Riverbug HV Review

Gear

This review of the Riverbug HV was originally published in Rapid magazine.

First conceived in New Zealand, Riverbugging has since descended rivers around the world. Leading the Riverbug revolution is Don Allardice, a Kiwi and long-time paddler living in Austria. A fateful meeting between Allardice and Trailhead Ottawa owner Wally Schaber at the European paddlesports tradeshow, Kanumesse, last year convinced Schaber to bring the funky craft to North America. This Spring, Rapid got a lesson in ‘bugging from Allardice himself on the creeky class ||-||| rapids of our backyard run.

The Riverbug’s twin PVC pontoons sandwich around a foam seat platform and inflatable backrest, lenaind it armchair comfort and stability, and a Velcro lap belt holds the ‘bugger in place. Instead of a paddle, a Riverbugger slips on webbed, neoprene gloves and flippers and uses his legs to provide most of the propulsion and steering. Sitting upright and kicking with your feet, you either drift and back ferry or run rapids in reverse, row-boat style, which makes spotting eddies and edging a bit counterintuitive for paddlers. Nevertheless, the Riverbug’s forgiving and surprisingly nimble ride had us feeling like old pros within a couple hours. It’s this quick learning curve—and the pleasure of feeling the water directly through hands and feet rather than shaft and blade—that makes Riverbugging addictive fun. And while such ready proficiency can too often lead to boredom with a new sport, Allardice’s hand rolls, graceful pirouettes and successful descents of difficult rivers—he says the ‘Bug is best suited to creeks and technical, continuous lower volume river runs—are proof that this is a sport with a future.

www.trailhead.ca | $859

This article originally appeared in Rapid magazine, Summer/Fall, 2010. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Editorial: Marketing Whitewater

Photo: Scott MacGregor — No milk moustache, just big wet happy smiles.

Jeff Manning is the man behind “got milk?” You probably know this award-winning ad campaign— it has a 90 per cent awareness rating and its television ads feature celebrities wearing thick milk moustaches.

The “got milk?” campaign kicked off in California to save a dairy industry that was sucking the hind tit, as they say, losing three per cent a year to non-alcoholic beverages driven by mega brands like Coke, Gatorade and Evian.

Doug Iverster, Coca-Cola’s president at the time, was quoted saying, “I’d like to earn your friendship, but that’s not really my priority. Nor is earning the beverage industry’s respect and admiration. All of those things would be nice, but this is what I really want—I want your customer.”

As you might expect, this was a wake-up call for the dairy industry. Manning called it an “oh-so nice and we’re good for you, too, kind of business.” Sounds a lot like paddling to me.

The “got milk?” campaign is often referenced when members of the paddling industry gather in eddies and around boardroom tables to discuss ways of growing whitewater. Over the last few years there have been a number of attempts to do just that, none of which came anywhere close to a 90 per cent awareness rating—some died on the boardroom table.

Enough already Scott, isn’t this type of article better suited to trade magazines? Maybe, maybe not. As a consumer, a thriving whitewater industry brings you more innovation, more international trips, cheaper prices. You’d have more people to paddle with. This magazine would be fatter. American Whitewater and local groups would surely benefit by doubling their memberships, we’d be a stronger lobbying force to be taken more seriously at whatever table we sat around discussing river issues.

Another round of industry-lead marketing campaigns is in the works this summer. The Let’s Go Paddling campaign is a World Kayak initiative spearheaded by Jackson Kayak, albeit at arm’s length. And Paddlesports Nation, funded by Confluence Watersports, is a spin-off of Outdoor Nation.

I estimate that whitewater as a whole is a $17 million dollar business. If you could convince the industry to come together and add one per cent to equipment prices and service fees to fund “got whitewater?” we’d have $170,000 to play with in a North American marketing campaign, compared to $22 million for milk in the State of California alone. Milk was up against every other non-alcoholic beverage. We’re up against every other recreational activity you can do outside, including golf, RVing and gardening. I’m not sure we’d make a significant difference.

I think we’ve forgotten something really important. Most of us got into paddling because either our parents introduced us (either themselves or by paying for camp) or we went along with a buddy.

I have an idea. I stole it from the Outdoor Industry Foundation and their “I Will” campaign—in which people pledge to take two kids outside to experience any outdoor activity over the next year.

