canoeing

[wolf]

A question,.....
If for instance you are living in canada,which i believe has vast lakes and streams,and you decide to travel along a waterway to reach a destination,how do you get back to where you started from ?Would you have to travel back along the river you came along or would there be other rivers to take you back?Am i right to say you travel with the current and not against it?...cheers

 

[Doc]

That is a very good question and I'd be interested to hear from our colonial friends about the answer. Looking at Sigurd Olson's books, it appears that many of the waterways are lakes (with negligible current) and relatively small lengths of moving water connecting them.

 

[happy camper]

hi
that is a good one, i assume that the voyageur canoes would have to be two way traffic, but i'm only guessing,with alot more portage going back. In song of the paddle there is a small reference to taking a voyageur canoe up the nahanni river to virginia falls, against an 8 to 10 mph (12 to 16 kmh) current.

 

[wolf]

hi
that is a good one, i assume that the voyageur canoes would have to be two way traffic, but i'm only guessing,with alot more portage going back. In song of the paddle there is a small reference to taking a voyageur canoe up the nahanni river to virginia falls, against an 8 to 10 mph (12 to 16 kmh) current.

what is the song of the paddle?

 

[happy camper]

hello
"song of the paddle:an illustrated guide to wilderness camping" is a book by bill mason, (isbn 1-55263-579-1). Its a superb book with loads of info. about canoe camping and expeditions in general. i'm pretty sure its been mentioned on bcuk a few times if you do a search. Its absolutely ideal, very practical, and very inspirational if you've got a canoe or want a canoe, but it's still good if you're interested in wild camping in general (but be prepared to add canoe to your "must haves" list if you get it )

 

[MagiKelly]

what is the song of the paddle?

It is what Happy Camper said and it is also the name of the .co.uk website that will be created shortly for all people using open canoes and who hear the Song

 

[happy camper]

that sounds interesting

 

[Hoodoo]

It's certainly not unusual for people to paddle upstream against the current. Very common among trappers and prospectors. They pushed big canoes loaded to the gills upstream. Often they would start with a "kicker" which is a small motor. When they gas ran out or the motor died, they paddled, poled, and drug their canoes upstream. This was work, not recreation. They often built a cabin, then trapped and prospected and spent the winter. Some never made it through the winter.

If you want to read a wonderful book on this, check out RM Patterson's Dangerous River. It's a fantastic story of Patterson's explorations of the Nahanni River. There is a winter survival story in there that is just plain awesome.

 

[jamesoconnor]

it would be great to have a site totally dedicated to wilderness canoeing within the british isles. something which has been missing for a long time on the web.

 

[wolf]

hello
"song of the paddle:an illustrated guide to wilderness camping" is a book by bill mason, (isbn 1-55263-579-1). Its a superb book with loads of info. about canoe camping and expeditions in general. i'm pretty sure its been mentioned on bcuk a few times if you do a search. Its absolutely ideal, very practical, and very inspirational if you've got a canoe or want a canoe, but it's still good if you're interested in wild camping in general (but be prepared to add canoe to your "must haves" list if you get it )

cheers.

 

[monkey_pork]

Just to help set the scene ...

(ok, maybe pushing the definition of 'wilderness' a bit).

 

[Spacemonkey]

It's the thought that counts...

 

[Carcajou Garou]

It is up to you and where you want to go that would decide if you paddle upstream, on a trek you would lay out a route, (many books offer canoe routes and portages) follow it to a specific destination. Maybe you want to go down a river system and take on the rapids, portages etc.. you would either be driven up to the headwaters/launch point or have yourself flown up and canoe down and camp along the way You may want to do a circuit, so indeed paddling against the current and wind is an accepted event to be relished Like Hoodoo said it is hard work, I remember when we took a group of Japanese on a small day trip, they had never canoed against current, it was a sight to see. We went upstream first, knowing they would be tired by the end of the day and it would be easier to retrace our steps with the afternoon current with us, wind made them work though Organised canoe trips often go downstream as it makes for less strenous paddling unless wind is against you. In the old days you had to go both ways no choice, had to get back, rivers close together tend to drain into the same basin (direction) except just north where we live the artic watershed starts and rivers do flow both ways near each other, some south to the Great Lakes and others north to James/Hudson Bays/Artic Ocean. I've seen my partner and I barely make a yard headway per stroke against the current and wind combined, lakes also have currents in them.
CG :yo:

