Post Outdoor Adventure Show Update

Ian, Jim, and myself at the Eureka booth

Wow! What a marathon weekend! I have a total new found respect for all the people working the booths and displays at the Outdoor Adventure Show! Especially the busy ones with no seats! For the first time, I've attended the show not only as a spectator, but to work! With all the changes in my life, I considered not attending the show this year, but with encouragement and support from friends, I decided to get out of my rut and move forward - and what an amazing decision it was! I had forced myself to give me a reason to go to the show so I contacted Jim Stevens at Eureka (now an official sponsor - thank you!) and volunteered my time to help. He was kind enough to jump on the offer (now I know why!) and made arrangements to be there Sat & Sun to help out.



Let me tell you, the booth was BUSY! I've never talked so much or stood standing in one place for so long! By the end of Saturday, I was totally wiped and exhausted! (give me a 10km portage instead!) But at the same time, it wasn't all bad. Actually it was very rewarding to meet, discuss, and help people purchase outdoor equipment. Much of my experience outdoors certainly helped as I was able to relate and engage the customers in their inquiries and questions. Through discussions with Jim, I realized how important this was - it was not only about sales, but engaging customers at a different level. Developing a relationship by sharing experiences, listening to their stories, and gaining their trust - letting customers know that there is more to Eureka than just products. I've already received my first email from a customer who purchased a stove from me and requested info on a canoe route. (its all making sense Jim!)



Eric & Michelle - they are actually twins! A real pleasure to

work with! If I ever have kids, I hope they

turn out exactly like them!


Let me tell you a little about Jim Stevens. His title as Canadian Sales Manager of Eureka Products Division seems heady, like he should be sitting in an office doing administrative duties. Not even close! - he is actually a jack-of-all-trades! I found out that he is also a product designer, spearheads the marketing, looks after customers calls/emails, sets budgets, - the list goes on! Even with all this, he is at the show engaging the customers toe-to-toe with me! (he is also a canoe tripper) Remarkable! And even at the end, you'll still find him packing up the gear like everyone else! I've also had the pleasure of working with Dave Helsdon, the mastermind behind Chrysalis - a 3 season hammock tent (he was the busiest!), Ian, the Ontario Sales Rep for Eureka and his niece and nephew, Michelle & Eric (the nicest kids!).

It was great weekend to make tons of new contacts, forge new opportunities, meet old friends and make new ones. It was definitely lots of fun and totally worth the experience. Just a quick thanks to Kelly McDowell from Complete Paddler (another sponsor) and Dave Sproule from Ontario Parks. I'm already looking forward to next year!



Cheers,
David

Outdoor Adventure Show

Dichotomy of Sorts: Winter and canoeing - although, both can

co-exist as long as the water is free of ice!

Paddle anyone?!

Hey Everyone,

Just a reminder to come out and enjoy the Outdoor Adventure Show this weekend from Friday Feb 20th to Sunday Feb 22nd. There is usually new camping gear and canoes to check out, as well as some amazing presentations to see. Most times there are some good deals going on so its a good chance to save some money by purchasing stuff now before the season starts. Of course, there will be many notable outdoors-oriented people to meet and greet, so make the most of your weekend and come on out!

If you do, make sure to come by and see me. This year I'll be helping out at the Johnson Outdoors Canada booth (Eureka) on Saturday and Sunday. If you don't see me, I'll probably be lost in one of the tents!

Here's the link to their website: http://www.outdooradventureshow.ca/

Hope to see you there!

David

Feb 13-14 09 - 24th Annual Wilderness Canoe Symposium

When the pile of snow atop the canoe is as high as the canoe is

deep, you know you've been getting lots of snow!

It's my new snow depth gauge!

After enduring many months of winter (especially this year!), canoeist like myself begin to daydream of open water and yearn to paddle again. In the midst of our winter blues, some of us have made the annual pilgrimage to downtown Toronto to attend the Wilderness Canoe Symposium. Its a temporary panacea to help us forget the cold and snow, while guaranteeing to rejuvenate, inspire, and allow us to dream of far away places.

Enjoying the presentations at the symposium with a

bunch of good friends!

This has been my second year attending the symposium and it does not disappoint. The variety of different presentations is guaranteed to make it enjoyable for everyone. There are stunning photos to see, incredible feats to be amazed at, inspiring stories to aspire to, and funny moments to laugh at. It helps us all to rediscover why it is that we all love to canoe and helps us cope with the rest of winter.