Imagine the change if every whitewater paddler pledged to take two new people down a river this year. No round-table discussions required. No increase in equipment prices to fund it. No milk moustaches. Just big wet happy smiles.

Scott MacGregor is the founder and publisher of Rapid. Learn more about the campaigns at www.paddlesportnation.org, www.letsgopaddling.com and www.outdoorfoundation.org/iwill

This article originally appeared in Rapid, Summer/Fall 2010.

Best Weekend Escapes

Trips

Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Photo: NFCT — Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

This canoe trip destination article was originally published in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.

From mountainous, forest lakes to meandering, pastoral rivers to the friendly, historic villages that dot these landscapes—the Northern Forest Canoe Trail has it all.

Since its inception in 2000, it has remained the longest inland water trail in North America, linking the waterways of New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire and Maine, inviting paddlers from all walks of life. “A 67- year-old retired truck driver paddled the en- tire trail last summer, a family from Northern Vermont is paddling the trail in sections and many people use it for day trips to week-long excursions, or for angling and birding,” says Kate Williams, the trail’s Executive Director.

Williams, who has paddled a large portion of the water trail’s 1,190-kilometre length—much of it with her two young kids, shares her favorite weekend excursions.

Long Lake to Axton Landing, New York

Panoramic vistas of faraway summits and a stunning picnic lunch view of 80-foot Racket Falls highlight the wildest section of canoe trail in New York. “This route provides a nice combination of lake and river paddling,” says Williams. Plenty of campsites and lean-tos are available. Bring your rod to enjoy excellent bass, pike and walleye fishing.

Northeast Kingdom  Paddle and Pedal, Vermont 

“For families with diverse interests, the Northeast Kingdom paddle and pedal itinerary is ideal,” says Williams. Spend a full day meandering through a bucolic landscape on the Clide River and canoe through a rare wet- land complex. The following day, head to the village of East Burke to mountain bike or hike part of the 110-mile trail complex at Kingdom Trails—recently voted North America’s best trail network by BIKE magazine readers.

Lake Memphremagog, Quebec/Vermont

Finger-shaped Lake Memphremagog extends 43 kilometers along the Quebec/Vermont border. Nestled among steep mountains, Williams says the glacial lake offers “excel- lent birding opportunities in the South Bay Wildlife Management Area.” Local lore has it that the deep lake also harbours a 30-foot sea serpent named Memphre. Over 200 alleged sightings exist, dating from the 1800s to most recently in 2003.

Connecticut River, Vermont/New Hampshire

Enjoy a leisure float down the agricultural valley of the Connecticut River—the longest in New England. “It’s definitely one of my favorites,” says Williams. “It’s a big, wide river with no portaging, excellent camping and a rich history.” Paddle under an antique rail- road trestle, watch for osprey and eagles and swim at one of the many sand beaches from Bloomfield to Groveton.

Flagstaff lake, Maine

 “Flagstaff Lake provides a neat blend of recreation and history,” says Williams. Villages that were submersed by the Long Falls Dam in 1949 have been mapped out by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. “With our GPS coordinates or brochure,” she adds, “you can paddle over and know the exact location of the old school house and many farms.” Overnight options range from huts to luxurious bed and breakfasts.

Find out more about route itineraries along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail by visiting www.northernforestcanoetrail.org.

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Fall 2010. Download our freeiPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Kayak Essentials: Sea Kayaking Ditch Bag

Skills

Photo: Kamil Balous — A picture from inside the cockpit of a sea kayak showing a paddler packing gear into the boat.

If you are unable to self-rescue while sea kayaking, then bringing a boat-full of luxury items to have a comfortable trip will be in vain. You do not need to be a professional to know what to bring and how to pack it but learning from those who are sea kayaking professionals can be easier than trial and error. Sea kayak guides develop their own packing and safety systems; they all know that a few standard items packed on the body or in the cockpit will help quickly mediate many escalating situations. No matter your style or micro systems, packing like a guide is simple: Keep the items most necessary to survival at closest proximity.

First, on the body you’ll want a sounding device, visual alert and a fire starting kit. Clip your VHF radio to your PFD and know how to use it. Remember that throughout Canada and the United States channel 16 is used to make calls. Always keep track of where you are and be ready to share this information. If help is in the area, flares may be your best chance at being seen. Keep them dry. At the very least, equip your PFD with a loud whistle. Be sure you can access it and blow it comfortably from where it’s tied.

