Outdoors

5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

Published: September 24, 2018 Updated: June 7, 2022
ominous sky on a paddling trip on Rain Lake
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

Don’t disregard an ominous sky. Especially when the weather report warned of thunderstorms. Sometimes they get it wrong, but sometimes they get it really, really right.

a campfire meal on a canoe trip
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

And definitely don’t plan on cooking a campfire meal underneath it. Pizza cooked under the stars on a hot stone in the fire is a bit more appealing, or at least photogenic, than a fry panzerotti under a tarp.

a camp set up under an orange tarp on a fall canoe trip.
On that note…

Always…

a tarp in a canoe on Rain Lake.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

bring a…

a tarp set up by a camp site.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

tarp!

a campsite with a bench and other amenities.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

Campsites have all the amenities: a firepit and grill, benches—sometimes even a bar—and always a thunderbox.

red tape wrapped around a tree to help guide the campers to their tarp and belongings.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

You just might…

red tape wrapped around a tree at a camp site.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

need to…

Two trees wrapped with red tape.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

find it!

beaver dam on a lake.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

At the portage, look around before pulling in. If the river ahead looks like an infinity pool, remember that infinity pools do end.

beavers on a lake.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

Beavers may have been there before you and done a bit of landscaping. The kind that threatens a swift paddle over a steep drop.

a dog with a saddlebag on a canoe trip.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

Also, everyone loves a dog in saddlebags, except the dog in saddlebags.

lily pads on a beautiful lake.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

On the water, lily pads are the most beautiful and devastating encumbrance. Kind of like jogging on a beach, it’s all really nice to look at but suddenly your physical effort has sky-rocketed, you’re sweating and huffing and you’re still in sight of the same Speedo.

the tip of a canoe on a lake.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

Stick to the path of the current—as meandering as it is. And as painful as it is to look at your destination a kilometre away as the crow flies, knowing it’s four kilometres away because you’re no crow.

a west-facing view of a camp site on a lake at sunset.
5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

Finally… a west-facing site is always worth a few extra paddle strokes. Get the fire going, hunker down on a log bench and be grateful for the welcome absence of any fall camping trip: blackflies.

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5 things I learned from a fall paddling trip

After every last leech was plucked from between my toes and a threatening sky had kept its promise, I had some time to think about the nuggets of wisdom you gain on a paddling trip. In fact, I had little else to think about huddled under a tarp shifting a fry-pan like JiffyPop over a camp stove; Campfire pizza, minus the campfire (see takeaway number one.)

We launched on Rain Lake, outside Kearney, Ontario on the east side of Algonquin Provincial Park for a week of paddling, portaging and camping out. All of the far more important logistical, tactical and practical advice aside, here are a few things I gathered. (No photos of leeches, I promise.)

Photos courtesy of Elaine Anselmi

 

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