Fall Peaks in Gatineau Park, Quebec: Colours and Cold Water!

Fall peaked during the Thanksgiving weekend in the National Capital Region of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario/Gatineau, Quebec). The air was warm, in the high 70's (27 C), but the water in Gatineau Park lakes has already become too cold to swim in without a wet or dry suit.

Even in a wet suit, it is not a comfortable five minute dip to test paddle gear or practice cowboy scrambles - not shocking, but not enjoyable either. It's a big change from water temps in July, August, and September - which were still cool at best. Next paddle, I'll bring a thermometer and plunge it a few feet down to see how cold the water is.
Gatineau Park set a record this year for the most beautiful fall colours I've ever seen along with record crowds and traffic jams in the Park to match!

No matter what the season, I find Maelstrom Kayaks beautiful both on and off the water. And so does everyone else. People keep coming up to me with the same comment: "What a beautiful kayak!" From the shoreline, the water, or a gas station as I fill up.
Maelstrom Vital 166
I never tire of looking at a Maelstrom Sea Kayak on the water . . . moving or not, especially in the fall. It is my favorite season to paddle in Canada.
Maelstrom Vaag 174
I love the feel of my Maelstrom Vital 166 in both flat and bumpy moving water. It is sleek, fast, and manoeuverable in flat water, so I don't get bored. When the water starts to move and get bumpy, the boat instantly picks up and gets playful. It reminds me it's time to get going. It's ready to play.
But I always marvel more at the design of my Maelstrom Vital 166 when it's strappped up on the car.
Why?

It's such a skinny, low volume boat. Every time I look at its narrow girth, I wonder how I can feel so stable and comfortable in something that sits with so little in the water. Although, in gusty wind and confused chop, I do sometimes feel waves sweep over the back of my boat and roll over the cockpit from behind or from the side. When I reach for the skeg slider on the left, it is sometimes completely submerged with waves rushing past it.
 
The September and October highs will soon be followed by the November lows in the National Capital Region of Canada.

Low temps and grey colours. November around here is when I park my Boreal Baffin and Maelstrom Vital 166 sea kayaks, unless the weather convinces me otherwise (it never does), and it's time to cook! Yes, eat and cook up some ideas for trips elsewhere!

Meanwhile, enjoy the rest of October's best!
Can you see the deer in the centre of the image peeking out from the forest and blending in with an old stump?

Loon
This is what your Greenland Paddle (GP) looks like underwater in the afternoon October sun.
You can pick out deer from the water when they flick their ears or show their white tails. Otherwise, they look like tree stumps.
Coming Soon: Poison Ivy and Your Pet.
Yep, we have to think about this stuff in more ways than one, and year round, especially if you travel.

The BaffinPaddler

Comments

  1. MikeOctober 24, 2011 at 9:48 AM

    Hey BaffinPaddler! Great Fall colors! Autumn splendor is breaking out all over down South too! Be sure to check out my latest paddle at Lake Holt! I like the Fall, but it does bring an end to my paddling for a few months. Maybe one day I can invest in a dry suit and get into a year round paddling schedule?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BaffinPaddlerSeptember 18, 2012 at 6:25 PM

      Hi Mike, you are so lucky that your paddling season only ends for a few months down south. Things tend to freeze up here in Canada for a little longer.

      But a break from paddling only makes us love it more! Yes?

      Cheers from Canada!

      Delete
  2. MarthaSeptember 18, 2012 at 5:53 PM

    We are headed up there for Thanksgiving (Oct 8th 2012)! I hope this fall is as beautiful as it was last year in your photos....if not, that's okay, though!

    ReplyDelete
  3. BaffinPaddlerSeptember 18, 2012 at 6:17 PM

    Hi Martha. I hope so too! Best wishes for your trip.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Poison Ivy and Your Pet!

