by Leanne Hanna
My first experience with kayak tripping began after picking up my rental kayak and driving out to Pete’s Place in Massasauga Provincial Park. I’d been introduced to kayaking a year before at an introductory course in the pool at McMaster University. I’d enjoyed it, but had been unable to go on more than a few guided day-trips since then due to a lack of time and experienced paddling partners.
At the landing, I met the trip leaders, Keith Rodgers and Jim Mark, as well as some of the other participants, all of whom helped me pack and launch my boat. I was grateful for the help, particularly with launching because I’d never done it by myself before and didn’t want to start my first trip upside down and underwater.
We set off in the early afternoon with the wind behind us. I progressed quite slowly at first, and in a rather zigzag pattern, as I learned to manoeuvre the rudder of my boat. I wondered why everyone else seemed to be effortlessly moving so much faster than I was. However, back on the water after a quick lunch stop, I began to feel more comfortable: twisting my torso with each stroke seemed to increase my speed. In some of the more open sections of water we encountered some small waves and I was surprised at how stable I felt in the kayak.
After a few minor detours, or exploring as we preferred to call it, we arrived at our campsites on Sharpe Island. Camp was set up quickly and I spent a little time reading before dinner. It was interesting to see the wide variety of meals prepared: the food ranged from simple fare like my own pasta and chickpeas, to more gourmet meals, and even a chocolate cake! In the evening, constant winds kept the biting insects away, but also made things rather chilly, so we all gathered around a campfire; I didn’t mind – I prefer cold weather to swarms of mosquitoes any day.
The next morning, we were on the water by 10 a.m., paddling against some fairly strong winds to Wreck Island, where we had lunch and went for a walk. We were lucky to have an expert in forest ecology among us: Terry Carleton could identify seemingly any tree, plant or moss. From him, we learned a lot of interesting ecological facts relating to the native species, such as the symbiotic relationship between conifers and certain types of fungi, and I was reminded of my love of biology. We ended our excursion with an exploration of the unusual rock formations along the shore of the island.
When we returned to the campsites, Johanna Wandel, with the second half the new trippers group – those who began their trip on Saturday – had arrived and were setting up camp. The three sites we had booked were large and had no difficulty accommodating the 18 of us. The night that followed was filled with still more conversation, a warm fire, hot drinks, and another tasty chocolate cake.
Just before leaving on Sunday morning, Harold Stahl spotted a Massasauga rattler not far from our campsite and called everyone over to have a look. The snake was timid and rattled defensively as we approached. I was glad for the opportunity to see one of these rare snakes for the first time.
The paddle back to the marina was pleasant and sunny. With a little help, I reattached the kayak back onto the roof of my car and headed home, looking forward to more kayaking trips in the future.