Assuming you self-rescue, get an assist or swim to shore, you may need heat from a fire to stave off hypothermia. Three crucial and easily packed items will make it happen: ignition, tinder and a knife.

Don’t trust waterproofing to a tiny dry bag alone. Double up with a new plastic inner bag with ends twisted shut as a security measure. Stash two lighters and waterproof them separately. If you choose matches, don’t count on strike-anywhere ones; include the strike pad in your kit. For tinder, I like cottonballs coated in petroleum jelly. Stuff these in a waterproof tube or pill container.

I use a straight-blade knife with sheath that attaches right onto my PFD. A solid non- collapsible knife with a beefy handle makes the creation of rooster tails and splitting cedar most efficient. Keeping these three safety items together, dry and on your person will make starting a fire as easy as possible under potentially ugly conditions, especially in ubiquitously wet coastal weather.

Most guides pack a few items that can fit into a small dry bag in the cockpit between their legs or preferably clipped in behind the seat so it doesn’t disappear if they bail. The contents seem simple, but prove repeatedly useful.

I bury spare warm base layers at the bottom of this dry bag and hope I don’t see them again until I get home. Put a wool or fleece toque in there, because if any part of you is cold, putting on a warm hat helps. Dry gloves or hand warmers can make the difference between having the dexterity to build a fire or not. You’ll be grumpy paddling a rainy coast without a proper rain hat—if you have the good fortune to begin your trip in the sun don’t forget to stuff a rain hat in your dry bag.

The last item on my list offers the comfort and emotional support that helps me function better on trip and can aid in stabilizing a cold or injured person. Before breaking camp in the morning I boil extra water to make tea or quick soup in a thermos; a good one will actually keep liquids piping hot until evening.

You can spend a lifetime modifying these personal kits; most guides do. Some develop and check menu-card packing lists before each trip. A best-case scenario is that none of this stuff is even necessary except maybe the warm thermos treat when you land at the end of the day.

April Link spent 100 days in Canadian outdoor leadership training (Colt) in Strathcona Park to become a Sea Kayak Guide and Canoe instructor on the coast of British Columbia.

This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Fall 2010. Download our freeiPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Shootout: Esquif Spark vs. Bell Ocoee Canoe Review

Esquif Spark and Bell Ocoee Whitewater Canoes. Photo: Virginia Marshall

A comparison and review of the Esquif Spark and Bell Ocoee whitewater open canoes from Rapid magazine.

At first glance , these two boats appear as disparate as apples and oranges. The hull materials are different and everything about the shapes seems to be from separate fruit baskets altogether. And yet many prospective OC buyers agonize over this choice: Bell Ocoee or Esquif Spark? Let’s examine some of the facts and debunk some of the myths surrounding these two top contenders.

“The Spark is so much lighter.”

Sorry, partner. The Spark may be an effortless river darter but it also comes stock with wood gunwales. Make the comparison meaningful with comparable wood trim on the Ocoee and it weighs just 43 pounds fully outfitted. The Spark comes in at 42 pounds outfitted. The difference is the weight of 17 oz (a half-litre) of water—one small wave splashing in for the ride.

“The Ocoee is so much tougher.”

The outer layer of the Ocoee’s hull is made from the same material as plastic plumbing pipe and is not as prone to crushing from rock collisions as the Spark’s Royalite material, but Royalite does toughen with age and will gain durability. Treat your Spark hull with respect and it will last for years.

“The Spark doesn’t surf well.”

With more rounded chines and bottom, less secondary stability and a long, thin stern, the Spark is a somewhat less stable surfing platform than the flatter-hulled, hard-chined Ocoee. Although the learning curve is steeper for Spark surfing, it’s pretty easy to get it on a wave.

“The Ocoee wasn’t meant for racing.”

Both boats were designed by accomplished slalom paddlers. The Ocoee’s designer, the late Frankie Hubbard, was a top-level competitive racer, and of course, John Kazimierczyk (who now has over 100 slalom medals in his sock drawer) adapted his Ignitor solo race boat to create the Spark. Hubbard and Kaz even used to race together.

“The Spark is faster.”

