Steve,
Spring is very late in eastern Ontario this year. As I look out across the fields, the snow is still from 4 to 12 inches deep in most places, but the grass is showing through here and there. However, temperatures have been up in the 50-60 F. range for a couple of days, and that can make short work of the white stuff.
Last weekend I went for a drive along the Rideau River. The water is open in quite a few places. When I checked the creeks that open onto the Rideau around here, they're partly open. Other years, I've been down a local creek in my canoe (Roger Stevens Creek) when the ice is breaking apart in sheets and you surprise massive flocks of Canada geese that are resting on the water on their migratory flight back to the north. I always pack a few fluffy towels and a change of clothes in a seal bag in case I take a dunking... you don't want to be wearing wet gear after an "unscheduled swim" in icy water. Actually, if I get into early or late season paddling a bit more, I may invest in a proper suit for it.
I heard that the Jock River is open now and will take a trip over this weekend to see if the white-water kayaks are out in full force yet. I'm sure that they must be. Up here, there are a lot of people who kayak almost year round... anywhere the rivers stay open.
I was at a big paddle-sport show in Ottawa in mid-March. There were some playboat demonstrations using a Prospector canoe (like mine) fitted with floatation, and then with a small kayak..think it was a little Dagger. Kind of fun demonstration given by Paul Mason on rolling and various white water moves... Seeing him rolling the 16 foot Prospector in the big pool was pretty cool... definitely a "Don't try this at home folks" thing if you aren't a pretty savvy paddler... (-:
Anyhow, the trip to the show whetted my appetite for some good paddling. I picked up quite a few brochures for tripping outfitters in the southern U.S., Costa Rica, and elsewhere. If I didn't have a couple of commitments here, I think I'd be paddling in the cypress groves in S. Carolina this week....
Instead,... yep.... I'm shining up the Prospector. This weekend I'll scrub and oil the cherry and ash gunwales and yoke and start getting my gear ready for spring. I'd like to put together a better harness set-up for securing my canoe to the roof of my truck... something that will make it FASTER to load and unload my canoe (so that I can spend the most amount of time paddling and not have to waste time tying down my canoe)... ;->
BTW, I have to tell you that I had a much closer look at the kayaks at this year's show. I usually spend most of my time looking at the canoes and somehow "forget" to look at the kayaks (bad, eh?!). However, this year I was thinking of how some of those small and very tough, lightweight ones would be great for investigating very shallow creeks where beaver dams impede your progress. I imagine that these kayaks could slip along relatively unscathed by submerged branches. Then you could just pull your craft over the heaps of branches and mud when you get to a dam... Seems like an idea that might be worthy of further investigation. Incidentally, I was also very impressed by the sea kayaks... very sleek crafts. And of some additional interest, there were a couple of displays there by builders who make the traditional wood and skin crafts like the Inuit use. Actually, you probably would have enjoyed the show. I think this year was the best show yet... more people and more "interest" in the demonstrations. Seems to bode well for paddling up here in Canada.
Well, perhaps we'll hear from some other SI paddlers. Surely there's somebody out paddling somewhere!
Croc |