Kevin Callan entertaining us during lunch at a nice Greek,

- or was it an Italian restaurant?!!

I also like to congratulate our friends Jim and Ted Baird for their amazing presentation on the Kuujjua River trip. You had the audience captivated by the stories, humor, and photos. Good job guys!

Lost between the Jolly "Red" Giants - Ted and Jim Baird!

Well, all I have to say is if you haven't attended this symposium, you should, and if you have, like me, our lives have just been enriched a bit more!

Cheers!

David

PS: Igloo says 2 more months till ice out! Thank goodness!!

Obabika River Loop - Day 5

Taking a picture together before heading out from our

nice campsite on Lake Obabika

Yesterday evening the wind and waves started to pick up and I was wondering if a storm was heading our way. At some point in the middle of the night it stopped and became dead silent. I was happy thinking we would be packing up dry gear on the last day. Well luck would have it that at 06:00 in the morning the wind, thunder, and rain started - #%@k! It finally stopped a couple hours later at which point we got out to have breakfast. We tried as best as we could to dry the gear out with the intermittent sun and steady wind. The gear may have not packed totally dry, but we were just happy it wasn't sopping wet. (at least we thought)

Relieved to find our bug shelter intact in the morning

despite the storm and violent gusts of wind

We were soon paddling across Obabika to our first and last portage (l like the sound of that!), 870m to Obabika Inlet. This time we paddled straight east to the Northwest Arm of Lake Temagami before heading south. During this time, the skies clouded over again, covering our heads with uninspiring shades of grey. We stopped at one point to snack for lunch on a small rocky island when the all familiar thunder started to rumble afar. All I could think was, "Here we go again!" Hastily downing the food when it started to sprinkle, we cut our break short as we quickly donned our rain gear and packed the food away. Great!

Snacking on a small rocky island - this was the last picture

and smile until we got back to the vehicle

Jumping in the canoe, we paddled south through a narrow, which then opened up to the large Northwestern Arm of Lake Temagami. We wanted to be close to shore in case the storm hit, but we also had to get to the eastern shore at some point, so we decided to paddle quickly across since the light shower stopped - all the while keeping an eye out behind us. By the time we hit the halfway mark, the already gloomy skies rapidly started to darken as the wind and waves picked up. I could sense Marylou's uneasiness, but there was no time for inaction as lightning now joined the thunder. I couldn't believe how fast the calm lake just minutes before was now surging with swells and whitecaps. I shouted at Marylou to hit the afterburners as we still had almost a kilometer to go!

Paddling furiously without looking back, we began to hear the dreaded wave of millions of rain droplets shattering against terra firma behind us. Within seconds it was upon us, pelting us relentlessly while loud clashes of thunder resonated in our chest and lightning flashed angrily all around us. With even stronger gusts of wind that threaten to broadside us, rolling whitecaps that handily lifted the canoe with each swell, and the sound of rain deafening us, I yelled words of encouragement and comfort to Marylou that we would make it to shore and be okay! (while hoping and praying myself!)

Butterflies appreciate sunny days too!

- Wawiagama Lake

Our persistence paid off as we eventually approached shore, but the biggest problem we now faced was the surf violently crashing against the rocky shoreline. Where to land?! Marylou didn't care, just get to shore and off the water! A blind man's choice couldn't have been worse so I headed for the closest point. I thought about jumping out of the canoe close to shore, but it was a drop off rather than a shallow landing! Oh boy! With no choice, we slowed and braced while gently ramming the bow into the rocks as Marylou jumped out and attempted to steady the canoe. All the while being slammed wave after wave, as I gingerly got out of the wildly rocking canoe. Since the shore angled sharply upwards, we could barely drag the loaded canoe up (with water), so we ended up tying it to a tree partially in the lake - thank goodness for Royalex! The next 20 mins were spent huddled under spindly red pines providing little shelter from the elements. (trees and lighting?, hmmm - better than being out in the middle of the lake!)

Once the storm had passed, we emptied copious amounts of water from the canoe as we continued the determined paddle back to the vehicle. The rain did come back several times, but not nearly in the same dramatic fashion as it first did. We stopped once more by shore under overhanging branches when another big front hit, all the while amazed at how much water was coming down. All we could do was just keep bailing and look miserably at the sopping wet packs! It was hard enough to deal with the storms with both of us, so we couldn't even imagine what it was like for the solo paddler that was heading out the same way! Even all the motorboats were all flying past us to the docks so we knew we weren't the only ones wanting out!

