Canoe Update

Yesterday, after dropping my kids off at a birthday party, I had the unusual opportunity to spend some time alone and do something entirely for myself. What did I do during my brief 2 hours of freedom, one might ask? Well I visited by new baby of course.

You see this past weekend was the Spring Cottage LIfe show and when I bought my canoe from Langford back in the fall, I was told that they might use it as part of their kiosk display. Normally a trade show would be out of the questions, as I would have to keep an eye on the kids, rather then what was at the show, but being freed up of that chore, I jumped at the opportunity to catch a glimpse of my canoe.

I had no idea how large the show would be, for when I arrived at the convention centre on Airport Road, where it was held, I was shocked by the fact that the show covered 3 very large halls of the centre. Driving in, I thought I would never get a parking spot, but luck was on my side, and as I approached the main entrance to the show, a guy was pulling out of his spot, leaving his prime spot for me. I'd scored! Getting out of the car, I decided to leave my coat in the car, as the sun was shinning, and the brightness was enough to keep me warn for the brief 1 minute walk to the entrance. You would think such a short walk would be uneventful, but it was fantastic, for just outside the main entrance was parked a truck with 5 or 6 wood stoves on display, all burning fresh wood (to show consumers his product in action I guess) but in the process really treating everyone to the smell of a good campfire, even though we were adjacent to the Airport, ahh the smell of a campfire, how long its been. From there I proceeded to line up to pay for my ticket, and got a "third treat." You see, a man who had purchased bulk tickets to give to his clients (I guess he was an exhibitor) offered me three free VIP tickets, stating that he was done for the day, and didn't want them to go to waste. I accepted his offer, which aloud me to bypass the ticket line and head right into the show. Wow, I thought, I got a few hours of "free baby-sitting", a great parking spot, the smell of a real camp fire and now free entrance to the show.

As I wondered around I quickly realized that I should have brought a compass, as the place was huge, and filled to the rim with people. With a bit of navigation though, I was able to make my way to the Langford Kiosk, the only place I really wanted to visit, and as I approached it, there she was my canoe (or so I thought.) I couldn't contain my grin, but as I walked closer I realized that while the red canoes were prospectors, they were both 16'6" models, one with wood gunnels, the other was Kevlar, and not an Ultra Light.

Funny enough, mine not being there really didn't bother me, for as I looked around, the store owner recognized me from the fall, and he told me that he didn't want to bring a sold canoe to the show in case it got scratched or damaged while on display.

We chatted a bit and during our talk he informed me that my baby was in fact ready, and in dry storage in Dwight. He told me I could come and get it any time, but recommended waiting at least 3-4 weeks, as Dwight was still under 3 feet of snow, and that all but the very largest lakes of Algonquin were still deeply frozen over. In short, he suggested that an April trip would be very difficult, if at all possible, as the ice would still be in most areas of the Park, but that by early May, everything would be easily accessible by canoe, because the water levels will be very good this spring with the all the melt water that will be accumulated.

After chatting a bit longer, he asked if I was the guy with the kids" to which I replied yes, but not today, and he then told me to go by the "Outter Creek" Kiosk, as they were selling good kids paddles for a great price. I thanked him, and made my way there. Man, the place was packed, and everyone had paddles in their hands. To say the price was right, was an understatement as you could get 2 softwood "Beaver Tail" paddles for $20.00. I ended up getting two hardwood "Otter Tail" paddles, that were resin tipped for my kids, that while a bit large for them this year, will be good for them for the next 2 or 3 years. Being the "premium" paddles, I did not get them for $20.00 instead, I paid a whopping $30.00. I felt like I had just scored again!

After that I returned to my car, and as I walked through the lot I noticed an elderly couple in search of a spot. I told them to follow me to mine to which they were very thankful. I also gave them my remaining two free tickets, and when they asked "ho much" I replied "on the house, I'm only trying to return the favor that fait had given me today." While they couldn't have know what I meant, they accepted and then as I drove off, I called back to them "but on the condition that you go in through the main gates" Huh... they must have thought, but I hopped they'd enjoy the smell of a campfire as well.

