Killarney Provincial Park holds a very special place in my heart. It was here that my husband popped 'the question'. We had had an incredible day of paddling, had a bear cub swim right in front of our canoe, and upon arriving at our campsite, my man caught a fish on the first cast. What better time to propose?!?
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Georgian Bay played a huge role in shaping who I am as a person. Since I was 9, I've spent large portions of my summers hanging out on the rocks, swimming in the bays and watching beautiful sunsets through the windswept pines. It was here that I first witnessed the Northern Lights and some of the most spectacular meteor showers and thunder storms, got up close with wildlife like the Massasauga Rattle Snake and learned that porcupines don't actually shoot their quills. It was here that I learned how to paddle a canoe and a kayak, sail, pack an outtrip, portage, read a map and use a compass. I learned how to tie a flying bowline (in case I should ever fall out of a plane...), make the best fried granola, identify poison ivy, and build a one match campfire. I guess you could say I found myself on Georgian Bay. I discovered some of the things that make me the happiest, learned how to be a leader, formed incredible friendships and found my passion for the outdoors, confidence in myself and my drive to constantly seek out new adventures. While I owe a great deal of this to my experiences at Camp Queen Elizabeth (located on Beausoleil Island), the beauty and spirit of Georgian Bay is what lures me back time and time again. It's big open waters, cozy bays, warm rocks and 30,000 islands offer new adventures around each corner. Temagami is my absolute favourite place on Earth. This may, in part, be due to the fact that it was the location of my first extended canoe trip back when I was attending Camp Queen Elizabeth as a Del (Leadership 1 Participant). I had such a positive experience during those 14 days that I ended up starting to guide canoe and kayak trips just two summers later. But this magical place is so much more than a great experience.
Temagami is home to some of the oldest stands of Red and White Pine in the world! It's not unusual to come across trees that are 200-400 years old. Both the Ishpatina Ridge (highest point in Ontario) and Maple Mountain (second highest point and a personal favourite spot to pick wild blueberries with an incredible view) are both found here as well. Temagami's incredible history comes to life in the various petroglyphs found on the rocks and other historical relics scattered throughout the region. The Dumoine River is an incredibly fun river to paddle and a breathtaking piece of wilderness. It is the largest unfragmanted boreal forest and last undammed wild river in Southern Quebec. Throughout history it has proven to be an important canoe route to the Algonquin First Nations and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society deems it a crucial wildlife corridor from La Verendrye Reserve through Algonquin Park and further south to the Appalachian Mountains in the U.S. To date, 93 archaeological sites have been identified along the Dumoine.
I have been lucky enough to paddle this river twice. Both times my group put in at a bridge just north of Lac Benoit and ended on the Ottawa River at Driftwood Provincial Park, not far from Deep River. In 5 action packed days we covered approximately 60 km and managed to run about 27 sets of rapids. The high level of anticipation never dwindled with another set of rapids popping up around each bend. Their clever names, such as Thread the Needle and Canoe Eater, certainly added to this. Evenings were spent swimming in the pristine waters, and enjoying the scenic shorelines. My favourite campsite was situated on a cliff overlooking the thundering Grand Chute pictured below. Definitely the most exciting whitewater river I've conquered to date! To learn more about this fascinating piece of history and to find out how you can help protect this important watershed go to: http://cpaws-ov-vo.org/campaigns/dumoine-river |
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