One side benefit to storms is the dramatic display of clouds

- Obabika Lake

We were now in sight of the docks. The end was near. But once again, Mother Nature didn't want to see us go without a parting gift. Yes, more water! And I mean lots! We were in the middle of a large three way crossing when it hit. The rain came so hard and furious that we could barely see 30-40 ft in front of us. The demarcation between water and land was no more. It was just a blur of grey all around us. The rain was shattering the lake so hard that the equal and opposite force threw up millions of diamond-like droplets 6 inches up! They were dancing all around us, taunting us to grab them. There was also the constant rhythmic swells of the lake. The rocking motion made me believe that a giant sea serpent was moving under us. I was so mesmerized I told Marylou to stop paddling. (yes, she said "What!!!") To me it was all very beautiful and transcendent. The stark greyness of the surrounding, the symmetrical rain droplets doting the surface, and the soothing swells all had me in a trance. My only regret was not being able to catch it on film or video. It evoked not only all my senses and emotions, but was visceral in nature as well.

Of course, my reverie was soon broken by Marylou's demand to continue paddling. I finally relented, now paddling into the void blindly. Despite the extreme circumstances, I was truly thankful for that brief moment. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine I would be thrilled to be caught out in the middle of a lake during a massive downpour. The world outside never ceases to amaze me! Although, what also amazed me was how much water filled the canoe! There was a good 2-3 inches of water in the canoe making it feel like a log! After bailing since the the rain was lifting, we headed into the docks and finally ended our wet ordeal.

Marylou wishing she was back here!

- Wawiagama Lake

Looking like drowned rats while unloading, we were approached by the solo paddler and found out he is a doctor from Thunder Bay. He decided to cut his trip short due to the inclement weather as he wasn't enjoying himself, - no surprise! I have to say, I've never been wetter (if there is even such a thing!) on any other trip, despite being on some pretty wet ones before. Even with a full rain suit, when you feel a cold stream of water coursing down your chest and settling between your legs, you know it was all for naught! When you can't even protect those jewels, you might as well stay indoors!

The End

Forgetting the towel (Marylou's fault) can mean the

difference between changing or not,

- into dry clothes!

Obabika River Loop - Day 4

Campsite on Wawiagama Lk: Flat open spaces and a canopy

of tree cover makes for a great sleep!

Opening my eyes early this morning, I was hopeful when I saw that the tent walls were bright. Quickly looking through the mesh door, I could see the day was dawning bright and beautiful. What a nice treat! It was motivation to get out right away, which I did, but the moment I had on shore was short lived by the clouds of mosquitoes. I quickly retreated into the bug tent to get some hot drinks going.

Today we didn't have far to go so we decided to take our time and relax a bit. After breakfast Marylou even headed back into the tent to nap again!, - imagine that! Whereas I took the time to get caught up in my journal, spend some time exploring around and taking some pictures. I couldn't resist luxuriating in the nice weather and sun.

Relaxing along the shores of Wawiagama

Moving at a snail's pace we were finally back on the water at 14:00. For some reason we, (let me correct that, - I) had a little trouble locating the 910m portage into Obabika Lake. The marshy shoreline with its high grasses made it hard to locate. However, once we finally found it, we completed the fairly easy trek to Lake Obabika.

Do you see the portage?!!

We then paddled west through a scattering of islands with some nice campsites before turning north along the west shore. The day was becoming increasingly hot and humid, ideal conditions for creating more of those big fluffy clouds. (you know what I was thinking, right?!)

Persistently wet socks can be a source of problems

between partners in a canoe. See above!

As we continued paddling north, a large scree field topped by huge cliffs soon towered over us. Since I was eager to take some pictures here, we decided to also stop for a snack. After filling myself on some bars, I couldn't contain my excitement any more. Like a little kid, I grabbed my camera and began climbing up.

The view from near the top was spectacular and the nice breeze was refreshing from the heat. Even more spectacular was seeing the massive pollen clouds in the water. It was like some big sea serpent moving through the lake. Who would have guessed!

