The 1st trip of the year has been completed and what a great time to be canoe tripping. The third week of September generally provides nice weather, with good temperatures and water that is still warm. Although the fall colours had not yet begun, our 4-day trip did not disappoint.
We headed out from Squirrel Rapids with 17 canoes and 41 trippers. Quite a sight for those people we crossed on a few of the portages. Our 1st day began with a bang, as it would be our toughest day of the trip. After a short paddle, we began with our 1st of 4 portages. Everyone was excited and we moved across the portage in a great time. This was followed by a 6 km canoe that took us through the Barron Canyon and on to a flurry of portages. A 500 m portage, followed by a 100 m portage (protected by a nest of wasps) and a monster 730 m portage to get us to Opalescent Lake. A very heavy day to start us off, but the large group also meant many hands to share the load.
The large group also gave us the advantage that we would be the only ones on Opalescent Lake, which meant we could choose the campsites that we wanted. This was important as it was already 6:00 PM and we wanted to set up our tents quickly, gather firewood and get dinner served. All was done very efficiently by everyone. This allowed us plenty of time to enjoy the campfire and the incredible display of stars. The clear skies also meant that the night would be a cold one (apparently record cold temperatures were broken for September).
Morning came early, as we wanted to be on the water quickly to ensure we would get the good campsites on Stratton Lake, our home for the next two nights. The mist on the lake first thing was spectacular. Enough to take off the chill that the morning had brought. It also helped that we could see the perfect blue sky and the bright sun that was working its way through the fog.
After a good breakfast and a visit from the Canada Jays (Whiskey Jacks or Grey Jays), if anyone was still chilled, the first portage of the day would take care of that. The 640 m portage, with a little lake in the middle, was completed really well, with everyone working hard. Three more portages took us through some smaller lakes to Stratton Lake, where Ms. Lalonde and Ms. McArton had reserved the prime spots on the lake for our large group. A quick gathering of wood and the preparation of lunch, allowed us, finally, some well deserved rest.
With the plan to stay put for two days, the campsites were well set up, with kitchen tables (canoe bottom), tarps against the wind and the rain, and plenty of wood for us to enjoy the campfire well into the night. The number of people on the trip required us to have two separate cooking groups, which saw many great meals come across our plates. Stir fry's, spaghetti's, soups, curry's, pancakes, waffles, just to name a few. The meals seemed to get better as the trip went on.
The Saturday was predicted to provide us with a lot of rain, but to our pleasant surprise, we woke up with some sunshine and warmer temperatures. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, we headed for the Otter Slides to do some swimming and sliding. Warm temperatures and relatively warm water ensured fun was had by all. We added a little cliff jumping and some throw bag tosses to the fun. Without us noticing, the rain had slowly crept in and as we headed back to the campsites, it started to rain. Luckily it only lasted a couple of hours, as we had our lunches and well-deserved afternoon naps. Once the rain cleared, we again headed back to High Falls to check out the falls this time.
The final night saw the students play some games of manhunt, cards, campfires chats and a group pretending to go on a bear hunt in the dark. The night the provide for some heavy rainfalls, but by morning the sun was out again. Perfect for packing up and that is as much time as mother nature gave us. The final paddle out was anything but dry. That didn't deter this group, as the final portage was completed singing, smiling and with the greatest team work of the trip. By the end we were all soaked and very excited to head home for a nice hot shower. All in all, for such a large group, we had a fantastic trip with many memorable moments.
32 comments:
Part 1:
The Canoe Trip this year was absolutely nothing like I had expected. Prepared for rain, sore muscles, and a long 4 days of being exhausted, I got almost quite the opposite. There were a few things me, and my group as a whole could have improved on, but there were way more positive things, compared to negative ones. It really was an unforgettable experience, and it was even better than I had been told by the older students.
The first day of the Trip was a beautiful sunny day, but it was definitely a tough one in terms of canoeing and portaging. The first portage went by much quicker than I had expected, and the whole group successfully worked together as a team. It was followed by a long paddle, but my canoeing group definitely improved on steering and control of the canoe, over the 6km's, and it helped us throughout the rest of the trip. The following portages weren't done quite as efficiently, as they became longer distances and people began to tire. By the end of the day we were all excited to final reach our first campsite, where we would spend the night. That evening, my cooking group prepared tacos, which despite having to find all of our cooking supplies, were made very quickly and efficiently. We were able to feed the hungry group of people very quickly, which allowed us lots of time to relax by the fire and get a good night’s sleep to replenish our energy for the next day. Taco's seemed to have been our most successful meal made throughout the trip.
The following day was another tough one, which required us to portage a difficult 650m, first thing in the morning. Thankfully we had a great breakfast, and we powered through the long portage, with people going back 2, 3 even 4 times to get all of the equipment to the other side. The following 3 portages our entire group seemed to have slowed down the teamwork a little, but after a quick pep talk from Mr. Brouwer, we realized that the more we worked together, the faster we would arrive at our next campsite. Since we had been a little slow portaging on this day, when we finally arrived at our campsite, it was passed lunch time so my cooking group was struggling a little to prepare lunch as quick as possible, sharing 1 fire with another cooking group. But with some help from other groups, we were able to cook all our soup, and everyone devoured what was left of the squished garlic bread. None the less, everyone was fed thanks to a few people who helped my cooking group succeed. Camps were then set up in the afternoon, and we collected tons of firewood which ended up lasting us the whole time. This made it easier on everyone, since the following 2 days it rained, so the wood became wet, and would have been harder to burn. We also made sure to set up our tent in a way that if it rained overnight, we would avoid getting wet, which definitely worked to our advantage because it did end up raining, but we were able to stay dry.
Part 2:
The next day my group cooked chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Originally, I had thought this breakfast would but extremely hard and messy to make, but it actually turned out very well. My group was very organized in the way that we cooked, and that helped us feed everyone quickly and efficiently, and there was plenty for everyone to have seconds. It really was an easy morning, and I'm very proud of my cooking group for making a complicated meal seem so easy. That day was a very enjoyable one, as we had a short canoe ride over to go sliding and cliff jumping at high falls, in water that took my breath away because it was so cold. This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip. That evening the two classes seemed to have really bonded, especially over the fire.
Saturday night had a downpour of rain, but we managed to stay dry inside of our tents, since they were well set up. When we woke up in the morning, it was sunny but we could tell rain was on its way, so we quickly packed up our stuff, ate breakfast, and were on the water just before the rain started. That morning everyone worked very well together to pack things up so we could leave. Although I was sad to be leaving, I was excited to go home and have a warm shower. It was an absolutely beautiful paddle back as it started raining. The group completed a very short portage, in record time due to amazing teamwork. In the final kilometer of the trec back, rain really started to come down hard. Normally I would have been mad that I was getting soaked, but I could see the bus in the distance and once I reached the shore, I hopped in the cold water along with many others, to really take in the last few moments of the trip with everyone.
This trip was something I never thought I'd be too interested in doing, but once completed; I realized how much I loved the outdoors and spending time with my classmates. Over the 4 days, both classes improved on teamwork immensely and really bonded, and that is why we were so successful. Due to everyone's participation, we were able to get the hard work done fast, leaving us with lots of time to just enjoy the trip and really live in the moment of the beauty that surrounded us everywhere. I would definitely not hesitate to go back on this trip, because I really did love it!
CANOE TRIP REFLECTION
I was always told the canoe trip was the best excursion there is in outdoor ed, and now that I've experienced it, it is true. With so many memories made, new skills learned, and bonding of the class, there was never a dull moment.
The trip was planned rather fast, and it made us a little nervous that things wouldn't be prepared on time, but with the help of my group members, food and supplies were all ready to go the day before the trip.
