Encounter with a Bear on French River Trip
I was asked to put together a few notes regarding an unusual situation that occurred during a club French River Provincial Park canoe trip that took place from August 29- September 4 this year.
On our first night at the Obstacle Island campsite, a large bear (estimated 400 lbs) came into our campsite about 9:00 pm and bit onto a 60 liter full food barrel which was on the ground and proceeded to walk away with it. The barrel was about 15 feet from the campfire that four of us were sitting around while chatting (two people had gone to sleep already in tents). It dropped the barrel after being yelled at and it ran off a short distance. Myself & a fellow camper retrieved the barrel and took it back to our site. When we shone our headlamps into the woods, the bear peered back at us; obviously it was not afraid, which didn't bode well for the rest of the night. It was a big surprise to see this bear as we kept a very clean site, all barrels were sealed and all our meals were dehydrated therefore low food odour.
All of our tents were set up with quite a distance between us all; some on rocky points, others off in the woods. We decided it would be wise for all of us to camp close together near the shoreline, and so we moved our tents into close proximity.
After we hung the barrels and other food bags in a tree, the bear came back about 11 pm when we were in our tents. We heard something loudly bang the canoe stored near the barrels. The bear likely fell/slipped on the canoe trying to reach barrels thus putting a crack on both sides of the hull (which we didn’t discover until later). As we watched, it climbed the tree that had barrels, ripped one nylon bag & chewed up a Nalgene bottle with oatmeal inside. It tried to swat at various barrels but couldn't reach them. It did rip one strap off someone's small barrel.
WHITEFISH LAKE TRIP SEPTEMBER 2022
Please click on the attachment to read the trip report.
 Whitefish Lake 2022.pdf | [ ] | 2899 kB |
Crotch Lake Trip Report September 2022
Four club members launched into a challenging headwind on Crotch Lake, North Frontenac Parklands during the morning of September 14th. Our island campsite was a short 2 km away. There had been several inches of rain before we arrived so our canoes were loaded with dry firewood in addition to our usual gear. We expected temperatures between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius that day, so we had packed warm sleeping bags, hats and ski jackets.
We safely reached our campsite and took a look around before putting up our tents. Due to the strong cool wind, we camped in the low-lying shelter of trees and rocks. We had rocks to block the wind as we cooked and they helped to keep us warm. Hot drinks were used regularly. Some of us hiked and bush-whacked around the island for daily exercise. We put up a tarp, in case it rained, but we didn’t need it. Our campsite was a good smallmouth bass fishing spot. There was success with smallmouth bass but they were thrown back into the lake for others. The coveted walleye did not appear despite attempts to catch it from land and water.
Appleton to Almonte Trip Report
Labour day 2022 offered the perfect conditions for a leisurely paddle along the Mississippi River. The temperature was a lovely 18 C, and allowed paddlers to wear light sweaters. Our group of paddlers Alice, Daniel, Mark and Karen started from the Appleton Bay boat launch, around 9 am. We were lucky and managed to get the last couple of parking spaces. The group canoed down to the Almonte beach for lunch before making our way back mid-afternoon. The round trip was approximately 18km.
ALGONQUIN PARK (GALEAIRY LAKE) EXPEDITION
AUG. 17-21, 2022
Four RACCC members set off early August 17th for the east Whitney entrance to Algonquin Park. Xuan Qi, who counts Algonquin Park as one of his favourite trip destinations, led the group. Among the four were Brian F., Sergey K. and Jane M. We truly hit the jackpot in terms of weather….we were blessed with warm, sunny skies and calm winds, with just enough breeze to keep us cool. The fine weather lasted until Sunday but thanks to continued internet reception at our campsite (Hwy 60 was not far away), we were able to track the weather on a daily basis, including the big rain forecast for Sunday. We packed up early and made it back to our Whitney dock put-in by 11 a.m., well in advance of the rain.
Burritts Rapids Family Report
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Highlights of our trip on the Rideau Canal:
- We learned how locks work and we got to paddle through the lock at Burritts Rapids!
- We watched several great blue herons, Canada Geese, an osprey, and a frog.
- We saw cattails and Black-eyed Susan flowers.
- We saw what seemed like a loud bi-plane but we think it may have been a drone!