Image
So, you've taken the doggie ashore on the mainland or an island for a little exercise. "Hey, you look so cute in the bush." The final flowers of fall are still standing. You've got to get a shot of the beautiful field of six-foot tall yellow wildflowers before they're gone. Suddenly, your early warning system clicks on and you remember to look down instead of up to see what you're tromping through on that barely there trail to the flowers. Poison ivy starting to turn red in the fall along the Ottawa River, Quebec, Canada.  Ah, ha! Of course. There are a few strands of poison ivy creeping out under the tall stuff! And you manage to avoid it. But where's the doggie? She's romping right through all that poison ivy you've just avoided and now her fur, paws and collar may be full of the oil, called urushiol , from the poison ivy plants - the oil that can cause a nasty rash if it gets on your skin, especially if you're one
Read more

One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water

Image
Oddly enough, the first time I saw this type of sign was on a super busy beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico this winter. I wonder why I haven't seen more signs like this when I travel to waterways:  One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water. In Spanish, una colilla de de cigarro contamina hasta 50 litros de agua . The sign was posted by a local restaurant.  I wonder why cigarettes are still allowed anywhere anymore. They are banned from more and more public places world wide. Bravo! I wonder why cigarettes are even produced when you can wear a toxic patch or chew toxic gum and not bother anyone or anything with this disgusting, toxic habit. But I do know one thing, now when I make travel plans, the first thing I will look for are completely smoke-free resorts. The resort we stayed at in Mexico did not allow smoking in rooms nor in the dining areas, lobbies, gym, etc. Even though there were open areas where people could smoke, this type of all-inclusive re
Read more

The magic of camping and kayaking at Bon Echo Provincial Park, Mazinaw Rock, Ontario, Canada! Get your bug suit on!

Image
This is one of my favourite "easy to paddle" little magic spots! Bon Echo Provincial Park is in the south central part of Ontario, Canada. It's a pretty nice place to camp! You have amenites here. Even on the back country sites - where you'll have more bugs - but more privacy. Take your pick. More people or more bugs? It's hard to choose sometimes! Mazinaw Rock is on picturesque and easy to paddle Mazinaw Lake . Mazinaw Rock is 100 metres high. If you call out, it echos three times - hence the name, "Bon Echo". In French it means, "good echo". I'll agree! I tried it - three times. It's true! Mazinaw Lake is the second deepest lake in Ontario, Canada. It averages 135 feet deep, and its deepest parts are 476 feet deep. Wow! Suddenly, I feel so small. You might want to think about a float for your camera here! If it goes overboard, you'll never find it again. I'll admit - I love rocks. Doesn't everyone?
Read more

Cycling one of America's most beautiful beaches: Fort De Soto Park, Florida

Image
Yes. I felt it. I felt like I was on one of the most beautiful beaches at Fort De Soto. Wow! The big beach cruisers float and roll over the hard sand at low tide so easily. It's a funky feeling. Perched on a wide, overly soft, bouncy seat, holding on to high handlebars with all your stuff packed into a big wicker basket, you feel goofy as you pedal in bare feet or sandals. You know you look goofy, and don't care. It sets you free. Great. It was the first week of January 2014 and we picked the coldest week of the year to visit southern Florida from Canada's deep freeze. It was 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 Celsius) when we woke up and looked out the patio door of a beach front rental on St. Pete's beach on the Gulf of Mexico, Florida. By noon the temperature climbed to 58F (14 C) according to the thermostat in the rental car. The stiff blowing nor’easter made us think differently. Let's go to Fort De Soto beach . . . in our ski jackets!  Why not. We're
Read more

Does my Ironman Tremblant T-shirt make me look fat?

Image
Yes it does. Let's blame it on a bulky belt on the jean shorts. What the hell. This is no time for vanity. I couldn't help striking a yoga pose in from of the big red M in the Tremblant Ironman village today. I call it the Ironman village, because the massive white tents and stages for the event are already set up at the base of the Tremblant resort village. You can already feel the Ironman mania and high energy building in town. Parking further and further away, and taking longer and longer to find a parking lot with space is your first clue! August is a busy month up here! The full Ironman Triathlon in Tremblant, Quebec, Canada on August 17  is fast approaching. It's what I call the totally insane Ironman. The full Ironman - not the half. How this is humanly possible in one day is beyond comprehension. Yet some 2600 athletes from over 50 countries, including Quebec's elite racers, will give it a go. Preparing for a full Ironman takes several years of hard traini
Read more