Introduction
Once upon a time I thought mid-October (Thanksgiving in Canada) was about as late in the season as one would want to go paddling. But one day late in October I looked at my calendar and realized I'd let the good weather go past me without going paddling. I went to the YCCC web site and was delighted to see there was at least one person who thought it would be fun to go paddling in November.
These pages are the tale of a weekend canoe trip I took with five other YCCC members though the southeast end of Algonquin Park, from Grand Lake to Squirrel Rapids through the Barron Canyon.
The Reader's Digest version:
- Friday: wherein we arrive in pitch black and promptly hop into our canoes and start paddling.
- Saturday: wherein we make our way to Opalescence Lake with or without our boots on.
- Sunday: wherein we have the beautiful Barron Canyon all to ourselves
Gratitude
Thanks to Lester Kovac for leading the trip and for supplying all the good photos. Thanks to my trip mates and especially to my paddling partner and tent mate, Catherine Wilde. May the wind be at your back and your boots on your feet. (How many jokes can I make about that?)
Disclaimer
Yeah, I know the page header picture makes it look really hospitable. But that water was really cold. If we had made a mistake or had had a run of bad luck, we wouldn't have lasted long. Canoe tripping is risky. It's even riskier when the weather is cold. Don't do this unless you know what you're doing.