Kayaking the Long Sault Parkway, Ontario

Cloud dance is one of the best shows on Earth. It is captivating. On the open water you are surrounded by it when the Cumulus clouds come out to play and mingle whimsically with the wind. Their ever changing shapes make you imagine and wonder. Kayaking is a great way to experience cloud dance. Long Sault is a special place to find it.

At Long Sault, on the St. Lawrence River in Ontario, you’ll be paddling around Lost Villages that were moved before the area was flooded in 1958 to expand the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The 11 islands in the Long Sault Parkway are high points that remained after the flooding. More than 6500 people, and 500 homes were moved and relocated. What couldn’t be moved was bulldozed or burned down. Many of the displaced villagers moved to the new towns of Ingleside and Long Sault. Divers still explore the submerged ruins.

The first week of May has been awesome for getting out and paddling after a long, hard winter in Canada, although the skiing and snowshoeing was fantastic, so I'm not complaining.

It feels so good to be back on the water. The ice has finally thawed on Canada's lakes and rivers. The air is warm, the sun is bright, the skies are blue, the birds are singing and nesting, the flowers are blooming, spring allergies are peaking, and the water is icy cold.

Maelstrom Vital 166 sea kayak parked on Macdonell Island, Long Sault Parkway, Ontario, Canada

For more photos and information about paddling the historic Long Sault Parkway, my next post is up on The Great Waterway, a cool Ontario tourism website, where I'm a regular blogger, if you'd like to check it out. 

Kayaking the big sky of the Long Sault Parkway, Ontario, Canada

Take care. Love your boat and enjoy the 2013 paddling season!
The BaffinPaddler

First spring paddle with the Boreal Baffin 2013

It doesn't really matter where you go with your boat for that first spring paddle after a long, cold winter in Canada.

It matters how you feel.

It sure feels good to me.

I think winter makes me appreciate my kayaks more. I have more than one kayak, and I'd like a bigger fleet. There are so many kayaks to love. It's a kayaker's disease.

I always wonder why my first spring paddle is always with the Boreal Baffin. The original Baffin. The one I bought the first year it came out a few years back. The yellow demo boat that the Boreal guys, then a Quebec company, when awesome kayaks were still made in Canada, not just designed, took out and seal launched my boat off ice flows in the awesome and magical Saguenay River in Quebec to test it, and play with it.

It's still my boat. It has more experience and wisdom than me. I can feel it. I like it. It may always be my first spring paddle mate. It's part of history now. It was not made in China.

I'll cherish this relic for a long, long time!

When you're in a kayak you love, you're headed in the right direction. I hope!

Happy spring paddles.
Enjoy!
The BaffinPaddler

Spring itineraries: To paddle or to cycle? That is the question.

I usually transition from winter into spring on the bike before I head out in the kayak.

Why? Because spring waters are so cold in Canada. After a long, long, long, winter of wearing lots of cold weather gear, the last thing I want to do in spring, when the air warms up and the sun is hot, is put on cold water kayaking gear!

Maybe you feel the same way.

So lots of us will be hitting the pedals, before the paddles.

Regardless of what seasons you like to cycle, it's nice to take a look at cycling itineraries, what they have to offer you, and plan some tripping with the bike.

I particularly like cycling along waterways and prefer easy to moderately graded routes. I like to visit and discover new places each year. It's in our restless kayaking blood.

I'm looking forward to doing a little cyclo-touring and that feeling of freedom that comes with getting away on the bike. We need to stretch out those hips and legs a bit! They get a little crammed up in a kayak.

I'll be heading out again this year to check out some more of southeastern Ontario's cycling itineraries and waterfront trails for The Great Waterway. 

I'm finding there's a lot more time to review and plan trips this year. It keeps on snowing or raining in Canada! I'm ready to get out as soon as all the snow melts and the grit and gravel is off the roads!

We're all anxious to see the blue skies and summer flowers along the pathways again.

If you're looking for cycling itineraries too, my next post is up on The Great Waterway, a cool Ontario tourism website, where I'm a regular blogger, if you'd like to check it out. 

Cycling The Great Waterway, spring, summer, and fall.

A modern day Shakespeare might say . . . "To paddle or to cycle, that is the question!"

Happy trails!
The BaffinPaddler

Today's paddle report from the Mont Tremblant region, Quebec, Canada

Today, I checked out a few creeks, lakes, and rivers in the Mont Tremblant, Quebec region.

How's spring thaw?

A little deeper than usual I'd say for April. We won't be paddling around here anytime soon.

There is still lots of snow in Tremblant, blue skies, and sunshine. It's been a great year for downhill skiers here, and it's not over yet. Spring skiing is awesome. There's only one more weekend left from April 12 to 14.

But, if you do head off to Tremblant to ski, you can check the ski report for information about conditions, and the days that they are open at: Tremblant Snow Reports - Daily Updates

Enjoy spring one way or another. It still feels like winter to me! I thought I didn't need snowshoes any more.

Happy trails. 

The BaffinPaddler

Paddle and hike to Blue Mountain, Charleston Lake, Ontario, Canada

It's great to paddle to a trail head and hike up to a look out for a lunch break. It lets us get out of of the kayak and really move and work the legs! And I love the scenic, panoramic views of the lake I just paddled across to get there.

If you're looking for a beautiful day paddle and hike that is not too difficult or too easy - it's just right, here's one of my favourites.

Thanks to kayaking and hiking buddies for sharing their favourite spots with me.

I'll be writing about a few more good paddle and hike spots later this year.

My next story is up on The Great Waterway, a cool Ontario Tourism Website where I'm a regular blogger if you'd like more details and photos.

A great paddle and hike to Blue Mountain on Charleston Lake, Ontario

The snow will eventually melt! In the meantime, we're still skiing, snowshoeing, and shovelling around here.

Happy trip planning!
The BaffinPaddler

Snowmobile to Yoga . . . or, do yoga on the snowmobile

Why not. Both work. Snowmobile to yoga. Do yoga on the snowmobile.

Just look at the face on this little bug-eyed gal. She's a 7-year-old Ski-Doo and weighs over 400 lbs.

She's got a nice metal deck on the back for hauling stuff, or for striking a few standing yoga poses.

Enjoy winter yoga in the outdoors while you can. Find your spot. Strike your pose.

Spring mud, rain, and bugs are on the way and it's back to the indoor yoga studio until late summer and fall!

Thanks to friends for taking me snowmobiling on awesome Laurentian mountain trails, across frozen lakes, and through big open fields in Quebec, Canada.

Now, if only they would make them . . . cough, choke . . . carbon friendly, that would be great. Same for cars and motor boats!

Happy trails!
The BaffinPaddler

Outhouses . . . friend or foe?

It's crooked.

The door is padlocked, or

there's a stick in front to keep the door shut and the skunks out.

It's close to a big bee farm in a field of clover and dandelions.

The door won't stay shut. There's no lock.

It's buried in snow. The door won't open.

There's no light inside.

You have to bring your own supplies.

It's a beautiful thing?

It's an ugly beast?

When you were a girl scout (or a boy scout), and had latrine cleaning duty, the skunk stick was always on the ground and the door was cracked open . . .

Outhouses. Friend or foe?

You never know, no matter what the season, how to navigate their folly.

They are things of curiosity. Sometimes necessity.

Bring friends. Let them go first!

Happy trails wherever you go. Spring is on the way.
The BaffinPaddler