Portfolio: OTB Summer 2009 “Paddling”

Up the River with a Paddle…

Photography by Richard & Christa Galloway / Isis Photography

“Here comes another one!”

The shout emanates from the front of the canoe I’m paddling and it is not a reference to a flying projectile, nor a point of interest on our tour down the Beaver River. It is, in fact, a gleeful warning from my paddling companion as we wind around a bend in the river and face what has become a point of much hilarity in our little red canoe: my bizarre compulsion to steer us into every protruding, grass-covered bank of the river we meet.

You see, although I’m the least-experienced person in our expedition, I have been given a position of power in our canoe, the back. The person in the back acts as the rudder and has significant influence on where the canoe is headed. I don’t question this dubious honour at first, but as we paddle, it becomes clear that we may not have chosen wisely. I am terrible.

It actually has little to do with my natural ability to paddle, the instruction I have been given, or the boat we are in. It does have to do with a genetic aversion to going in the direction to which I’ve been instructed. As we make our way down the river, I’m transported back to my driving lessons as a 16-year-old: “…and turn left here. No, left. Left. NO! YOUR OTHER LEFT!!!”

Thankfully, we are not in a car. We are making our way on a guided trip down the Beaver River with local outdoor-adventure company Free Spirit Tours. Luckily, my paddling companion, photographer Christa Galloway, is much more patient than my driving instructor. In fact, everyone seems to be finding humour in my directional shortcomings.

There’s ample opportunity to bump into the soft, grassy banks of the Beaver River as we wind our way from Epping, our drop-in point, to Heathcote, our destination. But with soft current, clear water and muddy bottom in close view beneath our canoe, we’re never worried about tipping or wrecking our rugged vessel. It would be hard to get very stressed about anything, really, in such an idyllic setting. We are only a few kilometers from Highway 26, but as our paddles quietly dip into the water and we take a minute to savour the scene, it feels although we are a million miles from anywhere.

Paddling is a great Canadian tradition, one that thousands of families, couples, friends and outdoorsy singles enjoy every summer throughout the country. It has quite an honourable history in this country, being the mode of transportation by which Canada was first discovered and explored. The neat thing about it is that it’s changed little since the days of courers de bois and the fur trade’s push West. Sure, the canoes are better now, and we have the more-agile kayak, but at its core, the technology is much the same.

There are two main ways to experience paddling in this area. The first is traditional canoeing in the shallower, scenic rivers of the area, such as the Beaver or Saugeen, or to paddle your way around the calm waters of Lake Eugena. The second is to kayak the more tumultuous waters of Georgian Bay, where the stakes are a little higher but so too is the promise of adventure.

Canoeing and kayaking, while very similar at their core, offer two very different experiences on the water. Canoeing is the more entry-level of the two, and our trip down the Beaver River probably the easiest paddling route in the area. This is a good thing, because while paddling looks easy, the motions take a little getting used to, and the calm, shallow water makes it a fun experience, rather than a frustrating or nerve-wracking one.

Having good instruction helps too, especially for first-timers. Relying on friends is fine, as long as they are good teachers. But if they’ve paddled all their lives, they may have a hard time explaining it to others. As Christa, a long-time paddler, notes as she watches me learn the “J stroke”, she’s done it for so long that she no longer thinks about the motions, they just come automatically. Obviously, I’m not quite there yet but our guide Leslie Timms is a cheerful, patient instructor who gives me handy tips as we glide along.

Leslie, 25, is one of those people who makes you immediately want to adopt a more outdoorsy lifestyle — she’s tanned, relaxed, and has arms that even Michelle Obama would envy. She laughs when we comment on them, and admits that her sculpted physique is not thanks to paddling alone. As it turns out, she’s a professional rock climber and recently moved to the area so that she and her husband could live in close proximity to high-quality climbing and and all the other local outdoor pursuits. Today, she and Christa’s husband, Richard Galloway, chat happily in their canoe about extended canoe-and-portage expeditions, which she likes to plan every year. She calls them “cleansing trips,” opportunities to get away from the real world and live as close to the land as possible. (Me, I like living close to the land as long as the land is close to a Starbucks.)

Her outdoorsy, nomadic lifestyle couldn’t be any different than our other guide’s, a retired Army infantry officer named Mark Toma, 40. He took his 20-year retirement from the Canadian Forces last year and wanted to find something that would be active and enjoyable for the second half of his career. He’d known Matt Code, co-founder of Free Spirit Tours, for a few years and when his retirement started, he asked Matt if he could join FST. Toma was hired and he now spends the summer months either guiding people down the river, or ferrying the canoes and kayaks that FST rents to and from the canoe and kayak drop-in point at Epping.

In his spare time, though, what he really likes to do is hit Georgian Bay in his kayak, a more adventurous pursuit that appeals to the Army man in him. Sea kayaking is a whole other realm in paddling, one that fans of the sport are lucky enough to be able to access here with little effort. Obviously Georgian Bay is not the sea, but it’s pretty close for an inland body of water, with its fast-changing weather, good-sized waves and large size.