On the first day as everyone was anxious to get off the bus and start paddling right away, things had to be loaded off the trailer, bus, and truck bonfire we could do any thing. As routine, rafting up and bag count became more normal than it was the first day. The amount of canoeing and portaging that was done on the first day was a little shocking to the group, since we didn't know what to expect. It took a lot of teamwork and preservereance... Especially on the 750m portage. It really put people to the test and I find that's when the real leaders were found. After a long hard day everyone was relieved to final arrive at camp. I'm happy my tent was a simple setup, because it was up in matter of minutes of arriving. Although there wasnt a whole lot of time to make dinner before it got dark out, the tacos made by our group were a huge success and I heard nothing but positive feed back. As the night approach, which was a record breaking temperature, I was certainly not cold. This reassured me that I packed well.
part 2:
A nutritional breakfast of French toast and fruit started off our day, followed by a 650m portage. Knowing this would be the longest one of the second day made it easier for everyone to push a little harder and get it over with. However we didn't arrive at camp when we thought we would, so people started to get hungry. After stopping for a small snack, students felt more energized and were ready to take on the next portage. Once we arrived at camp around 2 o'clock; which was later than expected, our number 1 priority was lunch. Nothing was unpacked except food. It was rather difficult to share one fire with 2 cooking groups, we managed to all get along and sort things out. Soup, salad and crushed garlic bread was just what we needed after working hard in the cold. Just as lunch finished around 4, just in time for dinner! We set up camp, helped get loads of wood to last the next 2 nights, then had dinner. I was a little disappointed to have basically the same dinner as the night before, but I was happy to be eating.
The third day was our day to relax. Our 730 am alarm went off, and my group knew it was time to make chocolate chip pancakes and bacon! I soon learned that making food on campfires are much harder than making them at home on a stove. But again, everyone was completely satisfied with it, and realizing we packed JUST the right amount was sweet. After breakfast, we finally got to visit high falls, a natural water slide that everyone had been waiting for. This was by far the coldest water I had ever been it, and seeing mr. Brouwer play like a child made me wonder what the heck was wrong with him!! One thing I wish I had brought was a wet suit! Knowing we had no canoeing to do that day, many of us went for a rewarding nap after lunch, and awoke when we heard the teachers let us know about the hike to the other falls, that we were departing for in 10 minutes. Although not quite as big as niagra falls, they were still a beautiful sight. The day ended with dinner, a bonfire and every moment was embraced since it was the last night we'd be here.
The last day was a rather sad one because we were leaving, happy because we'd finally get to shower, and rewarding knowing we had just spent 4 days in the wilderness without electronics. The morning made it look like it was going to be a nice day, but by 10am, the clouds had rolled over and as every hour passed, the rain got harder and harder. The most effort and teamwork was put in the only portage that was 45m. Even when we were cold, soaking wet and tired, there were still smiles across everyones faces (mainly because we were glad the rain was on the last day and not the whole trip) As we approached the bus, people started playing in the cold water, laughing, and having a great time, regardless of the weather.
Overall, I'd say this is by far one of the best experiences I've ever had. Not only because I got to miss school, but because I got to learn different skills, such as paddling techniques that were perfected, how to properly start a fire, and how to make a meal for 20 people over 1 fire. Being prepared played a main part in the joy I had, and I'm glad I was. Even though 2 paddles were lost, friends were found and memories were made. Some people may say canoeing for 4 days with no electronics is crazy and impossible, but I, myself would do it again in a heartbeat.
Sydney Switzer
Algonquin Canoe trip Reflection
This canoe trip at Algonquin Park was very fun especially during this season. We spend 4 days and three nights camping .I remember back to all the camping I did in the summer but nothing compared to this trip. It was amazing canoeing in the park. The view was extraordinary. Although there were some challenges we found a way to cope with it and make the best out of it.
I really enjoyed canoeing although it got tiring at certain points. Each day was a challenge either going into swamps, getting stuck on a rock or canoeing against the currant but I very much enjoyed the challenges. Out of all the days I very much enjoyed the first and third day. It was very breath taking going through the canyon and the third day at the water falls. The water slides were really cold but extremely fun. The Cold was not as big of a problem as I thought it would be. I would recommend that people bring lots of layers that they are able to take off as the day warms up, but to make that whatever they bring they are willing to carry. I really enjoyed our third day which was our fun day. I believed that our second camp site was much better than the first because of the softer grounds for our tent and the connecting paths connecting all the camp sites together.
Making sure to be well fit is an awesome way to prepare yourself special for this trip. Taking on heavy loads of weight on long portages is not that hard but can be if you’re not physically fit. I remember the first time I lifted our back pack and the weight pulled me backwards. Eventually as the day went by I got more comfortable managing the weight on the uneven ground paths. Something that I would definitely do next time is to make sure that I am physically prepared to take on this trip with no worries. Even if after our first portage I was then more able to manage the weight and help others. Being fits can be the best way to get ready which not only benefits you but the group itself to fasten the group timing and efficiency.
I would recommend that people bring 2 or 3 pairs of shoes on this trip. By the first day my first pair of shoes were wet and eventually with our rainy days so did my second pair. The one thing I would strongly suggest to other campers is to pick a good sleeping bag to bring. Making sure you have a good sleeping bag is so important to make sure you have a good sleep for the next upcoming days. Thankfully I had a good sleeping bag with flannel which kept me very warm at night. One experience that I would pass on the future campers is to always be curtain that your tent is well closed each time your leave. During our first night my partner and I had a mice in our tent because we had partially let open our tent. There are not a lot of animals to be concerned about on this trip, but although it could escalate to be your biggest problem if you are not well aware of the danger that you might be putting yourself and others in. When given an opportunity for the animals to come they will, even if you did not intend to in the first place.
Through the duration of this trip we definitely learn more about canoeing. It was almost as if we self-taught ourselves each day and the practice only made it even better. One thing to remember is to have fun on this trip. It is all about team work. This experience has been so much fun for me and even better than I anticipated it to be. This is definitely a wonderful experience that gets you out of your comfort zone. If camping is not your cup of tea and you are not comfortable with the outdoors I do not recommend going because the trip will definitely not be the highlight of your outdoor-Ed class. Those four days have been awesome and all the effort/planning goes out to Mr. Brower who gave up his time to be willing to give us this on time experience.
Last Thursday we began our trip to Algonquin park for our Outdoor Ed Canoe trip. It was a unforgettable experience. After a long bus ride out to our starting point, we paddled and portaged A LOT. well It was more then I was expecting. It was enjoyable though. We got to talk to friends and have a good time while we paddled. We showed up at our campsite around 6:30pm. We had delicious Tacos for diner. and as the night was coming to the end it cooled down very quickly and my toes started to freeze because I never had time to change my wet shoes and socks after getting to our campsite. I made a good decision of laying in my sleeping bad for 20min. It warmed my feet back up and I was ready to go outside. When I got back I had realized that they had ate all of the desserts already. That was rough, knowing that they had delicious cinnamon roles. But I lived.. I went to bed early the first day after a good hard day of work, and I knew I'd have to be up early to make breakfast.
The next morning my group and I made french toast. It was a little bit of a hassle because some of our ingredients were on the other side of the lake. So while my group was making the batter for the french toast, I went on a little adventure alone into the foggy distance in a canoe to the other side of the lake to get cinnamon for our french toast. Once I got back we added the cinnamon and we finally started making everyone their breakfast. Everyone said they were good. I was glad to hear that after working hard to make them breakfast. I personally loved the french toast. It was a awesome meal to get us back up and ready to do a long portage to start off our day. We arrived at our new campsite at around 2;30. and I loved the location. It was a big spread of three campsites that we stayed on. This was a relaxing day because we knew we didn't have to paddle and portage the next day. We had a nice camp fire at night and we had smores!
