane may be searching for you, then all these items could be tethered together to create a larger debris field, making you more visible.

Of course, the other items could be used to signal for help, keep you warm or afloat.

So hats, pants and tops still have a value in your safety. They can protect you from the sun during the day or keep you warm if you’re stuck for the night.

PHOTO BY BOBCATNORTH

I’VE capsized two times in my outdoors life, and almost a third time. Each time, it wasn’t a pleasant experience — quite scary, actually.

The two times I actually dumped occurred when whitewater canoeing on the upper Rouge River in Quebec. My experienced buddy was at the stern, and I was pulling and prying our bow away from water hazards.

Why did we dump? Because I was kneeling too high in the canoe, making us unsteady.

This happened not once, but twice. Kudos to the nearby kayakers who paddled over to help us. Afterward I stayed low in the boat.

Still, it cost me a small backpack and camera as part of the lesson learned.

So let’s take a look at surviving your boat capsizing.

DON’T PANIC If you panic, you’re not thinking clearly. If you’re not thinking clearly, you’ll do all the wrong things. You may start swimming to shore when you shouldn’t; you may forget about getting safety flotation devices; you may grab on to another person. All may lead to your or another’s death.

So, if ever your boat capsizes, always remain calm, but act quickly.

CAPSIZE CAUSES You may have done many things correctly, yet many factors could still lead to your capsizing your boat. These include: rough weather, overloading, poor weight distribution, dangerous driving manoeuvres and actions.

Canoeists may get caught in rough weather and turn their canoe the wrong way. Powerboat operators may accelerate when they shouldn’t and cause their boat to swamp. Not being aware of deadheads and other hazards around you can lead to accidents resulting in overturned craft.

Whatever the reason — and there are many — here’s what to do when you capsize:

46 | OTTAWAOUTDOORS

flares or an emergency kit, as you’ll definitely need them.

When possible, get on top of the hull, out of the water. Water will cause you to lose heat 25 times more quickly and can lead to hypothermia even in balmy weather.

STAY Almost every person who thought they could swim to safety on shore died. Stay with the boat for these reasons: it’s probably still floating; if it’s upside down, you may be able to crawl onto the hull, getting you out of cold water; it’s easier to see from an airplane; it’s something you can rest upon, especially if you have no other flotation device.

RESCUE AND SAFETY Whoever comes to rescue you, remain calm and both listen and act carefully. Even rescue attempts can go awry and put you back in harm’s way.

Always avoid the rescue boat’s stern and bow. If thrown a line, wrap it around your chest and under your arms, and secure it with a knot.

If you were hanging on to an overturned canoe and another canoeist is coming to the rescue — if somebody knows how — you can use one canoe to help lift, drain and turn the other upright.

A reminder, too, that before any boating trip, ensure all parties are aware of where emergency supplies are located. Extra life-jackets under seats, emergency kit location, etc. ~ Originally published in Dave's Ottawa Citizen Outdoor Life column

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