Sat, May 7 2011 - Kayak and Canoe down the Grand River (View Original Event Details)
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After quite a few changes in the signing up, paying for and edits to the participation list...this event was finally happening!
I appreciate that almost all of you made it to the carpool on time and it seemed our drive was pretty good considering the change in directions and location. Getting there on time is usually a good start!
Whilst it took some time to get sorted out with gear and transportation - our event really got started with the “lawn paddling” session. I thought demonstrating some gear and safety issues around the activity of river sports and paddling would provide a good introductory and reassuring backdrop to our TOC group. Again, it took some time to get going but our instruction was brief and to the point. By now everyone just wanted to get on the water...
Amazingly...no one fell in....darn!...I was hoping to see Caroline aka Crayola Girl do the “swim”. Really though, it was surprizing that we didn’t have mishaps as it usually happens right at the beginning of a paddle. This group looked quite confident from the get go.
Given the amount of rain we’ve had this spring, I thought the river would be higher and faster.
The paddling seemed quite manageable and enjoyable, accentuated by some “mini rapids”. Our lunch spot at the canopy of the Carolinian forest and the old Sycamore Tree was the perfect spot. Well it must have been - Maureen was so eager to get there, she apparently fell in the river just nearby.
With the surprise of a warm fire(set up by the guides) during lunch and an abundance of early spring flowers nearby, we were ready for a hike through the woods. After some explanations about the geology and vegetation in the area, we were treated to a great view of the Grand River valley and river. Our walk ended with a somewhat precarious descent down some steep hills to the river. We saddled up and got going back on the water. Ken felt at ease entering the kayak, describing himself as being “graceful as a gazelle”. And it wasn’t too long before we were back in the best mini-rapids of the day. I think everyone was very happy to get soaked and the occasional crashing into and pulling each other. After some very near misses - Grace, Ken and Sue hitting some rocks and myself paddling the rapids backwards - we were glad to be heading into the home straight.
The lush vegetation and blue sky provided a great backdrop as we headed to our lookout atop the three sisters dam, adjacent to the rail trail. Surveying the area, we got a panoramic sense of what this heritage river is about and how easy and accessible it is to paddle. So heading downstream into the home stretch - the teaching rocks provided a lesson in navigating and paddling through some small obstacles in the water. Sue once again kindly demonstrated her rock balancing techniques...
For the beginner paddlers, some tiredness was probably setting in. I was impressed with the folks in the canoe that made the paddling look effortless. A final mad dash to the portage and we were done and ready for the pub in town! It was great to dry off, sit down and enjoy some good social time, drinks and food with everyone. And thank you to Caroline for the cookies! And so until next time...
A big thank you to the carpool drivers!
A big thank you all for the $18 TOC donations!
and a big thank you to Kelly and Maureen for tipping the guides!
it’s amazing how a cold beer will get everyone together so easily for a group shot!
Thanks Geraldine for helping to take and organize pictures of the event
ps. I sent a thank you note to the outfitter, complementing the guides on behalf of us all.
Ghanesh
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.