Day 3 was also a very relaxing day. We had pancakes for breakfast which were great. We all just did our own things with friends like play manhunt, ninja, and some card games. At 11:30 we went out to high falls, which was an experience I will not forget, and it might be something Id like to take my kids to when I'm older. When we got back from high falls we ate grilled cheese and we relaxed a bit more. My group and I made supper that night. We made sir fry. which turned out actually pretty good. we had left over smores and it was a great night.
Day 4, our last day. I was a little upset that the trip was ending so quickly. But I was also kinda excited to go home and have a nice hot shower. When we got out on the water to start paddling home. 10 minutes into our trip home. It started pouring on us. It was a crazy amount of rain, I did like it though. it was very refreshing. When we got to the bus everyone was soaking wet. some of us helped put up the canoes while the others got changed. On our bus ride home, My group was in charge of lunch, we didn't realize we had to make it on the bus. But luckily we had a lunch that didn't need a fire. We made everyone chicken wraps. Group B didn't have their food barrel on the bus so we also shared our food with them, we were lucky we brought a lot of extras!
Overall this was an amazing trip! and I would defiantly be willing to do it again !
Algonquin Park Canoe Trip Reflection
Part one:
On Thursday, September 18th we began our 2014 canoe trip. When I arrived I was very nervous and excited at the same time. I arrived at 7:30 and loaded our packs with our food and clothes, then packed them into the bus. We had bad communication with buying the food so we had a lot left over, for next time I will make sure that we are better prepared. It was a long bus ride there ( more than I expected). We reached our campsite around 6:30 after some really long portages and a long canoe paddle. The 730 m portage went faster than I expected. A group of us made 3+ trips to make sure that all of the packs and canoes made it across. This was much better than I expected. The paddle was very enjoyable and relaxing and the canyon was beautiful. Once on the campsite, we gathered firewood and set up our tents, then ate tacos for dinner, which was amazing considering how cold it was getting. Kyle volunteered our group to sleep at the other campsite, The canoe back was cold, however the fog on the lake and the stars made it worth while.
The next morning I got a rude awakening. It was extremely cold in the morning and I had found out that I had slept on a tree root, so my back wasn't happy about that. Then I was informed that breakfast was being served so I had to change quickly in order to eat on time. Then as soon I was eating my last bite of the delicious french toast, we were off to our next campsite. The first portage was the longest of the day. Everyone was very tired so this one took a little longer than expected. We arrived at our next campsite and we got to relax and get fire and dinner started. For dinner we made wraps with beef, salsa/sour cream, cheese and lettuce. Everyone enjoyed our meal except Mrs. Trumpower. Everyone had ate all the wraps and left none for her. We felt really bad as a group and tried to make it up but at that point she had already made up her mind. We had marshmallows and graham crackers for dessert which was really awesome. Our group had some disagreements as to who was doing what so I had to settle the disputes which wasn’t fun, but other than that, we had an awesome night .
The next day we decided to go to the natural water slide after we ate breakfast. We had pancakes which were amazing but hard to eat without a plate. Around 11:00 we arrived at the water slide. I don’t really like water but that was very fun and it would be something I would like to re-visit. I didn’t go down the water slide but I did jump into the freezing cold water. Marty ended up getting sick so I was making sure he was ok until the time we left. When we got back we made grilled cheese for lunch which was good considering. It was hard making that many sandwiches for everyone to get their fill but we managed. After that we played some games of manhunt and ninja! For dinner we had sir fry which was what I was craving for. I needed some vegetables after all the granola bars and hard work over the weekend. Dinner was delicious!
Part two:
On the final day, Martin, Nic and I made dinner as Kyle packed our tent. We made waffles and English muffins. We planned to make oatmeal as well but we didn’t have enough time. Everyone had mixed emotions when we left. We all wanted a nice bed and hot shower but we were gonna miss the great outdoors. On our paddle back, it started to rain heavily. We had one final portage and I was impressed with how everyone pitched in and how fast we did it. For the last few 100 m we raced Mrs Trumpower to the beach and we won by a couple of feet. It was glorifying to know that we had completed our trip. We loaded the canoes on the trailer and the packs on the bus. We were all excited to go home. The bus ride home was long and wet but the trip was something I would never forget.
Overall, I really enjoyed the trip. I experienced fatigue, cold, wetness and heat yet I wouldn't change any of it! I learned a lot about my classmates and the wild. When we were gone I felt like all the things I left behind went un-missed( besides family and friends). The trip was exciting as it was enjoyable and I will definitely come back to Algonquin park.
Canoe Trip Reflection
(Part1)
The canoe trip was a great chance to improve necessary wildlife survival skills and of course, canoeing skills. Not only skills, but the canoe trip improved my pain tolerance massively. It was a great way to experience wildlife especially with the remarkable view at the campsites and on the way to the campsites.
The first day was the toughest, especially that not many people were expecting much work. Honestly, the first kilometer of canoeing at squirrel rapids was the real struggle. My group was the first to start and the last to the first portage; that’s because we didn’t have control over the canoe. If we would retrace our canoe path, it would go from an extreme left to en extreme right; we were going in a zigzag path. Our canoeing sort of improved as we canoed more throughout the day, especially in the 6km canoe trail. Meanwhile, portaging wasn’t the best on the first day; many people were rolling with the scheme, “every man for himself” myself included. After the beginning portages, I started helping people who were struggling or needed a hand with other canoes or backpacks. The last portage towards the end of the day was the worst, because everyone was exhausted and wanted to head to camp quickly. Portaging is realistically the least thing I enjoyed on the trip. Although portaging wasn’t good, group work was good. The canoe group helped each other to get through the portage. Food at the camp was done properly; other choices were given for people who don’t eat meat and there was enough for everyone. The food was cooked quickly thanks to people doing their chores and helping out. That night became really cold, so not many people stayed outside. I wore every layer I got on the trip in order to stay warm over the night. For a moment at around midnight, I hoped that I was in my warm, cozy bed at home. I changed my mind later figuring out that it’s a great experience. From the first day, I learned that group work and help is essential to keep moving as a group.
The second day was another portage-full day, but it was laid out way better than the first day. Staring the day, a life jacket was lost and found later with someone’s canoe. On that same day, I lost a cap and gloves, but I later found them at school the next day after our arrival. This meant that people worked as a group and kept lost items with them to find the owner. The canoeing parts of the day were done way better than the first day canoeing. My group definitely did better going straight with the canoe rather than going in a zigzag path. While canoeing, we were more as a group than the first day; no one was left behind or going slower than usual. Portaging was done with great effort and group work, except for one of the last portages which was 50m long. I’m guessing people thought that it’s a short portage and the rest of the group can take care of themselves for such a short portage. It was exactly the opposite, it took us so much time to get through such a small portage; many bags and canoes were left behind and most of the people were waiting in their canoes on the other side of the portage. It was a good thing 2 leaders went ahead to reserve the campsites, because we were late. Other than this portage, the group work in every portage was ideal; everyone was helping each other. At the campsite, it was a bit windy, but it had a wonderful view. Fire was collected quickly and I helped carry some dry wood back to keep the fire going. Meanwhile, the cooking group was a mess; my group and the other group were arguing on who takes the grill, but a compromise was made. My group was cooking hotdogs; generally, I thought it was a complete mess, hot dogs were mixed up and were not organized as well. We set up the tent again, but it was missing some pegs, therefore we tied some edges to a tree instead of using pegs. Dinner was great, but too early; it was just 2 hours away from lunch. Our group made stir-fry then we had s’mores, which was great too.
