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Due to unforeseen circumstances we are short one paddler for a trip to Temagami July 27 - Aug 4.
The trip includes climbing Maple Mountain as well as visiting the old-growth white pine forest in the park.
We are three men. Two are sixty something and the third a little younger (my son).
If you are interested please drop me a line and I would be please to supply more information about itinerary, portages, etc.
Change a Young Person's Life
We need your help this summer. Dwindling resources at all levels of government and a struggling economy have made it difficult for Project Canoe to raise all the needed funds to ensure 120 youth are able to have a life-changing experience. Won't you help us raise $30,000 before our official summer season launch?
As a Project Canoe supporter, you know the power of the outdoors. You know about the transformation that can happen in a young person's life when they are given the opportunity to clear their minds, learn and practice new skills, and experience something many youth take for granted.
Project Canoe does not turn any young person away, regardless of the ability to pay. This means we provide full or partial subsidies for the majority of the youth we serve. These are young people that would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the transformative power of the Temagami Wilderness while building their self-confidence and making new friends.
Donate now and know that you're supporting something truly impactful this summer.
(Not in a position to donate at this time? Contact info@canoe.org if you have access to canoes or other new or slightly used items that we can incorporate into our programming as a loan or a donation.)
Project Canoe
@ Centre for Social Innovation, Regent Park
585 Dundas Street East, 3rd Floor
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7221 Broadview Avenue
416.778.4311
www.canoe.org
Canada Revenue Agency BN/Registration Number: 889249488 RR0001
I thought it might interest you to know that the Kipawa Lake system, a favored paddling route is currently under threat.
The government has plans to lift the moratorium that has kept Kipawa undeveloped and allow development along Kipawa's shores including hydroelectric projects but worst of all an open pit rare earths mine. A petition has been started to help protect Kipawa Lake and surrounding watersheds from these threats. We need help to spread the word. If you would be willing to sign this petition and share with your contacts and clients it would be greatly appreciated.
https://www.change.org/petitions/minister-of-natural-resources-quebec-p…
Thank you,
Christina Moreau
I first met Bob Bignell, a long-time WCA member, on a canoe trip to the Arctic some 8 or 9 years ago & we subsequently became good friends. I was asked to speak briefly at his Celebration of Life on 'Paddling Memories/Stories'. First a short bio of Bob's life.....
Biography
Bob grew up in Bristol spending his time fishing and caving, which was the foundation of a lifelong love and appreciation of all things outdoors. His love of caving and the outdoors combined with his qualifications in photography brought him from Bristol University, England, to McMaster University, Hamilton, in January 1970. Bob immediately recognized that life in Canada was full of opportunity and would fulfill his dream of adventure. So he quickly returned to Bristol England, married Jan and together they set off on a new life in Canada. Bob thoroughly enjoyed some 10 years in North America exploring caves in West Virginia, The Rockies (both summer and winter) and in Mexico. He assisted with field trips involving students and faculty and Bob formed lifelong friendships with many from McMaster. In the 80’s he worked part-time on a History degree and earned a Ba. In the 90’s Bob’s interest turned to wilderness canoeing especially in the Arctic and after a couple of solo trips Jan persuaded him to find a group to go with, which he did. He enjoyed the fellowship of the Wilderness Canoe Club members. Over the years, he and Jan spent many annual visits in the UK with family and friends. Bob and Jan took early retirement from McMaster in 2003 and made trips abroad to Peru to hike the Inca Trail; to Africa on safari and to Egypt. Bob’s health began to cause problems after the latter trip in 2010. 3 years of treatments proved ineffective for the lymphoma disease. Bob was able to make one last trip to the UK in 2011 and was fairly fit driving to many parts of the UK visiting family and friends, which he really enjoyed. Jan and Bob’s cottage near Dorset, ON is a relaxing place to rest and on many occasions Bob enjoyed paddling around the lake chatting with other cottagers. They have good friends in the area, as well as also having a favourite place in Algonquin Park at Brule Lake. Bob’s sense of humour, love for life and the outdoors, and helpful, caring nature will be missed by all of us
My own thoughts about Bob at his Celebration of Life Service.....
Paddling With Bob
Enjoy it:
http://www.wildernesscanoe.ca/content/download-current-issue (must be a valid member and login in to access)
On behalf of the Editorial Team, I wish to express our sincere thanks to all content contributors!