- We paddled 5 km to Nicholson lock station and then 5 km back to Burritts lock station.
EXPLORATION OF PETRIE ISLAND
SAT. AUG. 13, 2022
Saturday, August 13th offered perfect conditions for a leisurely paddle around Petrie Island. The day dawned warm and sunny with minimal wind; in short, a gorgeous paddling day. Ten paddlers – Alice G., Adam G., Chihung (Henry) L., Kim M., Jane M., Daniel T., Tracey V. and kayakers Wendy C. and Louise G. set out for Petrie and the challenge of first navigating the 417 highway closure.
COVID-19 Protocols for the RACCC – May 2022
The continued presence of the COVID-19 virus in the Ottawa area has resulted in ongoing significant restrictions on club activities in order to reduce physical contact and, thereby, the risk of transmission of the virus.
All members of the Club must recognize that the failure to abide by these restrictions could result in the reinstatement of activity restrictions to the detriment of all members.
The protocols and guidelines will be updated in accordance with the latest information from provincial and local authorities and the RA centre. The club expects that there may be updates to the rules that the club must follow during the summer of 2022.
Our Day at the Beach
On July 30th seven of us enjoyed a family day trip to Anniversary Park, Kemptville. We paddled down Kemptville Creek against a head wind. We saw a turtle on a log, several sets of ducks and three great blue herons. We saw cattails and waterlilies. We crossed the Rideau River. A short distance west, we took a look at Second Beach and the Main Beach of Rideau River Provincial Park. We decided to stop at Second Beach which was very quiet.
Sand toys appeared thanks to our parents! We built a castle with a moat, went swimming and played catch with beach balls. After a few hours we ate our lunches. Second Beach became more crowded. We spun around on a novel play structure. We got back into the canoes and paddled back to Anniversary Park with a light tail wind. Some of us blew bubbles and some of us took a nap. We travelled about 10 km in all.
Introduction to Solo Canoeing Course Report 2022!
June 20/July 16/17
This is a great course for someone who already has experience tandem canoeing. We were a small group of three students so we were able to have lots of one-on-one time with our two instructors. We were able to ask them questions and get them to critique our individual performances. They gave us easy to understand feedback in an encouraging manner. It was a three-day course. On the first day we got wet and practiced various one and two canoe rescue methods. On the second day we did a review that allowed us to integrate all the different strokes to move our canoes the way we needed to. This really helped me personally to understand how the canoe moves. To top it off we also learned the history of canoes and reviewed canoe tripping safety and first aid principles with creative games. Our weekend in July was very hot and humid and our instructors were very responsive to our needs. A highly recommended course to build on your canoeing skills and help you become more confident in a canoe.
Submitted by Sandip
Read more: Introduction to Solo Canoeing Course Report 2022!
Meech Lake Evening Paddle
July 14, 2022
Eight club members had a very enjoyable evening paddle to MacDonald Bay on Meech Lake on July 14, 2022 where they had a picnic and those who wanted to went for a swim. The weather was perfect and the chance of showers in the afternoon meant there very few other paddlers on the lake and we could find our little bit of wilderness. Three of the paddlers, Jane, Adam, and Jim, have been coming to MacDonald Bay for many years going back in some cases probably 35
Tay River Outing – Perth To Beveridge Locks
July 16 2022
On a hot, sunny summer day, July 16th, 8 members of the RACCC set off for Last Duel Park in Perth, one hour west of Ottawa. Our destination was the Tay River Canal and ultimately, the Beveridge Locks along the Rideau Canal. Total trip distance was approximately 20 km. Little did we know that the day would end in music at the annual Stewart Park Music Festival!
A Hot Day on the Mississippi River
On Sunday, July 10th 2022, two club members enjoyed a hot, sunny day by paddling the Mississippi River from Pakenham beach to Blakeney Rapids return. When we departed from the beach it was empty. The water level was low compared to other times we had been there. We saw a young deer along the side of the river. We watched a large frog or toad, saw a beaver lodge and several great blue herons. We noticed that a small island we had seen on previous trips was now connected to land! Blakeney Rapids is a beautiful spot. We ate our lunches. Some people were swimming in the calm water. We saw large rapids, but not as large as they had been in the spring. We explored the trails and found little bridges, picnic tables, a campfire area and scenic views over rapids.