With its narrower footprint and flatter shallow arch hull, the Spark is faster than an Ocoee. However, except in the hands of exceptional paddlers for whom wave-blocking and finding the perfect line every time is instinctive, the Spark is also wetter. The Ocoee is flared outward from the waterline to the gunwales; the Spark flares inward, a trait that lends itself to the attack style and vertical forward stroke used in slalom racing…and to water forever rinsing your knees. For most paddlers, the Spark’s natural speed advantage slips away as it gets heavier with every wave. Both boats also show a performance bias for lighter paddlers, as heavier paddlers cause the bows to push water with predictable effects on speed.

“The outfitting always falls out of the Spark.”

Absolutely true—if you don’t install the anchors with Stabond glue and pre-clean the gluing surfaces with MEK cleaner. Vinyl glue is almost useless except in the very short term, and it’s a waste of good outfitting anchors. This is because the inner layer of the Spark is ABS, not vinyl. Use the right adhesive and your outfitting will stay put.

Whether it’s apples and oranges or an Ocoee and Spark, the best fruit—like the best canoe—is the one that suits your tastes. If you are determined to stand on the slalom podium, to devote yourself to the pursuit of competitive excellence, the Spark is your boat. If you want to practice in slalom gates, race for pure fun, run wild rivers with rocks and drops, play in steep creeks and do it all in smug dryness, then the more versatile, Ocoee is the boat to fall in love with.

This article originally appeared in Rapid, Summer/Fall 2010. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Butt End: Talkin’ About My Generation

Stories

Photo: Kevin Callan — Butt End: Talkin' About My Generation

Born in 1963, I’m a Baby Boomer on the graying edge of Generation X. Generation Y, people born between the mid-1970s and early 2000s, can sometimes really get on my nerves. At the college where I teach part-time, students answer cellphones in class, text message during exams and Tweet on their iPod Touches while we’re having what I thought was a meaningful discussion, like why I shouldn’t give them a big fat zero for not handing in a paper.

These kids don’t know the smell of a bottle of Wite-Out, think money is made in ATM machines and have never heard a phone actually ring. Gen Yers’ love affair with GPS and Gore-Tex is as overwhelming as their inability to use an axe or read a map. While keeping in contact with other paddlers through Facebook and chatter forums is at an all-time high, their attendance at local canoe club meetings is low.

Gen Yers claim we’re just as weird (note the bandana and peace sign in the above photo). In their eyes, Baby Boom paddlers have been cursed with Tilley hats, fixate on canvas packs, wool socks, plaid shirts and camo pants and think it’s cool to make camp stoves out of beer cans. We also seem to go on about how young people don’t paddle anymore—which couldn’t be further from the truth.

CANOE TRIPS ARE MORE POPULAR, BUT SHORTER

According to such groups as Paddle Ontario and Paddle Canada, canoe trips have increased in popularity with people in their mid-twenties by almost 40 per cent across North America in the last few years. Great news. However not many canoeists today are tripping for any length of time, not like the good old days.

Baby Boomers once averaged a minimum of 12 days out, Gen Xers trips in the ‘80s were seven to ten days and now Gen Yers don’t go for longer then a weekend. Don’t believe me? Try finding a two-week rental rate in an outfitter’s brochure… Oops, I mean website.

So why are we paddling less? Provincial and federal tourism studies suggest two reasons why we don’t go out for longer periods—no time and less money.

I blame technology. It was designed to make our lives easier, at home and at the workplace, but it has done the opposite. Now we’re addicted to it—they call them CrackBerries for good reason. like an addict detoxing, only after day 10 of a trip do you come to the conclusion that Tweeting is best left to the birds. Too bad the majority of us will never know (or remember) that feeling.

And the Gen Yers texting in my classroom, I just hope they are planning their day-11 breakfast menu. If that were the case, I’d give them an extension on their papers.

Kevin Callan’s favourite pastime is making beer can stoves.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2010 issue of Canoeroots Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Canoeroots’ print and digital editions here.

The Top 10 Family To-Do List

There are some timeless or just irresistibly fun outdoor experiences that every family should have together. As a child, our fridge door always bore a to-do list of adventures pinned beneath a patriotic Oh, Canada! travel magnet. The list changed with the calendar and seemed to grow rather than shrink as each season wore on. inspiration can come from many places— library books, magazines, recommendations from friends, and especially your own daydreams—but we’ve taken the legwork out and come-up with this summer’s top 10 list. Every one of these experiences will become a treasured family memory and plant the seed for many more adventures.