(Part2)
The third day was a day to relax after all the portaging; it was a good break for my sore shoulders. I helped fetch for fire wood for the breakfast, which was oats. Heading to the natural waterslide, it was less than a kilometer distance canoeing. There was no portaging, which was the good part. One of the best parts of the canoe trip was jumping off a mini cliff into the freezing water and of course, the water slide. That was the coldest water I swam in; it didn’t feel too good jumping into it but it was fun. The strong current on the waterslide cancelled out the fact that I was in ice-cold water. The hike to the falls in the same spot was done really impressively; no one was behind, everyone was walking the same speed. The falls where a wonderful view and I especially liked the cave climbing near the falls. The walk back to camp was also in good speed and we weren’t scattered too far apart. At camp we had to prepare for rain at any time; therefore we covered our personal items in the tent. One pair of my shoes got soaked, but I had another pair. I would say I was well prepared this canoe trip, I didn’t forget any essential item. It was a really rainy night; water got through the tent on the sides and at the rear of the tent. It was the last night, so it didn’t matter if our sleeping bags were wet.
The final day was, by far the best canoeing part of the whole trip. The day started off really wet, we had to pack all wet items and clean up the campsite. My tent group and I seemed to have forgotten a toilet paper outside on the third day; we found it next morning ripped up presumably from a mouse or a chipmunk. The canoeing started off bad when 2 paddles were lost and we wasted half an hour looking for them. That’s why next time I would gather all paddles together when we get to a campsite to insure that we don’t lose any of them. We started canoeing; it was drizzling, then suddenly it poured rain. This for me was the most enjoyable part, where I’m soaking wet on a rainy day canoeing all the way to shore. I had a raincoat, but I wasn’t prepared for such a ride; even the people who were prepared were soaking wet too. At shore, time was not used efficiently; it took us a really long time to get on the bus after we are changed and ready to go. I thought the group that had to make lunch at the end where the best cooking group throughout the whole trip. All their meals were extraordinary and enough for everyone. Even though the raps they made at the bus where not there’s they were still capable of making delicious raps on a moving bus.
In conclusion, this canoeing trip was the best overnight trip I’ve ever been to; I’ve only been to two overnight trips. Throughout all weather conditions including, rain, cold, and sun I was well prepared for all. From this trip, I learned that without teamwork in a group, things are not going to go smoothly. Finally, I would definitely go on this trip again if I had the chance to.
Part 1:
The Algonquin Park canoe trip was definitely a trip to remember full of new experiences and great memories with friends. As I had never taken an outdoor ed class before, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect on a trip like this but it turned out to be amazing!
On the first day of the trip, we arrived at Squirrel Rapids prepared for a trek to our campsites on Opalescent lake that was predicted to take us about 6 hours between canoeing and portaging. This day was a little chilly so layers were key as it was cold on the lake but got very hot on the challenging portages. The first portage flew by as everyone worked very efficiently. After this, we had a 6 km paddle through the beautiful Barron Canyon, but as this paddle alone took us an hour and a half, everyone began to lose energy. The portages progressively got longer and more challenging throughout the day, finishing with a 730 m one that took us up and down hills. After this 6 hour day of work, everyone was ready to get to their campsites, set up their tents and finally get the chance to eat and relax. This was done pretty efficiently and we had a spaghetti dinner at around 7:30pm. The sky that night was gorgeous, it was full of stars! After a bit of stargazing and sitting by the fire, I headed to bed as the next morning was going to be an early one.
The night was definitely a cold one, but I woke up full of energy and ready for more canoeing. We started off the day with a bacon and egg breakfast which was made efficiently and tasted great. After breakfast, we packed up all of our stuff and were on the water at 9:45am, ready to head to our next campsite on Stratton Lake. We started off the day with a 640 m portage that definitely got everybody warmed up for the day. This day lacked some teamwork and efficiency through the following 3 portages, resulting in the group getting to the campsite late. Because of this everyone was starving, and we all had to go and find firewood because the cooking groups had to get to work right away. The cooking took a bit longer because both cooking groups had to share one fire, but everyone was fed before too long and ready to go and set up the campsites for the next 2 nights. This was done efficiently, leaving everyone time to rest and enjoy nature with classmates. After an afternoon of relaxing, we had a stir fry dinner which was really good. After that, we made s’mores and sat by the campfire for a while. Around 11:00pm, I headed to bed as I was exhausted from the previous 2 days of hard work.
Part 2:
Saturday morning was my cooking group’s turn to make breakfast, so we woke up at around 8:00am and got ready to make our meal. We made fried G which was fried oats with melted butter, brown sugar, honey, chocolate and raisins. We made this very efficiently and everyone was fed and ready for the day. This day was predicted to bring a lot of rain so we set up the tents so that they’d stay dry and put a tarp over our fire pit so that it wouldn’t get wet. It was nice and sunny in the morning, so we decided to take full advantage of the weather as we knew that it was going to rain. We headed out to the Otter Slides for some cliff jumping, sliding and swimming. The water was absolutely freezing but this was still definitely one of my favourite parts of the trip. As we were leaving, it began to rain so we headed back quickly, had fajitas for lunch, then took a much needed nap. After this, it had cleared up so we went on a nice hike to the high falls. It was a beautiful sight and we spent a while there just taking in the view. After this, it was my group’s turn to make dinner, which was chicken curry. We made it very quickly and it was delicious! Our only mistake is that we had forgotten that we weren’t allowed to bring cans into Algonquin park. After this delicious dinner, I had a late night by the campfire just talking with friends. This was definitely the best night of the trip.
The last morning, I woke up at 7:30am. I was sad to leave such an awesome trip, but at the same time I was excited to go home to have a warm shower and to sleep in my warm bed. We packed up all of our stuff, had a quick breakfast and finally got on the water at around 10:45am. At this point, it was just beginning to rain. We had a 2.5 km paddle, followed by an 85 m portage which was done with great team work, as everyone wanted to get out of the rain and into the warm bus as quickly as possible. After a 1 km paddle we arrived at our final destination. As everyone was soaked, some of us decided to go for a quick swim in the lake, to really enjoy the last bit of the trip. This was tons of fun. After, we all went to get changed into dry clothes and gathered into the bus. As it was too wet outside to cook lunch, we found extra food on the bus and made chicken wraps for everybody. Everyone was fed, happy and ready to go home.
Overall this trip was amazing, and will never be forgotten. I’d do this again any day. It was great to experience the outdoors and to be away from electronics and our everyday routines for a while. Over this trip, everyone bonded and developed awesome memories with each other. I can’t think of a part of the trip that I didn’t enjoy.
Last year, after the hiking trip, I thought no trip could ever beat it. But the canoe trip did just that. This trip was so much fun with lots of memories that were made. We had a great group this year of very motivated students. You could feel the excitement building on the bus as we got closer to Algonquin Park. When we got to Squirrel Rapids, we had perfect weather; it was nice and cold with pure sun. Everyone was anxious to get on the water. After a long day of portages we finally got to our campground just before dark and had a delicious taco supper. Looking back on that day, I would have encouraged others to keep going back and help on the portages more. We would have gotten to our campground earlier if I had done that. The next day, we had some more big portages. During these long portages, some people seem to come out of their comfort zones and help big time, while others tend to stay put and do a smaller part. After another taco supper that night, most people were tired and went to bed early. On the third day, we went to the High Falls waterslide followed by going back to see High Falls later that day. We had a bit of rain that day, but nothing crazy. Plus we had put our tarp up that morning over the campfire so the rain really didn't bother us. That night, my cooking group made stirfry. I was amazed to realize that our group had brought the perfect amount of food for our meal! I figured we would have too much or too little of something. The last day was rainy... and I mean RAINY. It started off with just a bit of steady rain, but by the time we were about halfway to our take out point in Achray, it started raining really hard. After awhile though, nobody cared. What's the point of complaining if you're already soaking wet? When we got to Achray, some people grabbed their packs and changed in the bathroom. After a quick tire change, we were off to go back to Ottawa. This was an extremely fun trip which I will remember for the rest of my life.