 

[wolf]

It is up to you and where you want to go that would decide if you paddle upstream, on a trek you would lay out a route, (many books offer canoe routes and portages) follow it to a specific destination. Maybe you want to go down a river system and take on the rapids, portages etc.. you would either be driven up to the headwaters/launch point or have yourself flown up and canoe down and camp along the way You may want to do a circuit, so indeed paddling against the current and wind is an accepted event to be relished Like Hoodoo said it is hard work, I remember when we took a group of Japanese on a small day trip, they had never canoed against current, it was a sight to see. We went upstream first, knowing they would be tired by the end of the day and it would be easier to retrace our steps with the afternoon current with us, wind made them work though Organised canoe trips often go downstream as it makes for less strenous paddling unless wind is against you. In the old days you had to go both ways no choice, had to get back, rivers close together tend to drain into the same basin (direction) except just north where we live the artic watershed starts and rivers do flow both ways near each other, some south to the Great Lakes and others north to James/Hudson Bays/Artic Ocean. I've seen my partner and I barely make a yard headway per stroke against the current and wind combined, lakes also have currents in them.
CG :yo:

thanks for info..do the lakes freeze up in the winter?

 

[nishishinandy]

A question,.....
If for instance you are living in canada,which i believe has vast lakes and streams,and you decide to travel along a waterway to reach a destination,how do you get back to where you started from ?Would you have to travel back along the river you came along or would there be other rivers to take you back?Am i right to say you travel with the current and not against it?...cheers

I have spent the past 5 summers canoeing in ontario and quebec for between three and 8 week trips. We have always traveled using the traditional methods, ie the tump line and wannigan as well as wood canvas canoes. We have always travelled up and down stream and if its to hard to paddle we either portage or pole our way up. Poleing is when birch poles, around 14 feet long, are used to propel the canoes upstream.

Im only seventeen and have already spent some life changing time in the woods and its all due to the camp that an american lady paid for me to go to.

Check it out and maybe ill see some more british people there soon.

http://temagami.keewaydin.org/

 

[pierre girard]

Original question:

"A question,.....
If for instance you are living in canada,which i believe has vast lakes and streams,and you decide to travel along a waterway to reach a destination,how do you get back to where you started from ?Would you have to travel back along the river you came along or would there be other rivers to take you back?Am i right to say you travel with the current and not against it?...cheers "

You can do a circle route, involving several different lakes or waterways, leave a vehicle at each end of your route, pay an outfitter to pick you up at the end of your route, or have a plane meet you at the end of your route.

And yes, the lakes freeze - sometimes many feet deep.

PG

 

[useless]

Slightly off topic... I spent the Winter Solstice on the Basingstoke canal with some young people from work (I'm a youth worker, amongst other things). Parts of the canal had frozen, and the sound of the canoes and kyaks breaking the ice was fantastic! As we returned to where we started the day we were in trhe company of a kingfisher for about 10 minutes.l The electric blue flash first got our attention. Then it would occaisionaly fly through the group, then hide is some hedges and trees.

A splendid day at work!

 

[pierre girard]

A question,.....
If for instance you are living in canada,which i believe has vast lakes and streams,and you decide to travel along a waterway to reach a destination,how do you get back to where you started from ?Would you have to travel back along the river you came along or would there be other rivers to take you back?Am i right to say you travel with the current and not against it?...cheers

Wolf:

If you are ever in the mood to see some wilderness canoe country. Drop me a line.

PG

 

[Abbe Osram]

A question,.....
If for instance you are living in canada,which i believe has vast lakes and streams,and you decide to travel along a waterway to reach a destination,how do you get back to where you started from ?Would you have to travel back along the river you came along or would there be other rivers to take you back?Am i right to say you travel with the current and not against it?...cheers

Here people plan routes to go downstreams and plan to get out of the woods where a street crosses to be picked up later by a car. In Canada and Alaska I believe they pick up folks with a bush-plane. That could be a option if you dont want to paddle back the entire way. People who live in the bush seldom are in to romantics, The have other canoes one design it one with a flat back where you can fix an engine to go upstream too.

I am talking out of my head as I havent been in Canada or Alaska yet.

cheers
Abbe

 

[wolf]

Wolf:

If you are ever in the mood to see some wilderness canoe country. Drop me a line.

PG

maybe one day my friend...