Executive Meeting Minutes March 21st 2022
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Executive Meeting Minutes March 1st 2022
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Solo Trip Summary– 21 Days
27 June – 17 July, 2021
One of my earliest memories of the outdoors is fishing on ice with my Dad on a small trout lake near Algonquin Park. I call it “trout lake”. It was a bright sunny winter day, and although the fish were not biting, we could see nice trout passing just under the ice. As the fish were not biting, Dad wanted to leave. The sight of those trout swimming by the ice hole has created a lifetime passion in me to try to understand trout behaviour. My big curiosity that day was that since the trout were active and swimming so openly by the ice hole, why would they not take the bait? I was so disappointed when we left, but that experience has driven my passion for trout fishing. Although I have had much success in catching trout in some challenging situations, this question continues to “hook” my curiosity to understand the trout’s secret world. With trout, expect the unexpected!
When I planned this trip, even before posting the trip on the RACCC website, I was determined to go even if it meant going alone. That is exactly what happened. I posted the trip a month before departure, and didn’t get a single inquiry. The reasons are likely the long duration of the trip, and the large number of difficult or long portages along the planned route; more than thirty portages, one over 2km. The trip was physically and mentally demanding, but it really was the adventure that I had long dreamed of.
Open the attachment to continue reading this trip report.
Centennial Lake Trip Report Oct 2021
On Oct 8th two club members drove one hour and 40 minutes to Centennial Lake, south of Calabogie. We found the launch on County Rd. 65 (Centennial Lake Road) just as it crosses the lake. We arrived to find a heavy mist covering the lake. After getting everything ready to go, we sat in our lawn chairs and waited for the mist to clear before turning on our solar flashing light and proceeding.
This was an exploratory trip so we carefully read our maps and watched the scenery. We did not have a GPS with us. We headed towards Big Island and intended to circle it in a clockwise direction. Twice we had to stop to figure out the way forward -- once, because the fog blocked our view across Wilson Bay and once because the way to go was not obvious to us. We followed the shoreline closely. Usually it was easy to follow our map.
Barron River Trip
September 30 2021
Imagine a perfect fall day when the air is fresh and cool, the breeze is gentle, and the leaves are just coming into their autumnal glory. Now imagine a fantastic canoe trip through a spectacular canyon in Algonquin Park. Now put them together and imagine it’s your first ever trip with the RA Canoe Camping Club, your first paddle in Algonguin Park, and your longest-ever canoe trip. That was my experience when I adventured with trip leader Mark S, Karen H and guest Marcia H when we explored the Barron Canyon recently.
CROTCH LAKE TRIP
SEPTEMBER 15-17, 2021
Sunny blue skies and warm breezes greeted the five members of the RACCC on Wednesday September 15 as we headed west along Hwy 7 to Crotch Lake, a short drive north of Sharbot Lake along Hwy 509 and Ardoch Road. Karen H, canoeist extraordinaire, led our group consisting of Lynn O, John F, Bridget D and myself, Jane Maxwell. After 1 ½ hours on the highway we reached Tumblehome Lodge where Karen had arranged for us to leave our cars and begin our journey.
Bill and Ann’s ELF Petawawa Adventure
The plan was for four days on the Petawawa over Labour Day weekend from Lake Travers to McManus. Early in the week came the email, “Pet soooo loooow... :(“. From the graph for the river gauge, sure enough. It was lower than when Ann and I did it last year. But, a call to Becky Mason reassured me. She said the river had never been too low to travel on. You had a couple of options, step out of the boat and walk beside it or bring a pole to pole the canoe along.
Well the river was low and we blazed a trail of red vinyl as we went down the river but we only portaged the canoe at Crooked Chute. Pretty much a mandatory portage. It was a fantastic solo trip for Ann and I, but I missed my paddling partners of old, Scott, Jaclin, Isabelle, and Brian to name but a few.
Read more: Bill and Ann’s ELF Petawawa Adventure: Labour Day Weekend
St Lawrence Seaway at Ingleside
Four keeners met at the boat house on August 29 despite a weather report for possible thunder storms for the St Lawrence Seaway where we were planning to paddle for the day.
We had a leisurely start (isn’t 9am leisurely??) and as three of us had not met before, a nice opportunity for introductions to our new friends whilst loading up a club canoe.
