Sun, Aug 24 2008 - Grand River Kayaking Daytrip from Paris, ON (View Original Event Details)
|  |
Wow! What a day. Grand Experience Canoe and Kayak Outfitters are simply fantastic. Laid back, personable, friendly, knowledgeable, great with beginners, very accommodating, funny and give good clear instruction. 16 thumbs up from this group of TOCer’s!
We did learn that Saturday was probably a better day to carpool as the TTC isn’t quite so accommodating on a Sunday (thanks Judith for pointing that out to me!) but we all managed to make it to Paris on time. After getting a lesson in the art of kayaking from our guide Jamie, also the owner of GECKO, we set out on our way. Of course as soon as we hit the water the rain came down and in torrents. But everyone was in good spirits and some (specifically Kathleen and Mayte) even reveled in the rain. Diane was prepared with her huge yellow poncho (I was a tad envious), Natalie in her bathing suit while Denise and I just accepted the fact we were going to get soaked and didn’t bother hunting down our raincoats. But the rain soon passed letting the sun out and the rest of the day was glorious.
The Grand River is approximately 300km long from Orangeville to the Elora Gorge. And grand it is! 82 different species of fish; 242 different species of birds including the Trumpeter Swans and Bald Eagles (still considered endangered in southern Ontario are making a comeback in the Grand River watershed) and home to 80 of the species at risk in Ontario. The Grand River is ideal for both the seasoned and beginner kayaker and canoeist. Our group traveled just a mere 14km.
Jamie talked us through all the tricky bits of the Grand easing any concerns we might have well ahead of our seeing the choppy waters. He even took pictures as we paddled our way through some of the more difficult sections. Ghanesh though, was truly the groups designated photographer and having kayaked/canoed on the Grand 23 times was also a source of info on the river itself and surrounding area. Thanks to you Ghanesh for helping make this event so wonderful!!!
Our adventure also included a hike which took us to a 300 year old Sycamore, a grove of Hemlocks, a wonderful look-out of the Grand itself, an unopened beer bottle enjoyed by a couple of the more adventurous souls (incidentally none from our group!) and a puffball! Jamie was good enough to tell us how yummy it was cooked in butter and garlic so Mayte decided it wasn’t going to stay in the forest and looked to me to share the huge mushroom. Natalie suggested we go for a bit of socializing before heading home so we decided to ask the wonderful chef at the Arlington Hotel (at Jamie’s suggestion) to cook the puffball. The chef did an amazing job. Wow, what a way to end the day!
Sue
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.