Spring's Sprung !?!?!?!

After a huge family Easter dinner yesterday, Josh, Liam and I decided that we would stretch our legs, and go for a walk in the neighborhood; actually, I walked and the boys rode their bikes. In any case, the weather was beautiful, and while a bit on the chilly side, it was a joy to be outside and in the sun again with nothing but our spring coats and running shoes on.

As we were heading out for what would be an hour or so walk, I noticed one of the most inspiring sites I have seen in a while; a tiny purple Crocus that had sprouted out of the recently melted snow banks of my yard. Located in a sunny and protected corner of my garden sits the Crocus in the photo below that bloomed today. This small purple plant, along with the return of several Red Robins to the backyard, give me hope, great pleasure and a new sense of rejuvenation in that Spring has really sprung, and that I will soon be back in Algonquin, surrounded by the beauty that it holds.

My first Canoe

It was during my final trip to Algonquin Park in the fall of 2007 that I finally decided I would purchase my own Canoe. For the past ten years I had been spending regular amounts of time at my families cottage, where we share both a Langford, and Swift canoe. While both are great canoes, I always preferred the Langford, even though it had been several years since I got to paddle it. You see about 5 years ago, the Langford suffered a fatal blow to its hull (not me…I swear) and has since been left at its final resting place on the shore of the cottage. While I had initially thought I would restore it the hull damage was severe, and the wooden gunnels had greatly deteriorated after several years of being left down turned and unprotected from the heavy winters of the Muskokas; in short the costs were just too high to justify restoring it, as a new and much lighter boat would end up costing but a few dollars more.

As a result, I had decided very early on that my canoe would be a Langford, as I had always found them to be the best handling and most classic canoe around.

Since we had arrived very late on Friday September 14th, 2007 I was out of luck in acquiring one on the drive in, but on the Sunday afternoon drive home, I know I had to stop in, as it would be a while before I would return to the area. As such, we left the park just after 1:00pm that afternoon, so that I would have some time to test out the canoes at the Langford store, located in Dwight, about 15 minutes out of west gates of Algonquin Park.

Even though the store was busy with their fall clearance sales, the sales staff was really nice and took lots of time to educate me on the pros and cons of the different canoes they made, and to listen to my wants from a canoe, so as to recommend the best product to me.

After much discussion and looking around I narrowed my choice to four, the Prospector 15’, Prospector 16’6”, the Muskoka 15’9” and the Nahanni 16’5”. While I knew I was leaning towards a symmetric canoe, of which the Muskoka and Nahanni were not, I wanted to be 100% sure of my choice, making a test paddle a must. The Langford staff had no problem with me testing out the four boats, and suggested I try different materials as well to get a feel for the weight and handling differences that the different materials created. In the end, I ended up testing out the Prospector 15’ in Kevlar with aluminum trim, the Prospector 16’6” ultra lite with aluminum trim, the Muskoka 15’9” in Expedition Kevlar and Ash/Cherry trim and the Nahanni 16’5” ultra light with aluminum trim.

While all handled well both solo and with Josh and Liam aboard, I felt more comfortable in the symmetrical Prospector canoes from the start, although I must admit the Nahanni really performed well with all three of us on board.

I also tried lifting them all onto my shoulder to “feel the weight of them on me” and new the moment I lifted the Muskoka that the Expedition Kevlar was just too much for me, as it’s 58 lbs weigh in was almost 20 lbs heavier then the lightest boat I was testing out that day.




That day, the weather was overcast, but nice, as the sun would shine through the clouds for periods of time to brighten up the day. There was a steady wind however, making the lake a bit choppy, although still very manageable to paddle in; besides this was my last chance for a test paddle, and a bit of wind was not going to get in my way.

