| Way back when in February I went to the | | | | back up freaked me out.So I decided that in the |
| Outdoor Adventure Show and I twisted my | | | | future I would try calmer water sports such as |
| friend Leslie's arm to go on a learn-how-to-kayak | | | | canoeing or sea kayaking on a calm lake, instead |
| weekend with me. We booked 2 days including | | | | of facing mortal danger on the rapids. To |
| meals, kayaking lessons and camping | | | | reassure all of you readers though: all the other |
| accommodation with a company called Equinox | | | | kayaking students did fine, they went upriver, and |
| Adventures that has a rafting and kayaking camp | | | | came down through some mild rapids and had a |
| located on Calumet Island in the Ottawa River.So | | | | great time paddling themselves around on the |
| Friday we got ready, I picked Leslie up from | | | | Ottawa River on Saturday and Sunday. And |
| work and we headed off on Highway 401 east of | | | | Christine, our guide, was very helpful, and there |
| Toronto. We got stuck in rush hour traffic for a | | | | was always another kayaking student around to |
| solid hour and half until I decided to go north of | | | | help you if you were in trouble, so assistance to |
| the highway to take a country road. We stopped | | | | safety was never far away.Saturday evening we |
| in for a nice little dinner in Belleville, and after | | | | actually watched a safety video for whitewater |
| driving through the beautiful countryside in Eastern | | | | kayaking and in the video I realized that advanced |
| Ontario and after getting lost on the winding roads | | | | whitewater kayaking is a pretty dangerous sport |
| near our destination, we finally set up our tent at | | | | and the risk of drowning or hurting yourself by |
| about 11 pm, illuminated by the headlights of my | | | | getting entrapped in rocks or "strainers" (fallen |
| car.The Equinox river camp is very basic, located | | | | tree branches that stick out of the water) is |
| around an old farmhouse are 3 different | | | | substantial and must be avoided at all cost. We |
| campgrounds (for noisy, semi-noisy and quiet | | | | also learned that working as a team and rescuing |
| campers..), an outbuilding with extremely basic | | | | one's team mates are critical life-saving skills. By |
| men's and women's bathrooms that have 2 toilet | | | | this time I had already decided that I would trade |
| stalls as well as 4 functioning shower stalls in a | | | | my second day of kayaking lessons in for some |
| co-ed shower and an outdoor eating area | | | | mountain biking on Sunday, combined with a little |
| covered by tarps that are draped over metal | | | | photo safari of Calumet Island.So Sunday morning, |
| railings. Luxury accommodation this is definitely | | | | after my interview with Krista, she was kind |
| not.Saturday morning we got started early, we | | | | enough to lend me her mountain bike and I |
| actually got woken up by the mooing of cows in | | | | grabbed my camera and started my discovery of |
| the farmers field next door at about 6 am. Other | | | | Calumet Island, a large island in the Ottawa River |
| campers reported that some of the cows took a | | | | wedged between Ontario and Quebec. I cycled |
| walk right through the camp ground and actually | | | | through forests, rolling hills, grazing pastures and |
| left some sizeable paddies behind. It was fabulous | | | | past a few extremely well-kept country |
| to be in a tent again after not having gone | | | | properties. I spent about an hour cycling on dirt |
| camping for about 8 years.... We got a simple | | | | roads to the edge of the Ottawa River where I |
| breakfast, some pancakes and pre-packaged | | | | started to experiment with my camera a little |
| muffins (some of them a little furry) and we | | | | bit.My brother-in-law Roger, a consummate |
| started picking our kayak gear and headed off | | | | graphic designer and visual artist, had recently |
| with our knowledgeable guide Christine and her | | | | taught me how to do close-up shots of plants and |
| helper Krista in a van to the Ottawa River. We | | | | other objects, so I started experimenting taking |
| got suited up with our life jackets, helmets and | | | | close-range shots of plants and flowers right next |
| sprayskirs, and then put our kayaks in the water.I | | | | to the Ottawa River. This was the first time I |
| had a devil of a time getting my sprayskirt over | | | | experimented with this photo technique and I |
| the kayak's opening because it was so tight. We | | | | have to say I was reasonably pleased with the |
| started with simple paddling exercises in the calm | | | | outcome once I came home last night and |
| waters of the Rocher Fendu dam and first | | | | downloaded the images.On my way back from |
| learned how to do a "wet exit": after you tip the | | | | the river I had an interesting encounter: I drove |
| kayak and are underneath the vessel (panic time | | | | by a barn and saw 2 horses grazing in the |