Canoe trip Reflection
The Canoe trip through Algonquin Park was a very exciting and unforgettable trip that taught me many new skills and gave me tons of good memories. Before this 4 day trip I thought there wasn’t a lot of time to prepare but as it got closer and closer to the day I felt more and more prepared and when we finally left I felt fully prepared. On the first day when we got to squirrel rapids everyone was exited to get to the 6 hour trek to our campsite, on the way there we saw some of the beautiful landscapes of Algonquin park especially on the 6km paddle through the rock faces. It was a very comfortable ride the way there, the portages were efficient except for some slackers and they weren’t too long and the weather was terrific.
When we got to the campsite it was our turn to make the supper so we set up the fire and cooked our spaghetti, it turned out very well and there was enough for everyone but after that it was very dark and we still had to set up our tent. This was hard because we packed all our flashlights away except one. After the tents were set up we sat by the camp fire and then went to bed early because we were pretty tired. This night was extremely cold but my sleeping bag kept me warm throughout and I slept sound through the whole night.
The second day we woke up at 7:30 and made Bacon and Eggs for everyone, after that we packed everything up and got back in the water for our next few portages and paddles. We were on the water by 9:40 and off to our campsite at Stratton Lake, the first portage was more than half a kilometre and a good way to start the day. The first days portaging was starting to get to me and my shoulders were sore but I just pushed through it and doubled back because I just wanted to get to the campsite and eat. When we got there I went to go get firewood while the cooking group prepared lunch. Both groups had to cook on the same fire and it was kind of chaotic because everyone was hungry, we had hotdogs for lunch. After that we set up our tents and explored the woods. For supper we had a chicken stir-fry and it was very good. At night we went to the other camps campfire and hung out there till bed.
The third day we got to stay at our campsite, we had fried G which is now my favorite breakfast besides French toast. It was supposed to rain this day so we set up tarps, after that we canoed out to the Otter slides for some water slides and cliff jumping, the water was freezing cold so I didn’t swim as much as I would have but I went down the cliff 3 times and down the slide 3 times, it was extremely fun despite the temperature and probably the funnest part of the trip. It started to rain so we headed back to camp and our group made fajitas witch turned out very good, after that we played some games and hung out till supper. For supper we had chicken Curry and it was probably the best meal of the trip, it was so good with the Nan bread. After that we stayed up by the campfire till about twelve and then went to sleep.
On the last day we woke up at 7:30 and had oatmeal and packed up everything very quick, when we got on the water it started to rain, we had a 2.5 km paddle and me and me and Kyle were in the front, we could see the rain coming closer and closer to us and knew we were going to get soaked. I found it interesting riding under the train bridge because my Grandpa was a conductor and always talked about driving through Algonquin Park and probably went across that bridge. By the time we were halfway to the take out everyone was soaked, the 25m portage across the dam was the most efficient portage I think, full of teamwork and co-operation, it was done fast. After that it was an easy but wet 1km paddle to the take out. Getting everything packed wasn’t the greatest, I started getting cold from the wetness and waiting for the bus and trucks to come and pack, but After that we were on our way to school to unpack and then go home.
Overall this trip was amazing and a great experience, the weather was for the most part perfect and when it wasn’t I was still totally fine with it. I came prepared for all weather even though the last day I did end up getting soaked it was inevitable. I learned teamwork is extremely important through all aspects of the trip like cooking, getting fire wood, and setting up tents and especially portaging. On this trip everyone bonded and I talked to many people I never talked to before and made new friends and many memories. I would defiantly go on this trip again if I could.
The Outdoor Ed Trip began with a long busride out to the park where we unloaded canoes and paddled off down the water. I being a very lazy person deadweighted first and offered to carry the canoe on my own for the first portage thinking there were only a few portages so i'd be able to take a pack next time and take it easy. After far more than a few portages I was tired and my outlooked had flipped around, if we were going to get somewhere I had to do just a bit more than look after my things and help others out. I was able to carry something like a pack across and help someone carry a canoe half way, or when I arrived last and had help carrying a canoe as I got to the end. After a long day the cooking group I was in made pasta which I wasn't a fan of so I had some snacks which I brought for our group just incase. We ended up setting our tent up in twilight and we all went to bed early that night.
The Next morning we were to cook breakfast also. We got up a little after 7:00 and warmed precooked eggs and bacon I was in charge of bacon flipping. We ate packed up and were on our way. After a long beautiful paddle through some place that I no idea the location of, we had a few more portages to go and we were on our way to our final campsite. I can't recall what we ate for lunch that day but it was probably good. We collected firewood and spent the rest of the day sitting around fires and talking which by far made the trip for me, I really enjoyed getting to know people more. After a late night around the fire I went to bed.
Breakfast the next day was Fried G, which in my honest opinion was the best breakfast of the trip, I loved it and wish I could've had more. As a whole we went to the falls and I was able to have a swim and wash off for the first time since we left for camp, it was great. I went off exploring around the falls with a few other people and came back for snacks as it began to rain, unorganized small group activities where highlights of the camp for me because you are able to bond with people more. Later that day others hiked back to the falls but I stayed back and talked around the fire with everyone else. I think that was also the day we played manhunt which was fun, but i'm not sure. That night we had stir fry and rice for dinner, that was tasty. I stood out on the point for about 2 hours or so by myself just staring at the lake, a heron and a loon flew fairly close to me and the heron circled me twice before flying away, it was nice and I'd do the carrying all over again if I go back there someday. The night was spent around the fire again.
The anticipation of going home on the final day got the best of me, I was gloomy the canoe ride back until we got stuck at a narrow part of the river, one of my canoe members sacrificed her shoes for the sake of saving our stuck canoe, it made me feel happy knowing that she did that to help us. The rain soaked us all and by the time we got to the pickup point we were all soaked. No could help but laugh at the fact we were all drenched and I couldn't help but laugh myself. I waited for a spot change and got on the bus after the canoes were loaded. I slept on the bus.
When it comes to physical exertion i'm selfish lazy and I try to take advantage of people for my own comfort or benefit. At first I'll try to make myself look like i'm doing work but I'll slack of in the end and hide from work. I guess that makes me a bad person to camp with. I was glad to be home after the trip and I honestly regret not helping more, my outlook and work ethic changed while on the trip and i'm glad it did. I enjoy camping but I am a germaphobe and don't like the feeling of not showering and being dirty. So I get cranky and bi-polar after a few days. I would not go on a camp like this again, although I don't regret going and would recommend this canoe trip to anyone. I love the outdoors because it gets my out of my comfort zone a little and I can take break from electronics.
Since joining Outdoor Ed, I didn't think I fit in. After the trip though, I found myself fitting in a bit better. As you will soon see, the trip was full of many situations that put me to the test, physically and mentally. And so, I am writing about what I thought about the four days that transpired during the outdoor Ed canoeing trip in Algonquin Park.