Aleks Gusev
Editor
This year's paddling season got off to a tragic start as 65 year old Dr. Steven Senior of Bridgenorth, near Peterborough died on March 11 on a Class IV rapid on the Little River in Tennessee. Dr. Senior was attending Ain't Louie Fest, an annual Spring Break paddling event that brings together some of the best open boaters from the US & Canada to run some classic whitewater in the Great Smokies. He came out of his canoe on running a ledge, swam, and was swept downstream over another ledge. He experienced a foot entrapment at the base of this ledge, holding him underwater. In spite of heroic efforts by the highly trained crew of paddlers with him, it was 37 minutes before he could be extricated. He had vital signs on recovery but subsequently died in hospital.
Some of you who paddle at the Gull may have met Dr. Senior there.
We extend our sincerest condolences to the family.
There is video footage from a local television station, as well as a full accident report on the American Whitewater website.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/Local_News/story/Fellow-boaters-rescue-Can…
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/detail/accidentid/36…
As anyone who has visited the Canadian Canoe Museum is aware, the current location on Monaghan Road in Peterborough, is a less than ideal venue for the display and preservation of its world-famous canoe and kayak collection. The museum is located in what was once a factory of the old Outboard Marine Corporation. Plans are afoot for moving the museum to more suitable home in Peterborough's downtown, and on the waterfront to facilitate actual on-water canoe activities. Specific plans will be made available to the public later this year. For details of the plans as they unfold, keep your eye on the museum's website.
For the local view and more information, follow this link to an article in The Peterborough Examiner:
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2013/03/05/downtown-site-a-perfe…
Departing 25 November on a 3 week long self-guided rafting trip down Colorado from Lee's Ferry to Diamond Creek.
SPOT tracker link:
http://share.findmespot.com/
Aleks
Sadly, one of our long time members, Jim Greenacre, recently passed away after a short illness at age 92. Jim was one of us who joined the WCA in its very early years, and I can remember our first outing with the club was a run down the Credit River organized by him. That was back around 1977. After the trip, Jim took the time to phone Rita and I to thank us for joining him, and to encourage us to continue to get out on club trips. That was the kind of guy Jim was. Subsequent years found us often on lakes and rivers with him, and later I joined him on the Outings Committee, where he was active for many years. When we organized our first introductory whitewater courses, Jim was onboard, and continued to be an instructor on this very popular course well up into his 70's.
A very active outdoorsman in all seasons, he travelled the Nahanni, Thelon, Quebec and Labrador Rivers, and Ontario waterways from the Great Lakes to James Bay. In his mid-60's he participated in a Northern Ontario snowshoe trip across James Bay, keeping up with companions two decades his junior. That trip ended up as an article in "Canadian Geographic." Jim was everyone's ideal travelling mate. He was helpful, patient, congenial, and always pulled his weight. If your chatter got to him, he just turned down his hearing aid and tuned you out.
One of my favourite memories of Jim was a whitewater course on the French River where he was a co-instructor. There was another group at Blue Chute, where we were working the river. Jim fished out a soggy swimmer from this class, and started to explain that he needed extreme lean to the inside of the turn in crossing such a strong eddy line. The other members of his group started laughing all of a sudden- the septagenarian who they thought didn't know which end of the paddle to put in the water was demonstrating for their hot-shot young instructor.
I last had the pleasure of paddling with Jim some 9 or 10 years ago. That would make Jim in his early 80's. We were pulling our at the end of the Moira one April afternoon. We were beat, and suggested the we all hit Tim's in Belleville. Jim gave his regrets. He had to hurry home to change. He was booked for an evening of one of his favourite off-water activities- ballroom dancing.
Those of us who knew Jim came to regard him as a paddling inspiration, continuing to canoe up until he was 90. When I talked to him a few months ago, he was still getting out for his daily hour walks, and dancing up a storm, though he confessed he had to chase up younger gals of late since finding ladies in his own age group who could kick up their heels with him was becoming difficult.
We'll miss you, Jim.
Bill Ness
A great Fall weekend at the Madawaska Kanu Centre with great attendance. We had 44 for the full weekend and a further 19 join us for supper on Saturday night. Jon McPhee did a wonderful job with the organization of the weekend starting with a fire in the gazebo on Friday night to warm and welcome everyone.The weather cooperated with a lovely sunny Saturday with beautiful colours. The group split with a flat water group exploring the Bonnechere River and the white water group scraping down the lower Mad. Yes, even though we had great attendance this year, the water gods did not cooperate. Thanks to Cathryn Ross and Bill Cormode for leading the flat water expedition. On Saturday night we had the best meal yet, followed by presentations on the Ashuapmushuan River by Dave & Dawne Robinson and the Mistassibi Nord-Est by William Sleeth and Claudia Escandon.
Sunday saw members split into smaller groups, some doing some hiking in the area led by Cathryn Ross and others snubbing/poling down the Chalet rapids.
Fourteen of the attendees were new members within the last year!!
To see pictures from the Saturday paddle on the lower Mad:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=41405f10b47…
