This summer's canoe trip for the 32nd/24th Scouts followed the Rideau Canal system from Kingston Mills to Westport - a change from the last couple of years' backcountry canoe trips in La Vérendrye. 5 leaders and 12 Scouts came along for the adventure.
The total distance was about 70km, with more than half in the first 2 days. See the whole route below:
Camping at the lock stations is great - $5/person including tax, and lots of flat green grass to pitch tents on. There aren't any showers, but the washrooms are open all night. There's usually potable water - although conditions this year meant that a couple of the stations advised against drinking it without filtering or boiling.
We started July 2, and returned July 6.
More photos can be found at https://goo.gl/photos/a4993TjFuVcFoU186 - hopefully others will add some pics too...
We got off just a little later in the morning than planned, and with last minute on-site organisation we weren't on the water until about 1:45pm.
We actually had a bit of a debate about whether the winds were too strong for a long day, and whether we should drive to Lower Brewers to start there. I think everyone was glad that we went for it - the wind turned out to be mostly favourable, and conditions were generally fantastic.
We cruised through to Lower Brewers in good time, with only a slight reconfiguration of the paddler pairings in a section with a bit of a crosswind.
Arriving at the lock station, Alan applied his signature charm and the lock master allowed us to ride through the chamber rather than portaging around.
We set up camp above the lock chamber, and a very short musical interlude followed. Sean had brought an electric guitar and battery powered amp in the true spirit of camping, but a string broke on the second tune. Spare strings next time...
Dinner was burgers cooked on the BBQ stand at the site - very tasty.
You can't tell from these photos, but lots of mosquitoes came out in the evening...
We didn't rush anyone out of their tents in the morning - in fact it was almost 10:30 before we were in the water.
We reached Upper Brewers lock fairly quickly, and again Alan's irresistible charm got us a ride through the lock without the need to portage. Note that Upper Brewers is one of three lock stations in the Rideau system with "oTENTik" accommodation available - not much use for a group of our size, but worth considering if you're planning a future trip.
It was another day of favourable tail winds, and we blew along with little effort. Most of the Scouts tried using jackets or towels as sails, but we were making progress in the right direction even when we stopped working for a snack break.
Not long past the Upper Brewers lock we were blown under the low bridge on Burnt Hills Rd - we were going to wait for the swing bridge, but the wind had other ideas and it was easier to just duck. Some of us got caught on a long fishing line that had been left attached to the bridge, but Tom and Noah worked to pull it out for the well-being of future paddlers and the wildlife...
Several km further on, we took a detour to stop at Seeley's Bay for a shopping expedition for treats, and a picnic lunch at the village docks.
From Seeley's Bay it was another 6km to reach Jones Falls. Note that the GPS track above shows about an extra km of portaging, since this was the one lock at which Alan's charm failed to get us a free ride through the locks. However, with 4 chambers, it would have taken much longer to wait for the ride.
We camped along the uppermost chamber, and had sausages for dinner.
Our paddling days got shorter from this point, although for one of the only times on the trip, we fought a bit of a headwind along Sand Lake. We took shelter for short breaks in the lees of islands, including one with a bald eagle nest with chicks in it (sorry, didn't get a picture).
We had a mid-day ride through Davis Lock to Opinicon Lake too, where Alan's knack for charming lockmasters returned...
We arrived at Chaffey's Lock around 4, to the sound of a rocking band playing outside the Opinicon Resort. Seizing the opportunity, we went to beg for a spare string from the guitarist when they finished their set, so Sean's guitar could sing again... only to have another string break a couple of songs in, after the band had left. Others got ice cream at the resort, which lasted only a slightly shorter time...
Having exhausted our "fresh" food, we had the first of two vegetarian Indian curry and couscous dinners at Chaffeys.
We took advantage of the general store at Brown's Marina to buy mayo, ice and bread to make up tuna sandwiches for lunch.
It was another short day of paddling, made only slightly longer with two stops in Clear Lake recommended by a local who'd stopped to chat at Chaffey's Lock:
Alan's charm worked again at Newboro lock... which the lockmaster might have regretted. We managed to demonstrate:
Valuable lessons all around, and I'm pretty sure the lock operators and delayed boaters were entertained much more than they were annoyed.
It's a good thing we were camping at Newboro, since it gave us time to fish for the items that should have stayed in the closed dry bag...
After an expedition swimming around the bay below the locks looking for any water that wasn't full of weeds, we had another meal of curry and couscous.
Unfortunately we didn't manage to snap any pictures of them, but those of us who rose early enough in the morning saw members of the mink family resident at the lock station. I saw one dive into the water below the lock chamber twice, coming up with a crayfish each time.
It was another short day of paddling to finish, with only a little bit of a headwind across Upper Rideau Lake. We stopped to swim at the beach at a private long-term camping/cottage resort after Alan asked for permission, then were in Westport by lunch time.
Westport was a bit slow, since we had to run a car shuttle to retrieve the vehicles and trailer left in Kingston Mills (with many thanks to the parents contributing driving time for this!) One car had apparently attracted the wrath of a flock of birds over the last few days, since it was fairly well painted...
Most of the Scouts enjoyed a bit of freedom wandering around Westport while we shuffled cars around. After the vehicles were retrieved, we had a quick and calorie-rich dinner of pizza, before driving home for much-needed showers...
The total distance was about 70km, with more than half in the first 2 days. See the whole route below:
Camping at the lock stations is great - $5/person including tax, and lots of flat green grass to pitch tents on. There aren't any showers, but the washrooms are open all night. There's usually potable water - although conditions this year meant that a couple of the stations advised against drinking it without filtering or boiling.