With Kids Aged 3-5

Make a Sandcastle
Only a few simple tools and a little encouragement are needed to construct one of these ephemeral architectural masterpieces. In- structions: Find a good building site near the water’s edge where the sand is moist for easy packing, but be wary of destructive rogue waves. Start packing molds—you’ll need a couple small plastic shovels and rampart, tur- ret and all-purpose pails. Scrounge the beach for realistic finishing touches—bark draw- bridges, pinecone trees, twig portcullis and seashell walkways. Sandcastles are wonderful to build anywhere, but for a truly inspiring setting, nothing beats the endless red sand beaches of Prince edward Island.

With Kids Aged 6-8

Hug a Really Big Tree
The West Coast’s moist and mild climate create the ultimate natural nursery for arboreal giants. No child is immune to the awe-inspiring grandeur of a grove of 270-foot-tall California redwoods in redwoods National Park or the 800-year-old Douglas fir in vancouver Island’s Cathedral Grove. redwoods can grow to girths of 25 metres (81 feet)—better bring the cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents for this group hug!

Make Wild Berry Campfire Crisp (and Eat it)

This is a fun activity for the campsite or backyard that finishes with a delicious reward. To make campfire crisp, you just need a pot set, oats, brown sugar, margarine and, of course, berries. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, strawberries, cloudberries, cranberries, salmonberries—Canada is well endowed when it comes to these tiny fruits. latitude, elevation and month will determine what flavour of crisp you make; just pick whatever is plentiful. In the pot, heat berries with a bit of water and sugar until soft. Fry oats and sugar with margarine until golden brown and serve over the berries. Dig in.

With Kids Aged 9-11

Stargaze
Learning the constellations isn’t just memorizing geometric patterns in the night sky; it’s discovering tales of love, loyalty, avarice and revenge—important parables that have been passed down from the ancient Greeks. Get a kid-friendly guide like the Peterson First Guide to Astronomy (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) and find the easy constellations: Ursa Major and Minor—the long-tailed bears, Orion—the great hunter, Cassiopeia—the boastful and punished queen and Pegasus—the winged horse. Pick a moonless night to stargaze from your own backyard. Or head to the north shore of Lake Superior for some of the darkest skies in Ontario.

Plant a Vegetable Garden
This summer-long project can transform a 6-foot by 12-foot backyard plot into a fresh eats buffet. Before you start planting, research what veggies grow well in your climate and soil type, and then let every family member choose a crop. Pumpkins, carrots, peas, corn and potatoes are hardy choices that your kids will actually want to eat.

Talk to Birds
Learning to identify birds by their songs is actually much easier than it sounds. Pick up a good field guide that describes the birds’ voices with helpful mnemonics that make calls easy to remember. For example, a red-winged blackbird’s call resembles “eat my CHEEEzies”, a barred owl asks “who cooks for you, who cooks for y’all?” and the lovely white-throated sparrow sings “dear sweet Canada-Canada-Canada.” Actually talking back to birds is a little more difficult than merely listening. For practicing at home, you can’t beat the hardcover Bird Songs (Chronicle Books, 2006), which plays audio recordings of 250 North American birds through an integrated speaker.

With Teens Aged 12-14

Bicycle in a National Park
Riding on park roads and pathways is encouraged and some parks, like Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains, even have scheduled road closures so cyclists can peddle traffic-free. Iconic American parks like yosemite and Grand Canyon are especially bike-friendly as park officials try to manage summertime traffic jams. A ride on the paved, 19-kilometre Valley Trail beneath Yosemite’s granite sentinels, or snaking along the narrow, 13-kilometre South rim Trail above the Grand Canyon are two-wheeled adventures not soon forgotten.

Go on a Coast-to-Coast Roadtrip
A family roadtrip doesn’t have to mimic Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold dragging rusty, Audrey and patient wife ellen across thousands of miles of dusty backroads in a sagging, wood-paneled station wagon. rather than this ill-advised approach, letting your family in on the planning helps create enthusiasm and valuable knowledge of geography, map reading, prioritizing and creating an agenda. For the full roadtrip experience, go without backseat entertainment systems or handheld gaming devices. And remember, you don’t have to do it all in one go.

