I've kayaked from one city to another a few times, but never from one province to the next. Fortunately I live near the Ottawa River and so kayaking from Ontario to Quebec is pretty simple. Too simple in face, so I decided to add a bit more of a challenge because that's how I roll.
I started off at the beach at
Kitchissippi Lookout on the Ottawa side with the goal of getting as close as I could to the Deschenes Rapids. I've seen them from the road a number of times, and if you look closely in the picture above, you can see them in the distance. The opposite shore is Quebec, in case anyone is keeping track.
Since I wasn't going far (or so I thought!) I didn't bring a lot of supplies or equipment- in hindsight I should have had some water along. It was a much longer trip than I expected and the 30 degree weather wasn't helping. I dehydrated myself pretty good on this one.
From the moment I put the boat in the water I could hear the rapids roaring, and between that and the fact that I could see them, I figured they weren't that far, so I started paddling upstream. Well, as I paddled and paddled and paddled I realized that not only were the rapids further away than I'd expected, they were also MUCH bigger than I expected.
Sadly the photos I did take when I got closer don't really show the enormity of the rapids. In fact, they seem kind of boring in these photos, but trust me, the upper level of the water was above my head as I sat there in my boat, trying desperately to snap photos without being washed away by the current.
It actually wasn't just the current that was the issue- it was mostly the eddies that threatened to turn my boat around or over. Imagine hundreds of people running as fast as they can through a dense forest, and that's what the water was like- dozens of currents whirling about and running into each other, each one feeling like I'd hit a rock as I was tossed from one to the other. This would be a fun place to have a six foot whitewater boat, but this is really not the place to have a 17 foot fiberglass ocean boat!
I'm not sure what these old remains are from- my guess would be some kind of mill, as they used to run a lot of logs through here. But, seeing the water rushing through what's left of whatever this building was was well worth the danger of being in this spot. Sure my boat could flip, but as I was on the downstream side of the rapids the currents would just push me away from the real danger.
I wish I'd gotten closer still so you could really get some perspective on the size of the dropoff. This was more like a small waterfall than simple rapids, and I could see why even the serious whitewater guys in the area have a lot of warnings about their website about them. I can also see why they enjoy playing here though, but again, this is not the kind of place you want to be in a fragile boat, especially when there are so many hazards around.
Luckily I managed to avoid them all, despite them being all over the place.
Still, as you can see, it was well worth it. This was a gorgeous spot and the rapids were amazing.
Once I got safely away from the rapids I headed straight back to the beach since by now I was sweating like crazy and I had to get back in order to take Megan out for lunch. On the right in the above photo is Ottawa, and on the left is Quebec. It was cool being able to be in both provinces pretty much simultaneously.
It was another great trip and fun exploring a new spot is always great fun. The Ottawa River is quite large, and I am certain that this is only the first of many trips to explore it, so get used to seeing the pictures!
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