BaffinPaddler - http://baffinpaddler.blogspot.com

This is a little jewel of a location for sea kayaking without the sea. It's big water with ocean feel on a giant lake: Lac Saint Jean. So no worries of reading tide charts. And the water is warm enough for a swim in summer. Two thumbs up! A lake formed like big round bowl can be boring in a kayak so it's nice to know where along its shores you can find a beautiful archipelago of islands and big craggy bays with interesting granite rock outcroppings and semi-sandy, gravely beaches to park on around the lake. We found it here: Saint Gedeon. We had the feeling of being lost without getting lost. Big water on Lac Saint Jean, with lots to explore and endless places to wander - so close to our accommodation. After paddling the islands off Saint Gedeon and the nearby  Baie des Girard ,   I remarked to my paddling partner that I didn't want to share this spot on my blog. How selfish! He told me I had to. So many paddlers share favorite paddling places, I've got to d...

Harmony with your kayak. Where do you find it? My kayak has a message in the seat. Harmony. After five years of paddling this kayak that I love, I suddenly noticed it. I was just reaching down to swab out the water behind the flexible back bend. The message in the seat made me stop for a few moments and I wondered, why didn't I notice it before? Harmony in my seat. If it's a brand name. Good choice. I always felt it when I got in. Harmony with this kayak. And, especially, harmony after I learned how to adjust the seat and foot pegs, harmony after I found a paddle or two that I liked to paddle with, harmony after I took some kayaking courses, harmony when I found some good paddle mates, and harmony when I keep exploring and learning. If you don't feel harmony in your kayak, perhaps look deeper. Is it your kayak, the paddle, your technique, your attitude, gear that doesn't work or perform to your needs, your paddle knowledge, your fitness level and diet, the peop...

It's motivating to sunscreen your kayak before a trip, whether it is plastic or fibreglass. I have one of each. For me, it's the only way to get motivated, otherwise I keep putting it off. And I know on a trip, the kayak is going to spend a lot more time in the hot sun. But, it's important to do it properly. There are several different brands of product to sunscreen and protect your kayak. I used Aerospace 303. The kayak also looks beautiful after a proper cleaning and treatment, sometimes even showroom ready. And, I feel better when I'm tripping knowing I've given it some sun protection. It also reminds me to bring my human sunscreen too. Here's a link to my article on sunscreening your kayak and how to do it properly according to the manufacturer's instructions. Sunscreen your kayak! 303 Aerospace Protectant. Time to think about it Happy paddles! The BaffinPaddlr

There are lots of benefits to cleaning out the kayak gear bags before a little trip to cold water. You find stuff! Some of it is necessary stuff. Some of it is stuff you forgot you had. You find out some of what you want and need is hidden somewhere else and you spend hours tracking it down. But finally, the mess is assembled and all the sand and grit is dumped back outside where it belongs. Geez. Look at all this stuff! It's frightening? It's beautiful? It's all good stuff! Now to pare it down and bring as little as possible. And this is all the day tripping gear. The kayak camping gear (sleeping bags, lightweight 2-man tent, pots n' pans, etc.,) are another story and packed away in bins. My paddle partner laughed, "You have a lot of shit down there!" I guess he forgot half of it is his! But what's this? A long lost clementine hiding in one of the gear bags. Perfectly desiccated and preserved and hard as a rock. It has a faint scent of orange fl...

It's St. Patrick's Day. Time to tip our hats goodbye to the ice fishing huts on Lac Deschenes (on the Ottawa River) in Canada's National Capital Region. Today the wind gusts were a wicked 65 km/hr (40 mph) making it hard to hold on to this flimsy green hat from the Dollar Store! The ice fishing huts are all off the lake now, well ahead of spring thaw. Here's a last look at this winter's cozy temporary village on Lac Deschenes with its spattering of quirky little heated ice-fishing huts.  How these small, transportable shelters can harbor heat and not melt a hole in the ice are a mystery to me. Winter recreation on frozen lakes wouldn't be complete without the majestic views of the snow kiters  flying by on windy days. Lonely? Check out the views. The Aylmer Marina and the cities of Gatineau and Ottawa are your next door neighbors. It feels remote, but it's not. Personality. Each hut has its own story. It's tempting to peek into the wi...

At the 10th Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour, Greenland Bound — A Paddler's Pilgrimage won best Sea Kayak film for 2015. I can see why. It has won my heart and given me new paddling inspiration. If you haven't seen it yet, you may want to have a peek: Greenland Bound - A Paddler's Pilgrimage from Ontario Sea Kayak Centre on Vimeo . I've already watched it ten times today. It's such a wonderful story, beautifully shot and narrated. The story follows James Manke and James Roberts as they travel to Qaqortaq, Greenland, to experience the culture and participate in the 2014 Greenland National Kayak Championships. They returned to Canada with gold medals, smiling faces, many happy memories and newfound friends. Dubside is also featured. Do you have a favorite scene or clip from the video?  I certainly do. It's the rolling iceberg that tries to steal the scene from James Roberts as he's competing. Fantastic! Enjoy! You can also find more...

Yes?  No!  Maybe . . . I guess your paddle state-of-mind depends on many internal and external influences. Internal influences may be your own health --- how you are feeling mentally and physically. You come to the water with a good attitude or with pent up stress from daily life and issues you just can't let go of. You may have a sore knee, a tummy ache, or a fit body that feels good all-over. External influences may be the weather and conditions that you consider awful or totally perfect. A shoreline you'd like to land on is too rocky, or is very welcoming with a sandy beach. Many things can affect our paddle state-of-mind and influence our ability to be mindful and enjoy our paddle. What is mindfulness? Mindfulness involves being in the present moment and paying attention with openness, interest, receptivity and without judgement. Practising mindfulness on land can help us be more relaxed paddlers when we hit the water. My next story is up on the Wanderlus...