While each boat got a solo and paired test paddle, I ended up spending most of my paddling time on the two prospectors, as my initial thoughts on a symmetric canoe proved correct, narrowing down my selection to but two boats. At the Langford store, the sales man had suggested I try paddling into a feeder river of the lake just west of our launch point (on the public beach of Dwight located a few blocks south of the Langford store, where Cooper Lake Road and Dwight Beach Road meet.) I took their advice and went there in both sized Prospectors. Liam came with me in the yellow 16’6” Ultra Lite model, Josh in the green 15’ Kevlar. Both handled nice in the calm waters of the river that we accessed after going through a culvert that runs under Dwight Beach Road but I just fell in love with the 15’ model as it was easy to paddle in both the quiet calm of the river and the choppier waters of the main lake, and was a dream to solo in. In fact I felt so comfortable in the Prospector 15’ that I was able to easily “Omer” the canoe, something that was a bit ominous an option in either of the non symmetric models I tested that day.

Surprisingly enough, the test paddle of the Prospector 15’ also gave us a great look at a Blue Herring. You see, as Josh and I drifted through the culvert leading into the river we came within 10 feet of a beautiful blue herring, fishing in the shallow waters of the sandy shores adjacent to the culvert leading out of the lake and into the river. We stopped and watched for a time, but having been test paddling for over two hours felt it was time to return the canoes.

Upon coming ashore from my last paddle my mind was made up, and off to the store I went. I was a little reluctant to leave the canoes behind, but was told not to worry, and besides the drive back the Langford Canoes was but a few minutes up the road. When I got there the staff didn’t seem concerned about leaving the canoes there a bit longer, and in fact advised a few other customers to go and test them out themselves. I asked a few more questions, and then decided that the Prospector 15’, Ultra lite with Aluminum trim and outer gel colour coat was for me. Unfortunately they were out of stock and only had the Kevlar model that I had tested out that day available. While I was really tempted and was offered a really good price for the demo model, I decided to stick it out and wait for an Ultra Lite to be built for me over the winter. I received no pressure from the staff bout my decision, and in fact they suggested I think on it, offering to hold the demo for me till an offer was made on it, so that I could think over my decision for a few days. I accepted the offer and to my surprise could not believe that a deposit was not needed to hold the boat for me.
In the end, I did not get the green demo, as it was sold two weeks later to another couple. They did call me though to “warn me of its sale” and to give me one last chance to purchase it; to which I declined. I was very impressed by this there thoughtful offer of the boat to me, prior to selling it, and reaffirmed my decision that Langford was the company for me.

A few weeks later my family made a last minute decision to spend the Thanksgiving weekend at our cottage in Huntsville. I new this gave me another “excuse” to visit Dwight, and acquire my canoe. I knew one would not be in stock, and had no trouble with that, but thought I might get a good deal on a fall order for the following season. As it turned out I got an excellent price, as I was offered my new Prospector 15’ Ultra Lite with aluminum trim for only $100.00 more then the price of the demo I had tested out a few weeks earlier. In fact, when I jokingly asked if they would throw in a paddle, they said sure, and I got a fantastic Solid Cherry Paddle included in the price. As a trade off of paying for the canoe in full, that day, they also included extra knee padding for the kids, four roof pads and the tie down straps for no extra cost. As well, if I later decided to have a skid plate put on, they would also be happy to do so for free.

As it turned out the hardest decision was no the company to go with, the materials or model to choose, but the colour to choose. Even with so much time to think it over I couldn’t decide on my own and ended up relying on my partner, David’s, advice in which colour to go with. “The red one.”

Now all I can do is wait, for the snow to melt, the weather to warm a bit more, and for April to arrive. I have been promised that my canoe will be available between mid April and early May; of which now seems but a hop, skip and a jump away.




The above image is from the Langford Canoe Site: http://www.langfordcanoe.com/

Canisbay: Site no. 227.

On my last trip to the Park I had been introduced to several of the Interpretive Walking Trails along the Hwy. 60 Corridor, and found myself leaving that trip wanting more. As a result, I packed up the kids and returned to the park two weekends after my previous visit, to take in a bit more of the spectacular sites of Autumn that can be found at Algonquin Park.