Since the trip was based around canoeing and portaging, I should start by explaining how things worked out there. While paddling, there were different techniques needing to be used. There were basic strokes used to move forward and backward, turn and stop. We also needed to know how to get in and out of the canoe; having one person standing or sitting at the end of the canoe on shore and stabilize it by keeping it between their legs. It took me a little while to get used to these techniques, but when I got the hang of them, I became more helpful. When portaging long distances, we had to take everything out of the canoes, have people carry the canoes while others carried the equipment, and make our way over hills and terrain. when we reached the other side, we dropped things into already portaged canoes in the water. We had to go back several times to do this effectively. On the last day, we had to do a technique called coffin carrying the canoes. This meant leaving the equipment in the canoes and carrying them across a short distance. When we paddled, we had three positions to choose from: the bow, the stern, and the yolk. The person at the bow would produce most of the paddling energy to move the canoe. The person at the stern was in charge of steering. The person at the yolk was an extra person who if was present, helped whichever side of the canoe that needed more force. On day two, I was placed at the bow and someone else was at the stern. We decided to race other people to the next portage. I paddled with such force that we were forced to drift a little while to wait for others. On the second day, carrying things got easier and I made many trips back and forth. I wouldn't take many breaks and I would keep going. I guess you could say that I persevered through all kinds of pain. I learned much on the methods of using a canoe. In the end, it was only one part of the big picture of my time those four days.
I realized that my relationship with my classmates had played a big role in those four days. I noticed that most of the things I thought were problems were really me degrading myself in front of others, unintentionally as well. I was constantly thinking that people didn't enjoy my company, but now I realize that I was the cause. My classmates saw good things in me, and were trying to help me, but I thought they didn't like me. I would be pushing people away by saying that no one likes me, when really, people did like me. They hated what I thought people thought of me. People didn't want to go on a canoe with me, or they did, but I was too irritating to handle. So I'm looking back at all the things that happened on the trip. People did try to support me, not more than any other, but as an equal. When someone would say I didn't do my share of the work, I should have taken it in stride. Because of all this, my tent situation wasn't the most ideal one. I was in cooking group B, and was asked to join the group by people in the class. However, I was basically in group A for tent location. On the second campsite, there was a long walk between group A and B. This was not too complicating, but I almost missed a meal because of it. By the third day, I began to fit in a lot better. I wasn't a "downer" anymore, in fact some people who used to hate me became nicer and I enjoyed their company. There were some nice times out there, like when my tent group and I made a campfire outside our tent on day three. It was dark and we were gathered 'round the campfire. After a little while, some other classmates joined us and we had a long conversation that lasted through the night. I heard many stories of the things people did in their life and found that they must have had so much fun. Eventually, we had to go to bed, but I still remember it and remember the fun we had. Knowing that I had been the cause of many problems in my life has made me a better person. I only hope my peers think better of me.
Many things happened while we were at our campsites. We had two campsites in total so to speak. On the first night, we were separated into three sites by water. To get from one to another, you need only paddle a canoe across the water. When arriving to a new campsite, everyone gets tasked with different jobs. Some of them include getting water, getting firewood, pitching up tents, preparing the campfire so it can be used for cooking the food\\ or used to keep you warm. At the first campsite, I was tasked with getting water for our small island section. It went well. All I had to do was go to the middle of the water mass and get some water. The problem with the jobs is that everyone should always be doing something. Task after task was done. Not having been an outdoors person meant that I was not used to doing this. After a while, I got used to it, and I became quite helpful. At the campsites, people had been tasked with different meals that they had to prepare at different times. At my group, group B, all our meals tasted really good, even if we had to improvise. We had things from granola to fajitas. Everyone did their part and it all went well. When night time came around, people would do some pranks to other tent groups. For instance, our tent was attacked by "bears" outside our tent. I got more scarred but only because I convinced myself of the possibility of there being an actual bear. All in all, the campsite situation was not too bad. I would go through it again if given a chance (most likely (maybe) ). I should try to take initiative from now on and make sure that I do my part to help with any situation in my life. I hope for the better.
In the end, it turned out to be an experience I will never forget. Though the paddling and portaging was tasking at times, I persevered. Once getting past my personal thoughts, knowing that people actually cared is a nice change. I will try from now on to do the best I can and do my part (at least try). Sometimes being fun because of pranks, and other times because of my classmates, it was a good time spent. All in all, I learned a lot and became better as a person, learned new meals to make. I would recommend this trip to future students. Remember, if given a chance to try something, do it. It’s probably better than you think.
Canoe trip reflection
Brice Anderson
The trip that I went on was the 4 day canoe trip which was in Algonquin Park.
During the whole trip I found it challenging in some parts and also very fun in other parts. Some parts I found challenging was portaging canoes and packs for long distances at a time while taking 2 or even 3 trips back. Another thing I found challenging was maintaining speed in the canoe to be able to travel kilometers at a time.
I learned during the trip that you need to have good teamwork with almost everything that we did on the trip. One thing my group well with teamwork was cooking food, we all did an equal amount to help cooking and cleaning dishes. We had enough food for every person in the group. Our tent during the entire trip held well, not letting rain come in and pegs stayed down
Canoeing Trip - Outdoor Ed Reflection
The canoeing trip wasn’t quiet what I had expected, in a way it was better, From frog hunting, campfire songs, otter slides, injuries, water fall hikes to pouring rains all in al it was quite memorable.
Our first day was a heavy start, but having a large group meant many hands to share the load. Since we had such a large group we were the only ones on Opalescent Lake. When we arrived it was already 6pm and we wanted to set up our tents quickly, gather fire wood and get dinner served. All was done very efficiently by everyone. This allowed us plenty of time to enjoy the campfire and all of the stars. We had clear skies which meant that the night would be cold (apparently record cold temperatures were broke for September).
Morning came early, we wanted to be on the water quickly to ensure that we would get the campsite on Stratton Lake, our home for the next two nights. After some “Fried G” for breakfast we were visited by some Canada Jays (Whisky Jacks or Grey Jays). Our first portage was really long, 640m long. Three more portages took us through some smaller lakes to Stratton Lake, When we arrived it was our day to make lunch, things could have been more efficient if other groups knew how to share the grill. Eventually we worked things out and got to cook. With the plan to stay awhile we set up wind tarps and gathered a lot of fire wood. We ended the night with ghost stories and smores.
We woke up to the sunshine and warm weather and seized it to visit the Otter Slides. The water was supposedly warm but had seemed pretty cold to me. After a few hours the rain crept up on us, it was our sign to return to camp. Later in the day, after the rain, some of us hiked to the falls for a little visit. On our way back it was approaching dinner we had cheese less fajitas. Afterwards we gad visited the other campsite for some camp songs. Shortly after we went to bed, I was exhausted.
The morning couldn’t have came quicker, I was so excited to go home. It was our morning to make breakfast (porridge) and left overs. Prepping for breakfast I had cut my finger slicing oranges. I was tooken care of quickly, I knew id be okay but I think I was more shocked than anything. When I was patched up I was defiantly ready to go home. The canoe paddle back started off nice but quickly took a turn with pouring rains. Arriving at the bus some changed and got out of helping pack, shortly after I realized I had lost my glasses. I had never felt more miserable. The bus ride home was wet, cold and long but kind of nice. We arrived at the school, set up out tents to dry and someone had found my glasses! When my mom picked me up I had never felt happier to see her and to go home. I smelt like campfire for weeks!
In conclusion if I could change one thing about the trip I wouldn’t. Our group as a whole was very efficient and selfless. We were always able to find a way to put someone before ourselves.
Our canoe trip was exhausting. Between portaging all our gear everyday, to paddling the canoe endlessly, to sleeping on uneven ground, I was physically and mentally exhausted.
My favorite parts of the trip were when we stopped for breaks or stopped to set up camp. I was overjoyed that the burden my shoulders had to bear was over. Our food was good. Food group A prepared decent to good meals, nutritionally and good tasting. I liked my groups members and didn't have a problem being around them.