The second canoe has a lovely story. Its owner Bob is a retired minister and as his retirement gift his congregation bought the necessary materials and arranged for him to build himself a cedar canoe with an experienced canoe builder. The result is a 90lb beauty. It is red - they go faster don’t they? It has a flat stern to accommodate an electric motor. Bob has a great system to load and unload the canoe onto his car by himself with use of a small trolley and a rotating support that is attached to his tow hitch, and holds the canoe above the trunk of the car. The nose of the canoe is on the ground while Bob lifts the stern onto the support, then rotates it through 45 degrees as he lifts the bow around to the front of the car to put the canoe on the roof rack.
Family Camping Trip - Cedar Lake, Algonquin Park
August 15 to 22, 2021
On Sunday August 15, four adventurers and a dog set out for a week of backcountry camping in Algonquin Park. We had planned this trip to be easy and relaxing, which would be a great opportunity for families. We would be staying on Cedar Lake, also known as Brent Access Point, which is in the northern part of Algonquin Park. The weather all week was amazing, with basically no rain!
We left the RACCC boathouse shortly after 9am, and stopped for a picnic lunch and 1 km nature walk in Driftwood Provincial Park. Upon arriving at the Brent park office we found out that 26 of the 32 sites had already checked in! We were on the water by 3:30pm as planned, and after a very stressful 3 ½ hour paddle we found a site, ironically a 10 minute paddle across from the put-in. After setting up camp, we enjoyed a yummy prepared chicken and sausage gumbo dinner before a well deserved sleep.
Read more: Family Camping Trip - Cedar Lake, Algonquin Park - August 15 to 22, 2021
Black Donald Lake Trip Report
After a failed attempt on August 6th, we made an exploratory trip to Black Donald Lake, a very large open lake, south of Calabogie, on August 16th. We met at 9:30 am at the Kanata Park N Ride and drove to Black Donald Tent and Trailer Park. The drive was about 90 minutes. We paid $10 to park and launch from the dock about 11 am. The staff at this park went out of their way to be helpful which was appreciated!
We paddled south, looking for crown land campsites as we went. We checked out some islands on the east side of the main part of the lake. We found two campsites on islands about 6 km south from the Black Donald Tent and Trailer Park launch. We believe these are privately owned.
THURSDAY MEECH LAKE PADDLE
By Jane Maxwell
On Thursday, August 5th, four RACCC paddlers – Helena Anderson, Heather Wiggs, Jim Young and Jane Maxwell – headed up to Meech Lake in Gatineau Park for an early evening paddle. Meech Lake is a jewell in the Gatineau Park system which may explain why so many homes and cottages line the lake. But if you head northwest from P12, the boat put-in, you will find a more naturalized, untouched area of the lake which makes for an enjoyable, quick get-away from the city hustle and bustle. These evening paddles have been my retreat into nature for many years. Our destination is a large flatish rock peninsula behind the island which sadly suffered fire damage several years ago. It is still out-of-bounds for paddlers. On this evening the water temperature was perfect – warm but refreshing – so some of us headed out on a swim around the island. Following supper we set out to explore the nearby bay and the one remaining cottage (discreetly hidden in the forest). After a nice chat with one of the owners (whose grandfather had refused to sell to the government in the 1940s), we headed for home enjoying a wonderful, classic Meech Lake sunset. We were keen to sample La Cigale’s outstanding ice cream in Old Chelsea but the long lineup deterred us. Note to paddlers: the NCC advises users that it closes P12 and P13 parking lots at 9 p.m. In reality that is probably pretty closer to 9:30 p.m. but best not to tempt fate. We hope more RACCC members will join us in the future for evening paddles at Meech Lake.
Family Day Trip to Barron Canyon, Algonquin Park
August 2, 2021
We originally planned to go on Sunday, but due to weather we moved it to Monday, and unfortunately a few people weren’t able to join us. After loading up canoes and gear the boat house, the five adventurers (3 adults and 2 kids) were on the road around 7:30am. Just before Arnprior, one of the cars sadly hit a heron, not a great omen. Luckily there was no damage to the car or canoes, so we were able to continue. After a coffee stop in Renfrew, we made our way to the Algonquin Park Sand Lake gate.
Read more: Family Day Trip to Barron Canyon, Algonquin Park - August 2, 2021