Massive pollen clouds moving north on Obabika Lake - my

view was definitely better than Marylou's down below

After endless shutter clicks, we finally moved on. We wanted a campsite close to the portage out of Obabika Lake, so we settled for a nice site across from it. Being out on a breezy point, we figured it would keep us relatively cool and keep the bugs at bay. It was nice for a change not having to set up in the dark! I even took the opportunity to go for a refreshing dip to wash off all the dirt and sweat. The rest of the evening was spent reading, writing and and relaxing after supper. It was an excellent way to spend the last night of the trip and fall asleep feeling very content.

Stunning Blue Flags along the shores

of Lake Obabika

Day 5 - "Get to the that shore now!!!"

Obabika River Loop - Day 3

Packing up for the day at our unnamed lake campsite

We got up much earlier today as our bodies were slowly getting use to the physical activity. The masses of mosquitoes that clung to our mesh door made it tempting to stay in, but our bladders won out. It was overcast and grey outside again, - did I mention that it rained at night?!

Yesterday, Marylou screamed when she scared a grouse on the way to the box. Today she got to stretch her lungs and vocal chords again when she scared a bird off its nest! (lol!) I don't know what it is with her and birds, especially with a full bladder, but its a good thing she didn't wet herself! See the bird yourself below!

After breakfast, we decided to do some exploring before heading back to the Obabika river. We first checked out a not-so-pretty 20 foot falls across our campsite that was obscured by vegetation. We then headed northwest to Lahay lake to check out another set of falls which entailed 2 portages, (595m, 360m) through another unnamed lake. Wonder how I can get them to name one after myself? (Lake David, Davey Lake, Davey Crochet Lake,....yeah,....nope!)

The first portage was the hardest to find, but the trails were in fairly good condition with a few downed trees. At the end of the second portage there was a unfinished dilapidated log cabin with junk strewn about. Always make you wonder what the story is behind it, but nonetheless it was disheartening to see the mess all over the place.

The unfinished log cabin along the trail to Lahay Lake

We paddled south on Lahay to where it flushed into Nasmith Creek. The falls were nice, but nothing spectacular. The only downside was that it started to rain, (surprising?!) - and we didn't have our rain gear. So we headed back into the forest and huddled by a large rock, which kept us fairly dry. Once it stopped, we headed back.

The falls below Lahay Lake that flushes into Nasmith Creek

After we picked up our packs at the campsite and began heading back, we stopped at what looked like a portage trail. (it was hard to see yesterday in the fading light) Curious, we got out and followed what looked like the actual portage trail. Except it ended abruptly due to several large trees that had come down due to a beaver. I tried to relocate the trail, but it was nowhere to be found - obviously. We then headed back the same way, down the narrow creek, eventually finding ourselves back on the Obabika river paddling south.

Within an hour of paddling we had come to a large chute and had to portage around it. The trail itself passed a nice campsite where I'm sure most paddlers have stayed. (note for next time) The weather even began improving at this point with the sun coming out. I soon found myself too warm as I doffed off my wet footwear and shirt.

Portaging around a large chute where a log camp used to be

We also got to see some wildlife - muskrat, baby beavers, otters and small turtles the size of loonies. All the initial excitement was soon replaced by the painful repetitive manoeuvring around endless oxbows. It took 5 long hours to finally reach the turnoff to Wawiagama Lake, which was well marked. What a relief! Although the strong current of Wawiagama river due to all the rain was no laughing matter. It was even more exhausting to paddle the 30mins upriver fighting current, logs, and sandbars to get to the lake!

A baby painted turtle we found hanging onto some flotsam

in the river. Turtle soup anyone?!!

Wawiagama lake is beautiful. It is lined with towering cliffs on the west side topped by large pines. It was exhilarating to have the wind in our faces as well as the stunning scenery before us. Staring in awe at the massive cliffs, we slowly paddled to the west end to look for a campsite. Unfortunately, one campsite was not much to look at, and the other was beside a cabin, so we made the decision to head back east despite the setting sun. Our efforts paid off as we found a really nice site just as the sun was setting below the horizon. It was good day, long and tiring, but satisfying as we experienced and saw a lot.

Happy to finish the day on Wawiagama Lake

Next: Day 4 - "You want me to go up where?!!"

Obabika River Loop - Day 2

Conspicious bands of pollen lines surrounding rocks on an

island in the middle of Obabika lake due to

changing water levels.