“I like taking my sea kayak out on Georgian Bay because it’s a very good workout,” he explains. “You have to keep paddling all the time pretty much. I like the athleticism of that. And since I’ve gotten more experienced, I can control the boat a lot easier without thinking.”

That’s not to say he doesn’t get nervous when the Bay starts throwing its weight around. “I still get apprehensive if I’m a fair distance from shore and the waves start picking up,” he admits. “Because if you tip, at that point I’d have to get back in. And if it’s wavy, it’s a lot tougher.”

Few know what it’s like to kayak on Georgian Bay like Patrick Stark, the 30-year-old who circumnavigated the Bay in a kayak last summer. Over the course of 40 days, Stark explored the many nooks and crannies of the Bay from the up-close-and-personal view of his kayak. He raised $7500 for the Georgian Bay Land Trust in his pursuit, but the trip was one he initially wanted to do purely for exploratory reasons, to test his limits on an extra-long trip and experience the Bay in a new way.

Kayaks are the idea vessel in which to explore the Bay’s sometimes-temperamental waters, Stark says. “Kayaks are so well suited to Georgian Bay. They are low to the water, and you have your spray skirt to protect you from getting wet, and if you have adequate skill, they are quite easy to handle.”

They are also very efficient for longer trips. He carried 100 pounds of food with him on his journey and was still able to “cruise along at a good clip” as he made his way through the chains of islands that dot the shore. “The best thing is how quiet they are,” he says. “I even snuck up on deer a couple of times and they didn’t even know I was there.”

Wildlife watching is one of the most pleasurable parts of a paddling trip, whether you’re in a canoe or kayak, or on a river or ocean. We saw all sorts of birds on our trip: herons, cormorants, blue jays and a multi-generational gaggle of geese. Owls, deer, beavers and fish are often sighted as well, giving paddlers a thrill when they catch a glimpse. As Stark notes, it’s much easier to view wildlife from the quiet venue of a canoe or kayak, because they are virtually silent in the water if you’re skilled.
Unlike many other outdoor sports, getting into paddling is quite simple. Renting a vessel is how most people start out in the sport and locally, you can rent canoes and kayaks from both Gyles Marine in Thornbury or Free Spirit Tours in Heathcote. You can, obviously, just get in the canoe and figure out how to paddle it yourself, but there are techniques and different strokes, so it’s advisable to either go with a friend who knows what they are doing, or sign up for a guided tour so that someone can help you get the hang of it. If you want to try kayaking on the Bay, instruction would be highly advisable. Learning how to get in and out of the boat in the water is important, as is making your way safely through stormy water.

Those with a competitive, or team-sport, bent might be interested in the Collingwood Dragon Boat and Canoe Club. They run a variety of programs for paddlers, including camps for kids, and competitive dragon boat racing, which involves team-rowing races with 20 paddlers ferociously paddling simultaneously in a long, canoe-style vessel and a drummer or caller that keeps everyone in time. It’s quite a sight if you’ve ever seen it live, and it has a dedicated and large following throughout the country.

If the quiet pace of the river, or the solitary expanse of the Bay is more your speed, purchasing a boat will be the most expensive part of getting into paddling more seriously. For most people, though, it is a one-time, up-front investment with very little after that (as long as you care for your stuff, of course). Like anything, you can spend as much as you feel comfortable spending, as vessels can range from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand. The materials are the main difference between boats: the higher quality the material, the more you will pay.

With a boat secured, you only need paddles, safety vests, and a regulation safety kit, as required by the Coast Guard. You can buy these kits at places such as Mountain Equipment Co-op for a reasonable price. In the Collingwood area, there are very few places to buy paddling equipment, so it sometimes means going to Barrie or Toronto if you need to stock up on all the gear at once. Buying used gear is a very popular practice in paddling, and there is a lively trade of used gear online and through rental companies or camps looking to sell off last-year’s equipment.

Now, you just need to get out on the water. Locally, as we’ve mentioned, there are several popular routes down the Beaver and Saugeen, which has many drop-in points down its winding 102-kilometre course. The Grey-Bruce County official visitor’s map is a great local resource that lists all the popular drop-in points and area river systems. A more comprehensive resource to paddling on the Bay can be found in Kas Stone’s 2008 book, Paddling and Hiking the Georgian Bay Coast.
If your house is anything like mine, you’ve probably got a corner of your garage or basement stocked with a myriad of sports equipment and outdoor-activity accoutrement, and the thought of adding a canoe or kayak to the mix probably makes you wary. But I can think of few things that will not only last throughout your life, but that can enjoy throughout it as well. It’s a great activity for families and wonderfully low-impact for all ages. You can go as hard or fast as you want, in as an adventurous a setting as you feel comfortable. And you can take a canoe or kayak for a few hours, or a few weeks if you’re so inclined. They are incredibly versatile vessels.

When you do decide to take to the water, take a minute to decide who you’re going to put in the back. Adding me the in mix, for instance, would mean you’ll spend more time admiring the flora and fauna on the sides of the river, whether you want to or not. But even if you do end up with a somewhat directionally challenged partner, you’d be hard pressed to have a bad time. All a canoe trip needs is a few good friends, a nice sunny day, and a river or lake to explore. The rest, you’ll find, will take care of itself.

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