Paddling Out Of Crotch Lake

For those wishing to paddle out of Crotch Lake to new destinations, there are three options which I had a look at while there last week. The first I had a look at was the creek leading to Big Gull Lake. The photo above shows the nice portage trail from the Gull Lake end. Below is the little pond at the end of the portage.


I was tempted to continue from here, but the low water level in the pond gave me the distinct feeling it would have been a long, slow slog up-stream to Big Gull Lake. A bit more water and it's possible it might have been an interesting paddle.

The next option takes one up the Mississippi River which flows into the northern end of Crotch Lake. Not quite as big as the other better known Mississippi River, it nonetheless presents some challenges to the paddler, the first one seen in the photo, is a series of three rapids.


I was able to line up the lowest one, but the cascades of the middle set required a portage.


Fortunately a road parallels the river at this point and could be used easily to get above the drop. I could see another small set of rapids further upstream which looked easy to line past, but I didn't proceed that far up-stream for a better look. The river had lots of water and looked inviting to paddle.

The last option is the outlet into King Lake on the northwest side of the lake. Here is a dam composed of caged stone. At high water water will flow over this and I suspect some care must be required not to get caught. There is a road on the left bank which can be used to portage to the river below.


The chute to control the Crotch Lake water level is on the right bank against the rock cliffs as seen in the photo above.

Return To Crotch Lake

Finally getting back out on the water after a winter of non-paddling felt good. I went to Crotch Lake with some Ontario friends and we continued to explore the lake we had first visited last year. After arriving on a Friday afternoon, we set up camp on a small island site.


The following morning, we paddled into Fawn Lake. This area had been too shallow to paddle last fall as the water level had been drawn down for the winter, but was easily accessible this spring when the water levels were several meters higher. We discovered an area of rocky cliffs and narrow channels.


Very warm temperatures in the mid 30°C's put us back at the campsite later in the day. Some went swimming in the warm water, others, like me, dozed the time away. There were hordes of dragonflies hatching out of their nymph stage, flying away to eat many of the bugs we feared would eat us during the night. You gotta love dragons!


Sunday, we headed into another branch lake called Twin Island Lake, once again gaining access thanks to the high water levels. A couple of oddities we discovered were a flock of turkey vultures pretending to be cormorants, spreading their winds to dry and


an old tree stump bravely lifting two rocks in its arms suggesting that weight lifters may never die!

Let The Dogs Out!

I should have been on this one a bit earlier as the race is already underway, however for those into racing traditional eastern arctic style dog teams, here it is! This year's race is around the shores of western Ungava Bay, from Quoartaq to Kuujjuaq. The last I heard, the leading teams had already passed through Kangirsuk, my old home town and are headed south. You can catch the updates by clicking here.

Ford's Kayak Van

Despite the fact that my little Go-Camp trailer has proven to be a welcome and handy way of traveling to the kayak put-ins around the country, I seem to be continually on the lookout for an even better idea. The other day I discovered Ford's Transit van which is relatively new here in North America, although Europe has seen it for several years now.

As you can see in the top photo, kayakers have already discovered it and have begun adapting them to whatever fits their needs. My idea is a variant on this idea. My boats would go on the roof, but I'd convert the interior into a micro-motorhome. The photo below gives an idea of what the interior looks like when tricked out for your particular dream. I haven't seen a camper version done by anyone yet, but I'd like to. In fact, I think Ford (Are you reading this Mr Ford?) really ought to give me one of these vans so I could build a dream home on wheels, ready to kayak anywhere, anytime! I'm sure Mr Ford could sell a bunch of these to the kayaking crowd once they see what I've done with mine...

I've Been Baking Kayaks!

It's been an indoor day today with snow in the air - not easy to take when it's the first full day of Spring and the temperature is well above the freezing mark! Obviously it's 'Baking Day' and what better things to cook than some kayaks. FIMO clay kayaks actually. I'm in the process of cooking up some little goodies to put in the Geocaches I find when I head out shortly on my annual trip south.

People like to leave things in these caches so that others can either collect them or pass them along to other caches. I'll be attaching tags to some of these which are registered. This will enable me to track their movement from cache to cache. They'll all be placed near water with instructions to place them in other caches near good kayaking sites. Who knows, perhaps I'll find some new places to paddle via them!

Paddle Time!

Having given a paddle away to a friend in Newfoundland last summer (only to have it suddenly switch ownership again once his wife spotted it!) I hit the workshop this week to replenish my dwindling supply. I had decided to take photos of the process, but things got out of hand. First I forget to bring the camera to the saw mill where I got the cedar blanks. They had a yummy supply of the stuff and let me run through the pile to select out what I wanted. I like that!

Next, I managed to measure out all the critical points on the wood and begin cutting before I remembered the camera. By the time the blank was roughed out, the camera seemed to have disappeared and it stayed that way during the planing and sanding stages. Finally just after the tung oil got applied, the camera resurfaced with the result you can see on the left.