The area was beautiful. I loved the mountain ranges and the vast expanses of fresh water, even if I only got to go in once at the slides. I loved the big cliff you could jump off of, I went 5 times. The water was freezing and it was very cool watching Mr. Brouwer scale the waterslide in that water.
The last day very horrible for me. I was in a lot of pain and it rained the entire canoe trip to the bus. I was glad to be home after a long bus ride, but I would jump at the chance to go again in those same conditions.
Trip Reflection Canoe
The canoe trip throughout Algonquin Park was an extremely fun and exciting trip that I will never forget. I learned so many new skills involved with camping/canoeing that will help me later on in life. I remember getting everything ready from home and thinking I had to many things and It would be pointless to bring – many items actually came handy later on in the trip. On the first day when we got to Squirrel Rapids everyone seemed ready to begin our trip. On the way to our campsites we saw some beautiful scenery of Algonquin Park especially on the 6km canoe paddle through these huge rock faces. After canoeing that 6km my arms were getting a little tired, the portages were not too bad at the start, The weather was great.
Then we arrived at our camp site and it was our turn to make supper so we set up and mad a fire and cooked spaghetti. We had enough for everybody. It was surprisingly good. Then it got really dark really fast and we had to set up our tent. It was a little more difficult with just a little bit of light from the flashlights. Then that was all done we went to bed pretty early because we were all really tired. This was the coldest night of the whole trip by far but I was alright once I got in my sleeping bag.
The second day we got up at around 7:00 and made bacon and eggs for everybody because it was our turn again to make food. Then we packed everything and got back into the canoes to start day 2. It was a little early for me but at least the hard part was over. We were on the water at 9:30 and went to our next campsite Stratton Lake. Then first portage was a little more than half a km then from all of that portaging I was pretty sore and tired but then we arrived at our camp site and went out to gather fire wood while the other cooking groups got lunch ready. Then after lunch we got our tent up and ready and just relaxed which was really nice, then for supper we had chicken stir-fry and was great. After supper we just hung out and relaxed at the other camps campfire until it was time for bed then headed back for a good night sleep.
Then the third day we able to stay at our same camp sites which as amazing. For breakfast we had fried G which was surprisingly awesome. Is was supposed to rain that day so we got all of the tarps ready if it started to rain which it did. Then we canoed to Otter Slides for the water slides and cliff jumping the water was freezing cold so I didn’t go but it was still a pretty cool sight to see, then it started to rain a little bit but just got heavier as we canoed back to the camps site. When we got back our group made fajitas which were great. Then we just relaxed some more and hung out till it was supper time. Supper was really good we had chicken curry and was pretty spicy; the Nan bread was great with it. We stayed up by the campfire for a little bit then went to bed.
The last day we got up around 7:00 and I had some fruits and granola bars for breakfast then when we were all done there we packed everything up quickly and got on the water then started to rain again we had a 2.5 km paddle which was pretty rough especially with the rain and bring soaking wet. Then pretty much halfway to the pickup area we had a short little 25m portage. That portage turned out to be a great portage with tones of teamwork and it was done fast this was also great. Then there was only a 1km to the beach which is where we will be picked up. Putting everything packed up and getting everything was not easy when we were all soaking wet and begin to get really cold. Then we were on our way back home.
In the end this trip was an awesome and amazing trip. The weather was actually pretty good for most of the trip and wasn’t too bad. I ended up bringing everything I needed for this trip. Also I found out that teamwork was a great success and it needed to be for this trip with all of the portaging cooking and just getting everything ready in general. I also made some great memories I will never forget.
Mathieu Deschamps
Canoe Trip Reflection
From Thursday, September 18th to Sunday, September 21st, the grade 11s and I had our outdoor Ed canoe trip. It was a really cool and wonderful experience for my first field trip of grade 11. I would never forget this trip as it was my first time ever camping.
The main parts of this trip was canoeing, camping and portaging. Three things I have never done except the times I went canoeing in class time. I learned that canoeing does get tiring if you don’t switch sides at all in the trip and that you need good form and team work to actually get some where at a decent speed. Camping was really fun the fact we didn’t get that much rain besides the last day of the trip. As I have never gone camping before, I found it really enjoyable and a great outdoor experience. I found the portaging the worst part of the trip because it’s portaging. ‘Anyone who thinks portaging is fun is either lying or Mr. Brower.’
The thing that surprised me the most was the food because of how delicious it was and it was cooked in the woods. The meal that stood out the most was the grilled granola because I had never had it before and my first time tasting it was delicious. I thought it would be a torture cooking for about 15 people, but having a big group that worked as a team helped speed up the food making and the helped the effort that put into the meal by each group.
One of the highlight of my trip was the second last day when we canoed for a short time to reach the falls and enjoy a natural water slide. The water was freezing cold as it was September and fall season already, beside the cold water I still went in the water and had a good time because its one of a life time experience as I’m not an outdoors person.
The last day went fairly well despite some issues such as losing two paddles and I believe a life jacket. The packing went fairly well and quick and my group faced no issues and was one of the quickest in packing as we had an experienced packer. Despite the lost equipment, we still went on and canoed. Our last canoeing day was going fairly good until 10 minutes on when Mother Nature turned on us and poured rain on us. Despite the rain while canoeing, the trip was a great success and I really enjoyed it.
MO
canoe trip reflection
Well to start of the first day of the canoe trip we all woke up very early to be at school to prepare are bags and make sure everything was ready to go. we left around 9 am to Algonquin Park which was a 3 hour ride some of us slept during the ride including myself, other chatted about how excited the trip will be. myself and my mates where very excited for this trip we were already to go.
When we arrive at Algonquin Park, we took down the canoes by the water and packed them with our extremely heavy packs and barrels, after that Mr. Brouwer assigned couple of people to lead the way, others to make sure we did not leave anything behind us after every portage and also leaders to make sure everyone stayed together during the 6 km's of canoeing. Before we were on our way we had to do a pack count and a paddle count to make sure we didn't leave any packs or paddles behind. Everyone was very excited to be on there way, we all waited for his “go” to be on our way. We canoe for about 1 km to the first portage we helped each other with we did fairly well on, we got back in the water after a couple of minutes of hard work, we did another pack check and we were well on are way after that. we started canoeing again and this time it was for about 3 hours, in this 3 hours of we saw the beautiful Algonquin park, we saw turtles, and the view was breath taking most beautiful view i've seen in awhile. My partners and i entertained each other by singing and telling stories till we got to the third portage which came with a lot of hills and ankle breaking rocks. it was a challenge getting everything to the other side. the whole group was getting tired by this time, with great effort we managed to get everything to the other side with a matter of time and teamwork. as we were about 50 yards from the second last portage which was 50m as a team we got through that one pretty quickly with some wasp stings. as we headed to our last portage which was 745m the longest one of the day, the whole group was tired be from canoeing and portaging, but we all became together as one and got the job done, the most difficult portage of the day thank god it was the last one the really good news was the campsites were about 5 minutes away, we canoed away to reach the campsite to get set up and also to get ready to eat because we were starving. we set up up are tent first before it got too dark. After a long first day we had spaghetti which was good, right after dinner my group hit the sacks we were very tired so we decided to get a good night's sleep.