We started July 2, and returned July 6.
More photos can be found at https://goo.gl/photos/a4993TjFuVcFoU186 - hopefully others will add some pics too...
Day 1 - Kingston Mills to Lower Brewers Lock (16km)
We got off just a little later in the morning than planned, and with last minute on-site organisation we weren't on the water until about 1:45pm.
We actually had a bit of a debate about whether the winds were too strong for a long day, and whether we should drive to Lower Brewers to start there. I think everyone was glad that we went for it - the wind turned out to be mostly favourable, and conditions were generally fantastic.
 |
| Organizing canoes at the start |
Arriving at the lock station, Alan applied his signature charm and the lock master allowed us to ride through the chamber rather than portaging around.
We set up camp above the lock chamber, and a very short musical interlude followed. Sean had brought an electric guitar and battery powered amp in the true spirit of camping, but a string broke on the second tune. Spare strings next time...
Dinner was burgers cooked on the BBQ stand at the site - very tasty.
You can't tell from these photos, but lots of mosquitoes came out in the evening...
Day 2 - Lower Brewers to Jones Falls (22-23km)
We didn't rush anyone out of their tents in the morning - in fact it was almost 10:30 before we were in the water.
 |
| Boats passing through Lower Brewers lock |
We reached Upper Brewers lock fairly quickly, and again Alan's irresistible charm got us a ride through the lock without the need to portage. Note that Upper Brewers is one of three lock stations in the Rideau system with "oTENTik" accommodation available - not much use for a group of our size, but worth considering if you're planning a future trip.
It was another day of favourable tail winds, and we blew along with little effort. Most of the Scouts tried using jackets or towels as sails, but we were making progress in the right direction even when we stopped working for a snack break.
Not long past the Upper Brewers lock we were blown under the low bridge on Burnt Hills Rd - we were going to wait for the swing bridge, but the wind had other ideas and it was easier to just duck. Some of us got caught on a long fishing line that had been left attached to the bridge, but Tom and Noah worked to pull it out for the well-being of future paddlers and the wildlife...
Several km further on, we took a detour to stop at Seeley's Bay for a shopping expedition for treats, and a picnic lunch at the village docks.
From Seeley's Bay it was another 6km to reach Jones Falls. Note that the GPS track above shows about an extra km of portaging, since this was the one lock at which Alan's charm failed to get us a free ride through the locks. However, with 4 chambers, it would have taken much longer to wait for the ride.
We camped along the uppermost chamber, and had sausages for dinner.
Day 3 - Jones Falls to Chaffey's Lock via Davis Lock (10km)
Our paddling days got shorter from this point, although for one of the only times on the trip, we fought a bit of a headwind along Sand Lake. We took shelter for short breaks in the lees of islands, including one with a bald eagle nest with chicks in it (sorry, didn't get a picture).
We had a mid-day ride through Davis Lock to Opinicon Lake too, where Alan's knack for charming lockmasters returned...
We arrived at Chaffey's Lock around 4, to the sound of a rocking band playing outside the Opinicon Resort. Seizing the opportunity, we went to beg for a spare string from the guitarist when they finished their set, so Sean's guitar could sing again... only to have another string break a couple of songs in, after the band had left. Others got ice cream at the resort, which lasted only a slightly shorter time...
 |
| Some see a food barrel, some see a drum... |
Day 4 - Chaffey's Lock to Newboro (11km)
We took advantage of the general store at Brown's Marina to buy mayo, ice and bread to make up tuna sandwiches for lunch.
It was another short day of paddling, made only slightly longer with two stops in Clear Lake recommended by a local who'd stopped to chat at Chaffey's Lock:
- A fantastic jumping rock (albeit with razor sharp zebra mussels at the spot most natural for climbing out)
- A "beach" of soft shallow sand under water, where we ate our sandwiches.
Alan's charm worked again at Newboro lock... which the lockmaster might have regretted. We managed to demonstrate:
- why you shouldn't tie a rope to the vertical cables on the sides of the lock chamber while the water level is changing,
- canoe-over-canoe rescue (within the lock chamber),
- why it's important to close dry bags properly, and
- how to retrieve clothes from the bottom with a fishing rod.
Valuable lessons all around, and I'm pretty sure the lock operators and delayed boaters were entertained much more than they were annoyed.
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| We don't know what's about to happen |
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| Well, they got the canoe righted again... |
After an expedition swimming around the bay below the locks looking for any water that wasn't full of weeds, we had another meal of curry and couscous.
Day 5 - Newboro Lock to Westport (9km)
Unfortunately we didn't manage to snap any pictures of them, but those of us who rose early enough in the morning saw members of the mink family resident at the lock station. I saw one dive into the water below the lock chamber twice, coming up with a crayfish each time.
It was another short day of paddling to finish, with only a little bit of a headwind across Upper Rideau Lake. We stopped to swim at the beach at a private long-term camping/cottage resort after Alan asked for permission, then were in Westport by lunch time.
Westport was a bit slow, since we had to run a car shuttle to retrieve the vehicles and trailer left in Kingston Mills (with many thanks to the parents contributing driving time for this!) One car had apparently attracted the wrath of a flock of birds over the last few days, since it was fairly well painted...
Most of the Scouts enjoyed a bit of freedom wandering around Westport while we shuffled cars around. After the vehicles were retrieved, we had a quick and calorie-rich dinner of pizza, before driving home for much-needed showers...
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