I've got a couple more 2x4 cedar blanks in the workshop so hopefully I'll take the photo series next time. Meanwhile, it's rapidly switching from 'Paddle Time' to 'Paddling Time'! I like that even better!

Goodbye Winter, Goodbye!

Winter appears to be on the way out for another year in my area. Normally I wouldn't be saying that for another six weeks or so, but this year abnormally warm temperatures have been with us since the end of January. Looking at the lake ice today, I'd say it's melting fast. I could be paddling on the lake by the end of the month if current conditions persist. That would be two to three weeks earlier than usual.


In the meantime, there have been things to do! I repeated my snowshoe climb of Mt Megantic again. Conditions were similar to last year, although the melt was underway from bottom to top of the mountain. This mountain has one of Canada's biggest observatories at the summit. Sadly peasants like me don't get to observe the cosmic wonders available to viewers inside the building, but just the naked eye will provide quite the view at this altitude.


This last photo is my way of saying 'Goodbye winter, goodbye'!

How To Race Dog Sleds

Dog sled racing has come a long way since the Inuit raced out of Siberia and crossed the Bering Strait. Today's dogs are breed as sprinters. They're lighter and fasters than the dogs used by traditional Inuit. Their dogs were breed for strength, stamina and usefulness on the hunt.

Here is what you need to race today...

Harness your dogs and attach them to the sled-line...

Get the dogs to the Start line and have someone hold each dog so it doesn't run off prematurely...

Try to avoid fouling your dogs with over-eager spectators...

Once clear, try to hang on until the finish line appears...

In wooded sections, attempt to steer dogs all on same side of trees...

Cross finish line and check to see if you've won anything...

There you have it. These photos were taken last weekend in Burke, Vermont and show a variety of different races with from four to eight dogs per team. Obviously I jest, when I imply the sport is simple. I was impressed with how well trained everyone was, dogs, children, adults all included. A great event to see if you ever get the chance. These folks just love being outside in the snow having fun!

For All You Ice Lovers...

Berg on the right drifts to the left...
The chance to go kayaking in ice-filled waters intrigues many people, me included. After all, it harkens back to the very roots of our sport and so it's only natural we'd be fascinated with the icy prospects.

... and collides with the glacial snout...
This past week events on the western coast of Antarctica have provided an Olympian challenge for super-kayakers with ice on their minds. A giant berg the size of some small countries has been smashed off the glacier that produced it and is now adrift. 100 kms long and 30 kms wide, its massive cliff faces would present an amazing sight for paddlers, not to mention the vast fields of brash ice and growlers in the area of the break...

... breaking it off and setting it adrift.
Apparently this break is due more to natural events than directly to climate change effects, but predictions are that chunks of ice this large can produce altered weather in parts of the world as they drift around and melt. In some cases this large, the effects can be miles away from the Antarctic itself including the northern hemisphere. As I stew away in the heat of another Canadian winter -it's presently +8°C outdoors - I can only hope it will cool things down by next winter!

FIMO Kayaks

I've been playing with the art clay called FIMO recently for a geocaching idea I have and came across this interesting boat seen in the photo above. It seems that FIMO, a polymer clay material, comes in transparent colours including clear. Given the seductiveness of having a see-through kayak, a company has jumped into the business of producing just such an item. While not technically a kayak, I suspect if the demand is there, it won't be long in coming to the market.

As for me, I prefer to paddle well covered up. Perhap's it's an age thing...

Cape Breton In Winter

With the 'winter that never was' following the 'summer that never was' I decided to go in search of colder, snowier venues. What better place to look that Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island? Alas, it was milder, and even less snowy than my own home. However, the trip was well worth the effort for a whole host of reasons! If you've never gone there, don't be turned off by the winter. The place is beautiful - just look at that photo and tell me differently - and the people are warm and friendly.


This photo is looking south towards Cape Smokey and St Ann's Bay on the eastern side of the Cabot Trail. Gorgeous in winter and I'm already looking ahead to paddling along its shores come summer!

Oh, and I found my first Nova Scotian geocache thanks to a friend's sharp eyes!

Bird of Kayaking?

Have you ever noticed that lots of important things have a bird to call their own? Sure you have. There's your 'National Bird' and your 'Provincial Bird' and so on. Birds are always attached to really important stuff.

So where's the Kayaking Bird?

Oh oh... Do we have one? Aren't we important?

Of course we don't and we are. So, I'm herewith proposing a Corvidae as our bird. Everywhere I've paddled from the arctic to the tropics, there have been crows and/or ravens. They're all black - which is big in the kayaking world (just ask a certain female paddler of world fame) and they make really cool sounds like a lot of paddlers I know. In short, they're the perfect Bird of Kayaking!