The next morning we got to an extremely late start as we were exhausted from the long day. Despite thundering and raining at night, it decided to start up again in the morning, so we had little motivation to get up. Eventually, hunger got us up and we crawled out to grey skies as we went about completing our usual morning task. We were finally back on the water at 14:30!, as we slowly made our way up the west shore of the lake. Encouragingly, some blues skies appeared with the sun poking through occassionally, but the ominous sounds of thunder in the distance continued throughout the afternoon.

Marylou was uneasy with the thunder, but there was no reason to stop paddling as there was no signs of rain or lighting. Even when we stopped at one point on a small bare island to take some pictures, she expressed her concerns again while the thunder continued unabated. As I was trying to calm Marylou down while telling her to look at the horizons for relief, I failed to notice that the north end of Obabika was covered by a menacing wall of dark grey clouds and rain heading our way. Oops!!

Marylou intently watching storm clouds on Obabika lake.

Jumping in the canoes with barely a word, we turned south and paddled like mad to a campsite for shelter. As we strained with each stroke, we began to feel the wind at our backs that proceeds these fronts. Once on shore we quickly wedged the canoe between trees and dragged our packs to a flat area and immediately pulled out our rain gear. We then began rigging up a tarp as we could now hear the mad rush of rain heading our way. It wasn't the prettiest set up, but it was enough to keep us from the torrent of rain that immediately followed. Of course due to the wind, the rain still managed to wet us, but it was comforting to know that we were off the water and had shelter above our heads. If there was any time that I distinctly remember being enlightened with "I told you so!", it was now.

Within an hour, we were back on the water with the tarp packed and our rain gear removed. The sun did come out again, but this time there was no thunder. (phew!) We immediately headed north to the mouth of the river while passing a large camp/cottage on a point. I believe it belongs to Alex Mathias, an aboriginal living on his ancestral family's land while protecting it from logging and other such interest. Many have had the chance to meet him, so I looked intently while passing the property, but didn't see any signs of people or movement, so we passed quietly. Besides, since we were so behind, we decided to just continue paddling.

Calmly paddling down the Obabika river.

The Obabika river is a slow meandering river which was a nice change of pace from all the big lake paddling we had the day before. Birds seemed to thrive here as they constantly whizzed overhead from one side to the other. We eventually came to a small decrepit dam which we quickly carried over and continued paddling. We were now looking intently on river right looking for signs of a portage that led to an unnamed lake. Our plan was to camp there so it was important not to miss the turn off, but at the same time it wasn't the typical choice of most people paddling down the Obabika river so we wondered if it was even marked. (in Temagami, expect the unexpected!) Amazingly, we spotted the right surveryor tape by a creek on the branch of an alder, - amongst all the others that we noted that lined the river bank as well! (we couldn't figure what all those other tapes were for?!)

Portaging 20m's around the small decrepit dam, Marylou

waits to put back in the river.

Anyhow, it was supposed to be an easy 380m to the unnamed lake. Like everything "Temagami", (meaning confusing/challenging) we found ourselves definitely portaging more that the 380m's going down what looked like a overgrown cart trail, which totally soaked us to the bones and had the mosquitoes swarming us. Frustrated and spewing out expletives, we turned around and reassessed the situation back at the river.

After looking over the map several times and searching the surroundings, we found another surveyor's tape far upstream of the narrow creek that drained nearby into the river. With no other options, we decided to carry the canoe and gear to the creek and attempted to drag, pull, and occassionally paddle upstream through the tight turns. Surprisingly, we found more tape further ahead which gave us some hope as we continued on now lifting over several beaver dams. Pulling over the final and biggest beaver dam brought us tremendous relief as the long narrow lake lay before us. The euphoric moment combined with the rose-hued cast of the setting sun on the beautiful surrounding was all I needed to forgot the pain. It was worth it.

Marylou pulling branches aside in order to make our way up

the shallow overgrown creek to the unnamed lake.

Needless to say, it was another late night. We soon found the only campsite on the northeast side on a rocky point that was very overgrown. We quickly set up and got supper going in the dark, thankfully well protected in the bug tent. Despite another late day, we were happy to be here by overcoming the challenges and doubts of finding this lake. Nestled comfortably in our down bags with full stomachs, we soon faded into a well deserved sleep.

Next: Day 3 - "Are we there yet?!