Leisurely three night - four day trip on the Petawawa from Lake traverse to McManus Lake.
Just another relaxing summer weekend at Palmer Rapids on the Madawaska River. We stay at local farmer Harold Jessup's campsite right on the river at the rapids. This is an enjoyable weekend for novice or better moving water paddlers. Probably more people have had their first taste of moving water here than in any other spot in Ontario. There are a couple of sets of Class 1-2 rapids almost outside your tent door. I'm happy to give some informal paddling pointers to new river runners. If people are interested in something a little different, we can do short basic river safety and rescue clinic- moving water swimming, rope work, recovering pinned canoes, etc. If the water levels are good, more adventurous types might want to get together to take a run down the Lower Madawaska on Saturday.
For families, there's a sandy beach where the kids can play or swim. For those who aren't into paddling, there are restaurants and interesting shops nearby in Wilno and Barry's Bay.
We're going to be there from Thursday afternoon to Sunday, but you can come & camp or go at any time.
You will need a whitewater canoe with flotation, and a helmet, along with the usual PFD and paddle. Canoes can be rented nearby at Paddler Co-op (see their website www.paddlerco-op.com), or from Madawaska River Rentals (see their website www.MadRiverRentals.ca ), or from Don Adams in Griffith, who will even deliver to Jessup's for a fee (613-333-2240). If renting, tell them you want thigh straps in the canoe. It will make a huge amount of difference to your control.
For those looking to escape camp cookery, try the famous Wilno Tavern: http://www.wilnotavern.com/index.php
The Wilno has a Polish buffet Saturday nights that will fill any hungry paddler. There are also some other good restaurants in Barry's Bay.
Please register as soon as possible so I can reserve a group camping area.
By signing up for this trip you also agree to the conditions in the WCA liability waiver. Please locate it on the WCA website under the Outings tab.
We are looking for people to join us on this 6 day canoe trip down the West Branch of the Spanish River. Basic whitewater skills are required to enjoy this trip. We have the group gear and will be looking to share meals as a group. The Spanish River is known as one of the best beginner/ intermediate level whitewater trips , with great scenery, and many runnable Class 1-2 rapids and the odd Class 3. Contact organizer as soon as possible.
The Dumoine is known as one of the best intermediate level whitewater trips in the Ottawa Valley, with outstanding scenery, and many runnable Class 1-3 rapids. It is runnable all season. We will do the classic 3-4 day Dumoine trip from the north end of Lac Benoit, travelling 62 km to its mouth near Rolphton on the Ottawa. We will access the river by pre-arranged hired shuttle on Sunday August 14, and should finish by Thursday the 18th at the latest. By signing up for this trip you also agree to the conditions in the WCA liability waiver. Please locate it on the WCA website under the Outings tab.
Please join me on a spring warm-up white-water trip on the Black River between #118 and #6.
Be ready for class 1 and 2 rapids, a few portages, no bugs. We camp on the river on Saturday night. We will need to shuttle - hopefully only on Sunday. The shuttle is 40km one-way.
Put in: Vancoughnet (south of #118 where Vancoughnet Rd turns into Lambert Rd and Old Victoria Rd) Saturday 9:30am.
Take out: where #6 Black River Rd and Chisholm Trail meet (east of Severn Bridge) - Sunday around 4pm.
The Mad River is small and has a nice but not overwhelming flow to it. You do need to be able to manoeuvre confidently mostly in tight turns and on a few occasions under a branch of an overhanging tree or a sweeper on a side of the river. You need the ability to paddle class 2 rapid though there are no class 2 rapids on the river.
We can meet at York Mills and Yonge - NW parking lot at 8am for carpooling and then at Riverside Dr at 9:30am (west of Creemore, just north of #9 where you can see the river). We will shuttle to concession 3 (via #9, Centre Line, Webster Rd). We will be finished around 3pm. Bring lunch.
The Black River empties into Lake Simcoe south of Washago. There is a fun short section from the HWY 169 bridge crossing to the next concession road crossing to the west where the river loops around through a number of small rapids separated by flat sections. The section ends with an optional more challenging technical chute, followed by a Class 2 rollercoaster ride. This is an ideal spot for budding moving water paddlers to get some experience, and practice ferries and eddy turns. I'm happy do give informal pointers, and we're in no rush. The section of river is short enough that if you get cold or wet, you can quickly paddle out. However, if you want to work the section, you can play all afternoon. As a bonus, we meet at 11:00 so you don't have to haul yourself out of bed early to get there. We'll also finish around 3:00, so plenty of time to get back to the family dinner. Bring a lunch and we'll eat on the river. As the water will still be cold, you will need a wetsuit or drysuit. This is a relaxed day of paddling play & practice on a fun, forgiving stretch of river.
Seeking a 4th to round out a crew of 3 to paddle the spectacular Nahanni this July. From the North Canol we'll cross the height of land to The Moose Ponds then paddle down to Nahanni Butte (roughly 4 weeks total), self-orged, very low cost -- a trip of a lifetime.
We are re-scheduling this trip again; to Saturday April 16 in the hope that Mother Nature will cut us some slack and turn up the heat.
The Moira River north of Belleville provides a fun day of paddling from Lost Channel to Latta on a spring day.
The river provides a great opportunity for good novice moving water paddlers to move up to an intermediate level river. We'll meet at Chisholm's Mill at 9:30, do a car shuttle, and then warm up the easier lower section down to Latta. The rapids are not difficult; just a fun rollercoaster ride, with some surfing waves along the way. We'll go back to Chisholm's for lunch at the cars, and then do a shuttle to run the more technical and challenging Lost Channel section. We should finish up around 4:00, and then we can hit the nearby dairy along the highway. Boats should have full flotation, and you will need a wetsuit or drysuit.
Please note that as at the time of posting the river levels and weather cannot be predicted, the date could be changed if levels are not suitable or the weather is inclement. I like to play, and float along chatting with people. My idea of a fun outing isn't paddling in freezing rain muttering to each other "don't worry, we'll soon be finished if we hurry." So if you sign up, you needn't worry that you are committing to a survival exercise-just a fun day.
The weather looks a lot better Saturday than Friday, so we are switching to Saturday the 26th.
Join me on this classic early spring favourite of Toronto area paddlers. We’ll catch the Credit in Streetsville and run down to the mouth at Port Credit. The river is a delightful continuous class 1 to 2 with lots of play spots. However, downed trees over the winter can create sweepers, and participants need to be able to manoeuvre a canoe in moving water to avoid them. As well, the water will be cold. You should have solid basic moving water skills, and wear a wetsuit or drysuit. Boats should have air bags in them. We'll have lunch on the river at a park near Dundas Street, so bring something to eat. We usually finish the trip around 3 PM.
If the weather is unfavourable on the Friday, we'll move the trip to the Saturday or Sunday. It's not much fun paddling in cold rain.