Being close to my mother, she had herd lots of my last trip, and decided to brave the elements and join us for the September 14th - 16th, 2007 weekend. As such, we stayed at Canisbay Campground in site number 227; one of the only lake access sites that also has electricity. With my mother along I felt "guaranteed warmth" was in order, for while very active for her age, she had expressed troubles sleeping cold, as she would "feel the pains" the next day. As it turned out the electricity came in handy as it dropped down to about 10 degrees in the evening, but inside the tent we were a toasty 25 degrees with the help of a small electric space heater.

That weekend we visited two Interpretive Walking Trails, the Lookout Walking Trail, as well as the Spruce Bog Boardwalk as well as the Algonquin Logging Museum & Trail. For this entry, I'll focus on the Lookout Trail, and in other Blog entries, discuss the others.

Lookout Walking Trail
Trail Name: Lookout
Length of Trail: 1.9 km
Theme: Geology
Features: Lookout atop major cliff
Rating: Difficult
Location on Hwy 60: km 39.7
Date Traveled: Sun. Sept. 16th, 2007
After arriving at camp late the night before, we decided to sleep in a bit that morning, and then enjoy a leisurely coffee in the woods, while chatting about the beauty of the fall colours that surrounded our campsite. We discovered that our site while offering "water access" did so with a bit of a hike, as it was well over a 200 meter walk to a "mini beach" that was shared by us and the adjoining site up the road. This was not a problem for us, as the walk was along a very colourful trail. It was a cloudy damp morning, but the skies looked like they would clear up within the next few hours. 

After exploring "our beach" and explaining to the kids that it was probably too cold for a swim, we made our way back to camp, had a second cup of Java and walked to the campground office to pick up our permits, and officially sign in (remember we had arrived very late the night before, and the office, w hile expecting us, was closed for the night when we arrived just after midnight.) It's a good thing we had made our rese rvations two weeks earlier, as the park was full, with no sites anywhere along the highway 60 corridor. Having picked up our permits, we decided to head out for the rest of the morning and made our way to the Lookout Interpretive Walking Trail.

Upon arriving at the parking lot for Lookout, we knew that it would be good, but that privacy was not an option. The parking lot was overfilling, and cars were parked along the highway, but we scored a prime spot just by the entrance gates as another family was about to leave. They told us the colours were spectacular but that the trail was packed.We thanked them for the spot, and quickly made our way to the trail, paying our loonie each for our trail guide (my oldest chose the French version to show his teacher back home) and we were off into the forest.

The trail turned out to be no problem for us, even though it was described in the Algonquin Information Guide as difficult.

We took our time on the 1.9 km trail, so as to keep away form people as much as possible, and took about an hour or so to navigate. The trail took us past several incredibly large glacial erratics, as well as rugged carvings through the Canadian Shield.

The trail took us through a beautifully coloured coniferous forest in full color as well as several large hills and valleys where deciduous trees were more prevalent. We passed a few dry streams and crossed seveal foot bridges, and ended at the climax of the trail, which was atop an over two hundread foot tall cliff overlooking a magnificently coloured forest below.
At that moment I truly understood the reason so many people were on the trail this time of the year,

but was so aww struck, that the presence of anyone other then my family took a back seat to the view, making it feel like we were tho only ones who were present at all.

We were all taken back by the sheer beauty of nature as we sat on the rocks overlooking the cliff, especially as the sun had come out in full force, warming up no only the temperature, but our spirits and the colours that were our surroundings.

I could see then how Lookout got it's name, and we sat for about half an hour taking in the beauty of our surroundings. The only point of note other then the beauty was my sons lack of fear about the height, leaving me and my mother holding their

hands tightly. We learned after a time though that they were not afraid because they had no intention of going near the edge, and so we let them to play in the pine woods directly behind the Lookout spot while we took in he warmth of the sun on our skin, and the delight of the view on our sole.