The next morning we woke up late and we missed breakfast, but we carried on the day with an apple and orange. we packed our tent and clothe for the next campsite, we got ready for another big day of canoeing, we canoed just beside the 745m portage we had to start of the day with a long portage, everyone was working hard and helping eachother out, we got through it pretty quickly, about 400 yards away was the next portage it was about 250m long we also got through the portage very quickly.
we arrived at the campsite and this was where we would stay for two nights. we went for search of wood for the fire, we set up our tent and we played games. that night we all sat by the fire and hang out.
the next morning, my group made breakfast which was fried g ( fried oatmeal ) after breakfast we all got ready to go to the falls, we swam in cold water but most importantly we had fun, as we were going back to the campsite it started raining everyone canoed as fast as they could to go in there shelters. my group went in and we had a nice long nap which i think most the groups did also, after it stopped raining my group got ready for dinner with we had to do, we made curry chicken, which was really good and everyone enjoyed. cause it was the last night we all sat by the fire and had long conversations and went to bed late.
the next morning which was the last day we all packed our bags and tent, we made sure there was no trace or any sorts of food. as we got ready to leave as always before we go somewhere we made sure we do a pack and paddle check we were missing one paddle, as we started paddling to our destination it started raining really hard but that did not stop us we kept going until we reached shore which was a very good feeling
Canoe Trip Reflection Part 1
I can’t even begin to say how much fun I had on the canoe trip this year. This trip was unlike anything I've ever experienced before. The trip was a great challenge for myself and I hope to be able to continue trips like these for the rest of my life.
Thursday September 18th
On Thursday, the day started off at 7:00am sharp. I arrived at Cairine Wilson at 7:40 ready to help the class load our packs and hop on the bus. Once we were all packed, we headed for our destination; Archray, Ontario. After a great bus ride filled with excitement, we pulled up to our take out spot at Squirrel Rapids. After a short paddle we arrived at the first of four portages. The first portage was very efficent. Everyone worked really well together and made it a great team effort. This was followed by a very long and strenuous 6K paddle through the Baron Canon. Although very exhausting, the scenery was beautiful. Finally, after a long three hours we arrived at our second portage. A 500 m portage, followed by a 100 m portage and an extremely challenging 730 m portage to get us to our campsite on Opalescent Lake. Once we unloaded the canoes, it was our cooking group scheduled to prepare dinner. We made soft shell tacos that were delicious and for dessert we had some very yummy cinnamon buns. The campfire at this site was beautiful; I was a nice raised fireplace with stone benches. Soon it became very dark, after spending some time by the campfire we decided to head off to sleep in our tents.
Friday September 19th
Friday started off early as we headed for a prime campsite on Stratton Lake. shortly after the paddle the group encountered the first portage of the day. A staggering 640m stretch with a small lake in the middle making it very difficult to carry canoes across to Ooze Lake. We then travelled across 3 smaller portages. The portages then started to become slower and taking more time as we grew more tired and used all of our energy. At around 12:30 we were very behind schedule. With little energy we stopped mid portage to crack open the snacks. My group handed out bags full of dried fruits and some granola bars. Finally, after our last portage and a short paddle we pulled up to our campsite on Stratton lake. My cooking group prepared a late lunch of soup and garlic bread. After gathering some firewood and encountering a few difficulties sharing a small fire with another cooking group, the lunch was served. The rest of the night was followed by class bonding time by the fie and a great dinner. After all the tents were pitched and the tarps were set up, it was time to fall asleep.
Saturday September 20th
Saturday was a fun filled day packed with activities and socializing. It was expected to have large amounts of precipitation all day but to our surprise the weather was fairly nice. Saturday we were up early to prepare breakfast, my cooking group prepared bacon and pancakes with some hot chocolate. Today we were heading to the Otter slide at High Falls. The water slides were a blast! Although the water was very cold, everyone had such a great time. Without any notice the clouds started to creep in and started to rain. Thankfully, it only lasted a couple hours. This gave us some time to relax and catch up on some rest. Later, we returned to high falls to check out the beautiful waterfall on the other side of the slides. When evening fell it was time to have some dinner and huddle around the campfire. By this time the rain had continued to pour all throughout the night.
Sunday September 21st
The last day of the canoe trip was a day well spent in soaking wet clothing. Everyone was tired and eager to head home. At around 11:00 am we set off to Grand lake. The paddle was very difficult as it was pouring rain and had strong head winds. With about an hour paddle left, my canoe got stuck on some rocks in shallow water. With multiple attempts to retrieve from the rocks we were very stuck. Although, because I knew the depth of the water I carefully got out of the canoe to push it away from the rocks. Walking waist deep in water, it quickly became very cold and miserable. Just our luck, as we approached the last portage at the dam, the canoe was stuck yet again. By this time, I just made the best of the situation and hopped back in the water. The rest of the paddle was a lot of fun. Everyone was signing and having a great
Part 2
time. Finally, when we reached shore to board the bussed everyone being soaking wet, participated in a group water fight. We then changed into warm dry clothes and boarded the bus home back to Ottawa.
Overall I think the canoe trip was an amazing experience. I am so thankful for everything and I would not have had this opportunity without this class.
Outdoor ed Reflection
The canoe trip to Algonquin park was one of my best and biggest camping trip I have experiences so far. We spent 4 days and 3 short nights camping. The thing that was really different for me on this trip was that we were canoeing from spot, to spot and i haven't done anything like that before. On the trip I brought my camera and I got some great photos of the water falls, baron canyon, and one cool picture on john mid flight diving into the water.
It was a lot of fun canoe to all the different spots, setting up camp and just leaving. Each day had its different challenges, ranging from the long annoying portages to getting up early and making food for everyone. In my canoe there was me and Nic, and we had a habit of hitting the one log or rock that happened to be in the middle of the river. The worst was on our way out the small bit of water leading to Stratton lake, there was one rock 35 feet away and we saw it but still some how managed to get stuck on it. For this trip one thing that really helped was not bringing a lot of stuff. I helped keep the canoe light and it saved a lot of tent room which was helpful in our tent. In the end for canoeing nothing got wet, at least not until the last day, and it was a good, fun experience.
The camping its self was also a very fun part. The first night wasn't to good because kyle got us voted to the other side of the lake, which sucked because we missed a bunch of stuff. It was easy sleeping because you were tired at the end of the day but it was a little crowded in our tent, because there was 4 people. The second and third night were a lot better because we had a good dry spot and the sleeping bag I had was great for the conditions so I can't complain.
The hiking the falls was my favourite part of the trip. We got to hick to the falls, wander around, jump across rocks and we found a small tunnel which we climbed through. It was pretty cool and something different on the trip. I got some cool photos there, like a dead fish and a good group photo. It was neat seeing the falls from bellow and all the rest of the river because we didn't see it when we were swimming earlier that day. I have different thoughts on the swimming part of the trip compared to the hiking. I personally am not a strong swimmer, but everyone looked like there were having fun so I decided to jump from the ledge with Josh. Not a great idea. I don't know what happened, but I didn't feel good and I had a pain in my side and when I got out I was sick but Josh was fine. Mrs. Trumpower thought it was shock and the other teacher did to but I still don't know. I can safely say I didn't go back in the water after.
The last day of the trip sucked in many ways. We were leaving and I was having fun so of course it sucked, but it rained the entire ride back to wear the bus was. It started out fine but then gradually got worse and by the last portage it was pelting down on us. By then Josh had to move into our canoe, and we were going slow, but we made a goal at the portage to be the first to get to the beach. We canoed like crazy past everyone through the rain and we ended up first at the beach. By the time everything was packed away everyone must have weighed 10 pounds heavier with all the wet clothes.
Overall the trip was great and I would do it again in a heart beat. I would recommend to anyone else doing this trip, pack light, bring a rain jacket no matter what the weather says, and avoid large rocks. A camera was also a great thing to bring because I look back at photos know and laugh at some of the stuff we did.
-Martin Clark
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