| for most people) we were taught to rip the | | | | distance. They looked up and noticed me, and as |
| sprayskirt off and swim our way out of the | | | | if on cue, two other horses came out of the barn |
| kayak.Paddling was quite difficult since the angle of | | | | as well. They started approaching me, as I was |
| the blades of the paddle is offset, so while your | | | | standing on the side of the road, behind a wire |
| right hand is supposed to stay still, the left hand is | | | | fence. All four horses came trotting towards me. |
| supposed to tilt a little so the left blade of the | | | | About half way from me they stopped in unison, |
| paddle goes into the water at the proper angle. I | | | | checked me out, then looked at each other, |
| had a bit of a problem with that since my right | | | | figured they had seen all they needed to see, and |
| arm is way stronger than my left arm (from | | | | trotted off in perfect coordination again. It was a |
| playing tennis) and I couldn't get the entry angle | | | | really comical cross-species encounter and I ended |
| of the left side of the paddle right, so many times | | | | up chuckling to myself when the horses |
| I ended up going in a circle off to the left, having | | | | disappeared again into the barn.After my 2 hour |
| to paddle 3 or 4 times on the left side just to | | | | mountain biking excursion I spent the rest of |
| straighten myself out again. The kayaks are | | | | Sunday exploring the island in my car and drove |
| perfectly flat on the bottom, so there is no hull to | | | | through rolling hills and farm land. Upon my return |
| help you out with the tracking on the | | | | to the camp ground I spread out a blanket under |
| water.Paddling got a little more difficult when we | | | | a tree and did some open-air reading. All the other |
| went up the Ottawa River and my own personal | | | | campers were gone to either river raft or kayak, |
| faulty technique caused me to veer off to the | | | | and the campground was totally quiet, all you |
| left all the time, causing me to get caught in the | | | | could hear were the crickets and an occasional |
| current of the river, drifting downstream, against | | | | moo from a cow. It was serenity at its best. The |
| the direction of where we were trying to go. I | | | | other rafters and kayakers came back in the |
| then realized a few things: that the currents on a | | | | afternoon and they all reported that they had had |
| river as big as the Ottawa River are extremely | | | | a fabulous time at their respective water |
| strong and that my upper body strength was | | | | sports.At about 4:30 we headed back out on the |
| waning pretty quickly. I really developed some | | | | road and did a nice 5 hour highly scenic drive |
| major respect for the river and for the skills | | | | through towns like Eganville and Bancroft that are |
| involved in kayaking.To be honest, I never quite | | | | surrounded by rolling hills, lush green forests and |
| got the hang of it. We were taught skills like | | | | ancient rock faces, before we headed into the |
| "ferrying", i.e. getting across a current at an angle, | | | | serene lake district of the Kawartha Highlands. It |
| or the "T-rescue", where a second kayak comes | | | | was a perfect weekend - a combination of |
| up to you after you have tipped your kayak and | | | | adventure and relaxation under crystal blue skies, |
| are trapped underneath the boat in the water. | | | | and it just taught me how beautiful the back |
| You are then supposed to tap on your own | | | | roads of Ontario can be.Susanne Pacher is the |
| kayak 3 times to make noise to alert other | | | | publisher of a website called Travel and |
| paddlers that you have capsized. Then you have | | | | Transitions( Travel and Transitions deals with |
| to reach along the side of the boat to locate the | | | | unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, |
| second kayak, and then you put both hands on | | | | tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with |
| the other kayak and twist yourself out from | | | | travellers and travel experts, insights and |
| underneath your own vessel with a flick of the | | | | reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and |
| hips.I have to admit, I am a pretty athletic | | | | many other features. You will also find stories |
| person, and I love speedy sports like downhill | | | | about life and the transitions that we face as we |
| skiing and mountain biking, and I am actually | | | | go through our own personal life-long |
| pretty good at them. But some things about | | | | journeys.Submit your own travel stories in our |
| whitewater kayaking gave me the chills, just the | | | | first travel story contest( and have a chance to |
| idea of getting entrapped upside down underneath | | | | win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon |
| the kayak, possibly snagged by a rock | | | | River. |
| underneath the water, and not being able to get | | | | |