by Jim Fitton
Having spent four weeks in the past four years paddling the Rideau and the Trent-Severn/Murray systems, I have developed some experience (I would not say expertise) in the business of canal crawling, and I would like to share some of this with my fellow kayak enthusiasts. Now, I know that some of you would feel that plying the waters of a canal is not exactly a true outdoor adventure, such as we enjoy on the big lakes. And I do agree with this. In fact, some years back when I belonged to a different group and suggested to the directors that they should consider a trip on the Rideau, I was met with scornful comments about “staying in B and B’s” or “Sunday afternoon recreational paddles.” Without addressing these strictures right now, I would simply point out that the GLSKA annual canal trip has grown yearly in the number of devotees and now attracts some very experienced paddlers.
But is it a Real Kayak Trip?
While the B and B option is rarely available on these trips, it is true that camping at the lock stations is a four star experience, compared to most wilderness camping. The take-outs can be a challenge, particularly where the only options are concrete walls and steep steps to negotiate. However, there are washrooms, potable water, and level lawns to camp on. Moreover, when you are by a big town, there are often restaurants and stores. In fact, one senior canal tripper has been known to eat both dinner and breakfast at the same place when it was located near a lock. Another paddler on one trip chose to call a cab each evening and head for refreshments at the nearest Legion. It is also clear that evacuating a person from these itineraries would be much less difficult than from most areas of the big lakes. Conversely, it can be a challenge to find a lunch stop where there are a lot of cottages. Even pit stops may be difficult. On our last trip one paddler was preparing to attend to the wants of nature when he was rebuked by an officious neighbour to the vacant cottage he had alighted at. Whew! Glad I had finished up and was back in my boat before the pee police arrived. For some parts of these systems the paddling is in fairly sheltered waters with few real crossings. But there are some good sized lakes which can kick up biggish waves. I have had a few anxious moments on each trip, on Big Rideau, on Couchiching, on Balsam, and on the Bay of Quinte.
Timing the Day’s Paddle
One constraint the canal tripper faces is navigating the locks. Our trips have been in the early fall, when the lock opens later and closes earlier than many paddlers would like. Depending on the planned paddle, it may be important to pass through in the afternoon in order to get an early start the next day. Or the camping may be better at the far side of the lock. But even when the group does not need to pass through, they may be unable to reach the lock before closing. In such a case, it is necessary to phone ahead to ask the lock staff to leave the washroom open. Good planning is essential, but also foresight and cell phone access. And there are stretches where there is simply no available public camping. There is a 40 km paddle on the Rideau when the only possible site was not available. On Rice Lake we were hosted at his cottage by a kind GLSKA member. Without this hospitality the trip may not have been possible as the distance from Ashburnham Lock to Hastings Lock must be 60 km. I have heard that the situation is similar for those on Lake Simcoe. It is a pity that the townships do not provide small parks on big lakes, where there are lots of cottages, to accommodate paddlers heading through.
The Romance of Ontario History
Our canals provide a partial look-back at elements of our transportation history. The locks themselves are a reminder of the engineering skills of our forebears. Even if some of the locks have been converted to electric power, many are still manual. There are also all manner of old wooden and metal swivel bridges and some of these are still operational. I recall a large steel bridge on the Severn system which must still be opened and closed to accommodate trains. The Rideau has even some hand-cranked bridges. For one swivel bridge on the Murray Canal, tolls are collected from larger boats using a pouch on a stick! And speaking of the Murray, I was amazed at the remains of so many old railway lines which must have served the interest of commerce before the roads took over. On the Rideau there are also impressive fortifications that remind us of a time when our southern neighbours posed a threat to our security. No doubt many of these features can be enjoyed from the land, but I myself think that the water route provides a unique view.
The Lock Staff
Since the canal travellers are always moving forward there are few opportunities to renew old acquaintances with staff. Peterborough, where we took out in 2014 and put in again in 2015 was the exception, as the same very congenial woman served us two years in a row. She even remembered us and took our picture in each of the two consecutive years. But not all staff are as helpful as this. We arrived at one lock and spoke to the staff, impressing on her our desire to be gone early next day. But next morning we waited and waited, only to learn that she had phoned in sick belatedly. Must have been a kayak hater! This would be a hurried day with eight locks to pass through. But it was to prove to be our unlucky day with staff again as, at the final lock; the man gave us the washroom key and promptly switched off the water before disappearing incommunicado. Fortunately, a cottager nearby had some to spare. We did have our revenge on the system, as we left early the next day and did not pay the prescribed fee. It seemed that the lock staff were always able to locate the nearest junk food outlets but could be astonishingly ignorant of where to take the kayaks out at their own lock, or where there were nearby lunch stops on the canal or river.
Mutinies and Potential Mutinies
Mutinies come in all shapes and sizes. There are the bouts of festering discontent and there are the full-fledged revolts, such as led to the death of Henry Hudson on his last voyage in the Canadian north. We have experienced both on our canal jaunts. Now, on our last trip a sudden rebellion did occur. A long paddle and we pull into what the leader has planned to be the second last lock. Unknown to the boss, the crew begin to question the lock staff about local facilities and ascertain that there are restaurants located near this lock but not at the next lock. The crew remonstrate with the captain but he is adamant: we must proceed on. Then suddenly a voice blurts out, “But there’s a bar nearby.” Well, you have never seen a general change his battle plan so quickly!
Boat Traffic
The annual GLSKA canal trip has, for four years now, taken place in the early fall, shortly before the closing of the systems on Thanksgiving. At this time the boat traffic is much less than it would be in the height of summer. It is generally recommended in brochures that the “shoulder seasons” are the best time for paddlers to tackle the canals. We encountered very little in the way of big boats on our trips and met very few other paddlers, too. Lots of fishermen on the weekends and hunters on one trip, but few recreational boats. The disadvantage, mentioned above, is that the lock hours are shorter. We also found that, on the Rideau, the big rafts which are provided to assist paddlers in docking were being pulled out of the water in preparation for the coming winter.
Logistics
These are linear trips and necessitate car shuttling. Finding a place to park in the big towns where the trip starts and ends can be a challenge. We have parked at marinas, church parking lots and at campgrounds. On one trip, we paid a tripper’s acquaintance to drive us back to the start where cars were parked. These arrangements require resourcefulness and foresight, as no one wants to deal with unexpected delays at the end of a trip. On one trip we all felt sorry for the paddler who arrived too late to take advantage of the car shuttle and ended up paying for a whole week of camping at a provincial park just to park his car there!
The Future
We have now paddled the main canals of Ontario and will need to look further afield to try a new canal. There is the Erie Canal. It is of a good length, but I have heard that it is a true canal, and possibly too canal-like to appeal to those of us who love the Ontario canals simply because they are not very canal-like, in that they join up lots of natural rivers and lakes, and so provide a varied experience for the paddler. We might have to go much further afield. Or perhaps we will go back and work our way through the list again. In any case, I am now a canal addict, an affliction I share with an increasing number of fellow sufferers.