Summit a Mountain
Find the highest peak in your area that can be safely climbed in a day with a pair of short legs and size six Merrells. When planning your hike, keep in mind that every 250 metres of elevation gain adds an hour to your hiking time. Whether it’s a real mountain or just a molehill, there’s a great sense of achievement in reaching the summit. Straightforward scrambles across Canada include Newfoundland’s 806-metre Gros Morne Mountain; Montreal, Quebec’s 414-metre Mont St. Hilaire and Jasper, Alberta’s 2,766-metre Pyramid Mountain.

For Kids of All Ages

Take a Weekend (or Longer) Canoe Trip
Sure, a daytrip is less work, but you’ll need to spend at least a full night out together to experience the true wild soul of canoe tripping. Choose a trip with conservative daily distances so you have plenty of time to swim, fish, hike and explore. Give each child his or her own small barrel or canoe pack to bring along can’t-live-without toys, companions, games and clothes. In the heart of Canada’s canoe country, Algonquin and Killarney provincial parks are famous, but less popular areas like Temagami and Quebec’s la vérendrye and Papineau labelle reserves are every bit as beautiful and less crowded midsummer.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2010 issue of Canoeroots Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Canoeroots’ print and digital editions here.

Betcha Didn’t Know About Monarch Butterflies

Stories

Photo: Jonathan Pratt — Betcha Didn't Know About Monarch Butterflies

The monarch butterflies’ greatest feat is their migration ritual, flying south like flocks of birds. Starting in late summer, some individuals endure a 3,200-kilometre (2,000-mile) voyage from their extreme northern range in Canada to overwintering grounds in Mexico.
Fossil records reveal that butterflies once lived with the dinosaurs— roughly 150 million years ago.
Although the Butterfly Effect is best known as a 2004 Ashton Kutcher cult movie classic, the concept of the butterfly effect first originated from MIT meterologist Edward Lorenz, who in his 1972 paper wondered if a tiny event, such as the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil, could create widespread consequences elsewhere, such as a tornado in Texas.
Butterflies generally have thin bodies, brightly coloured wings and knobs at the end of their antennae, whereas moths have fatter bodies, camouflaged wing colours and pointed or hairy antennae.
One female monarch can lay up to 500 eggs—ouch!
Two very different monarchs appear on the sold-out, full-colour, 2005 Canadian 50-cent silver coin produced by the royal Canadian Mint—the orange monarch butterfly on the obverse and the monarch Queen elizabeth II of england on the reverse.
Milkweed, the monarchs’ main source of food, contains toxins that accumulate in their bodies overtime—making the butterflies emetically poisonous to predators.
A tasty alternative, the viceroy butterfly, protects itself from predators by mimicking the colours of its poisonous doppelgänger.
The most-performed opera in North America is Giacomo Puccini’s famous tragedy, Madame Butterfly. Tickets to the performance at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas, range from $64 US for back- seat bleeders to $425 US for premium orchestra.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2010 issue of Canoeroots Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Canoeroots’ print and digital editions here.

Family Camping: This is Canoeing

This photo of me and my son Doug was taken on the Petawawa River in Algonquin Park last October by British filmmaker Justine Curgenven. She had called me six months before asking if Canoeroots and Family Camping would like to be involved in her latest project—an unnamed canoeing DVD featuring the who’s who of modern canoeing.

She’d filmed the Mountain river in the Northwest Territories with Wendy Grater; waterfalls on the Moose river in New york State; Becky Mason at home in Gatineau Park; on trip with Birchbark Man, Erik Simula (on this issue’s cover); and in Wausau, Wisconsin, for the Open Canoe Slalom Nationals with John Kazimierczyk, who won his 100th gold medal.

The list was an award-winning cross-section of canoeing, a cross-section Paul Mason later called, This is Canoeing—which soon became the title of the two-DVD box set.

Is this really canoeing?

I’ve spent half of my life paddling through these niche communities of expeditions, instruction, whitewater slalom, waterfalls freestyle canoeing. It wasn’t until Doug was born that I truly understood what really is canoeing, or at least where it begins.

And so I presented an awkward pitch that went something like this. “Justine, you’re sort of missing the biggest piece of canoeing; you’re missing the family canoe trip. Why don’t you make a film about me?” Not exactly humble. Not exactly about me either.

