Our canoe cart has a long history with us, and with this history many adventures. It is a piece of equipment we could not do without. We acquired this cart from a young man who thanked us for assisting him with his financial situation. We had previously rented a canoe cart for an excursion and mentioned to the young man how easy it was to reach our portage by pushing the cart down an old abandoned logging road to reach our designated water system. As gratitude, we were presented with a collapsible canoe cart with removable wheels. So begins our attachment to our canoe cart.
The cart made the logistics simple for us to do certain trips. On an outing with one of our granddaughters, we placed our canoe on the cart and walked to the Wolfe Island Ferry. Avoiding the long vehicle line, we stood and waited our turn with other pedestrians and cyclists to board the ferry, eager to start our adventure. The deckhand informed us he had never loaded a canoe onto the ferry on a cart before. After conversing with his supervisor, he said it was similar to a bicycle so parking it with the other cyclists was easy. Once at Wolfe Island, we made our way to the shoreline, disassembled and stowed the cart. We set out to paddle back to Kingston, but not before spending the night in our tent at Cedar Island, one of the many islands of the Saint Lawrence Islands National Park system.
Some time ago someone thought they needed our cart more than we did and attempted to hide it in order to steal it from us while we were on a backcountry outing. We did find it after many hours of persistent searching. Now, whenever we are on an outing we always lock it to a tree, off the trail, with a bicycle chain.
The cart served us well on our cross-Canada canoe trip as we navigated in and out of waterways that were obstructed by large hydroelectric dams contained within massive fenced-in areas. We relentlessly carted down roadways on days that were too windy to be safe on the water on the east coast and in western Canada to push and pull our canoe over the Rocky Mountain range.
From years of usage, the canoe cart tires and tubes have been changed. The paint has faded, it is worn and battered-looking (much like us) but it still works well, ready to take us on more adventures!
Biscotasing Lake Canoe Trip
Biscotasing Lake in northern Ontario, approximately a four-hour drive north of Sudbury, is where our next adventure will start. From Kevin Callan’s book ‘Top 60 Canoe Routes of Ontario’ we singled out a route that will take us to an area of crown land that we have not traversed before. The portages are not marked or maintained and we expect to do a little bushwhacking to get from one lake to another – but that is all part of the adventure of discovering new places. We may wander off the route to a scenic neighbouring lake or water system to take in the beauty of a special spot for a couple of days – who knows we may find another favourite place to paddle!
Canoe for Change: A Journey Across Canada
If you have not already purchased a copy of our recently published book or you would like to buy a copy for your family and/or friends, follow this link to our website Canoe for Change.ca
Last month we wrote a blog called ‘The Missing Canoe’. Since that time, Zack at Frontenac Outfitters has produced a fun video explaining some practical safety recommendations. For those interested, check out the YouTube video! “Zack shows you the 5 things you need to be ‘legal’ on the water, along with some items that actually help keep you safe on the water”. You can purchase your safety equipment at Frontenac Outfitters, and while you are there, pick up a copy of our book from their shelf as well!
Buy BookWelcome to our blog! You have received our blog because you are a friend or supporter of Canoe for Change! Email us if you have any questions or comments. We would love to hear from you!
Contact Us