Thanksgiving comes early on the Petawawa
From bad experience comes good stories…
Bruce H and I (Scott C) and two friends from Montreal did the Petawawa last weekend, Sept 21-23 2018. We dropped one car at McManus Lake and carried on to Lake Travers. While we unloaded, a somewhat contemptible canoe landed, carrying two men: one middle-aged and barefoot, the other a young adult, both dressed all in cotton and soaked to the skin. The canoe was a 14 foot fiberglass beast, complete with folding seatbacks, suitable only for kids fishing in artificial ponds. The gentlemen walked up the landing to talk with us, and their story emerged…
The enduring spirit of canoe trips
Click here for a nice Globe and Mail article on canoeing.
Trip and Training Reports 2017
Click on links to read reports on club activities.
Algonquin Week Long Trip Report
Stratton Lake – Family Trip Report
Results of Member Consultation
At the request of the club executive Helen organize a team of club members to find ways for club members to become more engaged with the running of our club. Their excellent work included surveying the club membership, researching volunteerism and paddle sports plus a face to face consultation session attended by over 30 club members.
This process produced a large number of good ideas for the club to pursue. Some of the ideas already have volunteers who will be implementing them while many others are waiting for champions to carry them forward.
The attached documents (login to see) provide information about the process and the results of the survey that was conducted. More information, including a list of ideas that are looking for champions will be provided in the future.
Red Cross Standard First Aid Course Report
June 3 & 4, 2017
This course was a great introduction to fundamental first aid techniques and scenarios. It was a mix of coursework and hands-on exercises/simulations that got your brain working and helped ingrain what you had learned. The instructors were knowledgeable, friendly, and were all canoe club members so they were able to tailor the course content to situations you might find on the trail/lake/river/mountain etc. I came away feeling confident of being able to help provide some basic first aid and CPR in either the city or backcountry, and had many lingering questions answered (what’s the proper way to treat a burn, how to tie a sling, should I be worried if a bug flies in my ear, etc). Highly recommended for RACCC members. (Written by one of ten course participants)
Paint Your Paddle Evening - May 24
Our first annual Paint your Paddle evening was sweet!
A small group of artists gathered at the RACCC boat house with paddles, paints, brushes and inspiration. Dot and Karen provided paddles (from Camp Oconto), paint, brushes and advice and then admiration for the designs and final results.
We painted to our hearts content on a balmy May evening with music in the background, kibitzing about designs and paintbrush techniques. And the results? Five beautiful, colourful, unique designs! You will see our cool paddles during RACCC outings this summer. No need to be envious, join in our next Paint Your Paddle event. :-)
PFD’s – Wear Them
Like many of us, I learned how to paddle back when PFD’s were big clunky uncomfortable things – but they provided lots of padding for kneeling and sitting. From time to time people would drown because they fell out of the canoe and couldn’t get their PFD’s on, but that always happened to someone else.
These days PDF’s are better made and come in many different styles so it is easy to find one that is comfortable to wear all day.
Please remember to wear your PFD at all times when paddling. Not only is it good sense, federal law requires that it be worn while on the water when on all club trips (which are considered Guided Trips, Section 303 of the Small Vessel Regulations, click here for more information).
Mark Scott
Chairperson, RACCC
Trip and Training Reports 2016
Click on the below links to read reports on club activities.
Trip and Training Reports 2015
Click on links to read reports on club activities.
First Aid Course Report June 2016
Over the weekend 5 canoe club members spent two days at the RA centre learning standard first aid, CPR for all ages, and dealing with scenarios that could occur in the wilderness.
This was a great and helpful course. I can see many situations where I could use these techniques either out on the trail or in the city. Karen’s approach with lots of scenarios and a “bubbly” personality made it all the more interesting. I have read in several studies that people learn better and retain the learning when they are having fun. This course certainly made that come true. Looking forward to similar courses in the future. (participant)
Every club member should have an opportunity to take a course like this! (participant)
One participant had an unexpected tumble. We took this photo after we helped her.
Ottawa is now a risk area for Lyme disease?
What do Ötzi the iceman, Avril Lavigne and George W. Bush, have in common? Well like a growing number of people in Canada and the US, they all had Lyme disease. Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of the Black legged tick. Untreated it can lead to chronic debilitating illness. Incidences of infected ticks have been found in the Ottawa area. The Ontario Ministry of Health now lists the Ottawa area as a risk area for infection. Ottawa Public Health indicates that there were 70 new cases diagnosed in Ottawa in 2015. Numbers are expected to increase as more ticks become infected.
Most people who contract Lyme Disease are not hiking or camping but are engaged in everyday activities such as gardening, playing , walking the dog and working outdoors. Many don’t recall being bitten and frequently discount the warning signs of early infection.
What does this mean for avid outdoors enthusiasts such as ourselves? Well for one thing we have to understand the risks and how to protect ourselves. For more information on how to do this please refer to Camping and Canoeing in areas with Lyme disease.
Conduct of Club Members
After getting out to the wilderness, my greatest joy as a member of the RA Canoe Camping Club has always been getting to know the club members. I continue to be amazed at the varied backgrounds, love of the environment, paddling skills, willingness to help out, and general good humour of our members.
Interesting Information on the Ottawa River
Click here for a web page that provides some interesting information on the Ottawa River, particularly for Westmeath Township, which is above the main WW stretch of the Ottawa River. Did you know, for example, that Canada's longest underwater caves are there and that the Nature Conservancy of Canada is buying them?