Canoe sales have been flat for almost a decade. Some blame the popularity of kayaks. Other reports indicate that as a society we are spending more time connecting with WiFi than we are with the outdoors.

I believe canoe sales have fallen simply because guys like me waited 10 years until our thirties to have children. Until you walk out of the delivery room you can mountain bike, climb and kayak. But only a canoe will carry into the backcountry a eureka Bonavista family tent, a Graco Pack’N Play and a safari of stuffed animals.

Curgenven’s Dougie Down the Pet has since won Best Professional Documentary at the National Paddling Film Festival and Best Canoeing Film at our reel Paddling Film Festival.

“Seeing the journey though a young boy’s eyes reminds us all of the simple joys of adventure and the thrill of spending time in the natural world,” says Curgenven. “I am convinced that if all parents introduced their kids to the great outdoors at such a young age the world would be a better place in 20 years time.”

The Outdoor Industry Association reports that 75 per cent of the time parents are the number one influence—they introduce children age six to 12 to outdoor activities. That’s great, but what influences parents?

For some it may be Curgenven’s award-winning film. For me it’s the dream of someday paddling northern rivers, waterfalls and birch-bark canoes with my adult children. I know for that dream to come true I need to invest in the future today.

Scott MacGregor is the publisher of Canoeroots magazine.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2010 issue of Canoeroots Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Canoeroots’ print and digital editions here.

Hot Dogs and Poutine

Stories

Photo: James Raffan — Hot Dogs and Poutine

It’s not that I’ve completely run out of people to paddle with, or that getting old necessarily means becoming unsociable, but I have to admit that lately my canoeing has, more often than not, gone to the dogs. When I’ve asked around the house over the last few years if there’s anybody who’d like to go for a paddle at, say, six o’clock on a frosty morning or perhaps around threeish, when a totally word-processed body needs a bit of a stretch, it’s my dogs who have most enthusiastically answered the call.

Our kids have flown the coop and my wife has a life beyond our empty nest. But the dogs are there and always keen. They make excellent ballast, they’ve learned how to sit still, enjoy the camaraderie of the canoe and never disagree with my route. Over the years, they’ve also come up with some damn good editorial suggestions as we’ve dipped along Cranberry Lake.

Turns out that there’s something of a Canadian tradition for dogs as trail companions. Ask any aboriginal person, especially Inuit, whether they’d rather have a $250 electric bear fence alarm system or a dog in their canoe when paddling through bear country. They’ll go with the dog every time.

As long as there have been cameras and ethnologists present to press the shutter, if you look carefully in black and white archival im- agery—and it doesn’t seem to matter if you’re east, west or in the middle of the country— you’ll find a dog tucked in amongst the family and the load in bark canoe photos. Sometimes you’ll even spot dogs with panniers or drawing a little travois on the portages.

Sir George Simpson, who eventually became the governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, followed that tradition in his first canoe journey into Athabasca country with a little canine he called Boxer. The great explorer, Alexander Mackenzie took a prodigal dog (prodigal because he lost it on the way out to the Pacific and found it on the way back) in his canoe.

CANOE CALAMITY

But stop the presses. There’s a genuine canoe calamity in progress—I fear that Canada itself is going to the dogs. Commenting in the Globe and Mail on the results of a nation-wide survey about all things Canadian, Roy MacGregor, one of this country’s great canoe champions, observed that more Canadians have sucked back an order of poutine than have been in a canoe. No wonder obesity is reaching epidemic proportions.

It’s not that Quebec’s greasy-spoon treat is dog food—although my four-legged paddling partners would be the first to agree that there’s nothing quite so delicious. But I believe our national identity should be held together by our shared love of the canoe, not a plate of french fries and sticky cheese curds slathered in thick, dark brown gravy.

This June 26 put down your plastic forks, grab your paddles and join fellow paddlers across the country in celebrating National Canoe Day.

Can’t find a paddling partner? Find someone new to take canoeing or take your dog. Let’s turn the tide on the next nationwide survey before a grey-bearded academic at the Prince Edward Island Potato Museum creates National Poutine Day.

James Raffan is the executive director of the Canadian Canoe Museum. Some of his best friends are dogs.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2010 issue of Canoeroots Magazine.