Getting The Dog Out

Of course living in a northern clime isn't all long nights, hot drinks and hockey. There is lots more to do and here is an example. If you own a dog or two and they're large enough, then hitching them up to something or someone is a natural. I haven't actually tried this myself for fear of wrecking my back and ruining my kayaking career, but ski-joring with your dog is lots of fun.

I highly recommend you begin on a wide open area, say a forty acre pasture or something. That way the dog or dogs can be trained to go straight, and turn in the proper direction without you managing to hit something hard and immobile. The next step to try is shown in the above photo. Follow a deer path in the woods. The dog will usually stay on the path, nose to the ground. Finally, when all is in a controlled state, one can try heading off the path and into the trees. On this particular day, a few centimeters of snow over a hard crust allowed for some pretty exhilarating high speed slalom runs through the trees! Gee! Haw!

Not One Thing, It's Another...

Given the hard state of the water in local lakes, I've had to pass the torch over to the few still remaining on the water - what little there is. These ducks, mostly mallards from what I can see, are clustering close to the lake's outlet where a small patch of open water still exists.


Meanwhile a few kilometers downstream, I'm busy 'geocaching'. At this point, I'm following the river along an old rail bed that's been converted to a walking/skiing trail. A series of geocaches have been hidden along the trail every 500 meters or so. I walk along - the skiing being temporarily ruined by some rain - following my GPS from cache to cache. Six of them found today, which equals about three kilometers each way. If it's not one thing - kayaking - then it's another - geocaching!

The geocache in the photo above was hidden right at the river's edge. Perhaps I ought to look into getting a river kayak and take advantage of the running water. I have very little experience in fast water however and wonder if winter is the time to learn... Perhaps not.

Leg Paddling

Living where I do in a northern clime, there are basically two seasons for the paddler. When the water comes in liquid form, there's 'arm-paddling' which for me means kayaking. The other season occurs when water freezes into snow and ice. That's when 'leg-paddling' begins.

So with most of the water around now frozen, I'm back to leg-paddling. Some people erroneously think of it as skiing and/or snowshoeing, but we all have our issues, don't we?

Ctories Revisited!

Several years ago I started a second 'C' blog apart from 'C'kayaker, which I called 'Ctories' my contraction for 'Canadian Stories'. The first piece I began writing was called Ilatsiak, after a mysterious shaman encountered by the Canadian Arctic Expedition in 1914. Diamond Jenness, an ethnologist on the expedition, wrote about meeting this man and some of his comments about him prompted me to forge the link between Ilatsiak and the ill-fated Franklin voyage which was lost about 60 years prior.

My attempt to write the story began well, but over the past couple of years it faltered and then stopped entirely. I have begun 2010 with a new determination to see Ilatsiak's story through to completion. If you're at all interested, click over to my Ctories blog and pick up the story. It's now at episode 73...

Watching It

My brother has an 10 year old European car which came with an interesting computer which enables him to monitor various aspects of his driving style. In particular, it provides him feedback about his mileage. Armed with this information he can adjust his driving style to save gas on a trip. Naturally I lusted after one of these devices, but none of the cars I've ever owned has such a computer.

That has now changed. I discovered a company called 'Scan-Gauge' which makes exactly the computer I've always wanted. It provides all the info of my brother's car and more, 14 different variables in all! I recently purchased one of their gauges and am beginning to learn from it. Plugging it into the OBDII outlet under the dash took about a minute or less, so even I could handle the hi-tech part of installing the Scan-Gauge.

To begin with, as the gauge provides data in real-time, I can now track my fuel consumption more closely and adjust accordingly as I drive. It can tell me whether keeping the roof-rack on the car is costing me money. I now know how much it's costing me to transport my kayak on the rack. I can tell what pulling my tiny trailer costs. In short, this little gauge is providing me with lots of information which, if I pay attention, will allow me to continue to travel to distant kayak venues and still keep my carbon footprint low enough to live with.

Trapped!

I was thinking of going for a paddle this morning, but things got in the way. Bird things! These wild turkeys have been coming around the house for the past few days driving our dogs nuts. I don't mind feeding the birds, but these seems to much. Besides, how can I leave nutty dogs to go paddling? What would I come home to at day's end?

I wonder if these birds are any good to eat? I am feeding them after all, maybe they could return the favour...

Feeling Blue

Canada's flag, as you probably know, isn't normally blue, but today it ought to be. Why? We're surrounded on three sides by the oceans. Sadly, the Atlantic is no longer the place it once was having been so depleted of fish stock. The Pacific is suffering a similar fate, not to mention there's a growing swirl of garbage in its midst. The Arctic sea ice is getting thinner each year and hints that unstoppable changes are upon us.

It's a day to feel blue. It's a day to think about the oceans and what we are doing to change them into places which may harm us all. Think. Then do something about it!

It Just Gets Better and Better...

What can I say...? Yesterday we snowshoed some trails, today we skied them.