I could see then how Lookout got it's name, and we sat for about half an hour taking in the beauty of our surroundings. The only point of note other then the beauty was my sons lack of fear about the height, leaving me and my mother holding their hands tightly. We learned after a time though that they were not afraid because they had no intention of going near the edge, and so we let them to play in the pine woods directly behind the
Lookout spot while we took in he warmth of the sun on our skin, and the delight of the view on our sole.The walk back to the parking lot turned out to be relatively short, as the lookout post is at about 1.4 km into the hike.
It winded down a sloping hill that was probably the most challenging part of the walk, as parts of it are covered with loose gravel.

Returning to the car, I asked my Mom how she was feeling, and inquired as to what she would like to do.
She replied that she would like to get some lunch, but that after we should try another trail. We ended up at a restaurant by the Portage Store (a nice restaurant with a great view of access point at Canoe Lake) and then we were back off to another trail ......

Rediscovering Algonquin

Having spent the last four months under a white blanket of snow, it has recently come to my attention that spring is near, and that a rebirth of the world around us is about to occur. With that thought in mind, I have found myself thinking back to last summer where I was reintroduced to one of the most beautiful places I've been to, namely Algonquin Park.

Last summer was like most others, in that I was off for the July and August months (teaching has its advantages, this being a giant one) and I had spent much of it at our family cottage in Huntsville with my two boys Josh and Liam. This year was a bit different though in that my brother and his family had joined us for a week of leisure by the water, and exploring the shores of our little lake by canoe. While this week was nice, and the weather absolutely perfect, what made the time special, was a brief conversation I had with my brother one afternoon about me and the boys joining him during his vacation time in Algonquin Park. I must admit that I was a bit reluctant at first, as my idea of camping involved a warm cottage bed, running hot water and flush toilets, but the idea was also appealing as it reminded me of my childhood years when as a Scout (laugh all you want, I think scouting was fun) I would take annual trips to the park for weekend canoe trips along with the other scouts in my troop. WIth that in mind I made a pact to join him, promising a single night, with perhaps a second, not knowing that I would fall back in love with a place I had not been for nearly 20 years.


My kids and I arrived at site 435 at Pog Lake Campground later that month, and within minutes I was transported back to a time when everything was exciting, vibrant and above all else true. I was exhilarated by the sounds, sights, tastes and yes smells of the pine forests that covered Pog Lake, and felt right at home. That afternoon I was shown around and given a refresher course in the camp protocols, that would become my routine for what ended up being not one, not two but four nights.

My brother having just gotten a canoe from a neighbor of his for a song, took no time to get me paddling, and that first day me and the boys spent hours exploring the wonders of such a quiet and peaceful place. We found a corner that we could canoe into for resting under what must be an eighty year old White Pine, and quickly "made it our own."

During the next three days we explored several of the trails off the highway 60 corridor including:

Big Pines (2.9 km hike)
Learned about and Saw some of the Great White Pines of Alqonguin Park, including the parks largest. Purchased a Trail Guide. FANTASTIC Trail, and fell in love with the White Pine (5 needles) and is Ontario's Official Tree.
Visited the Trail on Aug. 29th, 2007

Agonquin Park Visitor Centre
Fantastic building and tour of Park WONDERFUL Deck View. Visited on Aug. 28th, 2007.

Hardwood Lookout Trail (km 13.8)
A short 0.8 km hiking trail through great forests! Very hilly and rocky but ok for Josh & Liam. Tyler was carried for portions. Nice ending lookout point (not a cliff, but at the top of a high hill). Would be an EXCELLENT trail in the fall for the changing of the leaves and the autumn colours. We visited the trail on our last day at the Algonquin Park on Aug. 30th, 2007.

As well as several outfitters stores to get a few park maps, as I knew I had to come back soon, and a map would help me to plan my next trip, and decide what equipment I would need to acquire as my camping supplies were limited to the "Beg-Borrow-Find" kind.

Needles to say me and the boys were to return the following weekend, this time with our very own tent, new sleeping bags, cooking equipment, etc... and lots of energy. We stayed at Canisbay at one of the few shore access sites, and continued our adventures to which I will share later .....