The Happy Camper: Magical Mystery Tour, Part 1
I hadn’t a clue where Andy was taking us for our next canoe (mis)adventure—and I liked it.
I usually plan the trips and Andy graciously tags along. Not this time. He packed the maps, picked me up, drove west, then east, then north—confusing me the entire time. He was having fun with the roll-reversal…maybe too much fun. Andy even blindfolded me while we arrived at the put-in.
The route ended up being in Georgian Bay. We paddled from the Key River south to Snug Harbour. It’s a great stretch of big water, and we had set aside a full eight days. The trip itself, in calm waters, could be done in five days. However, the Bay is moderate version of Lake Superior—minus the deadly cold water. Being windbound can be commonplace and adding on a few extra days lessens the anxiety.
I should have pieced things together before we reached Georgian Bay. I packed as if we had to portage. We always portage. I dehydrated the meals, brought lightweight gear, minimized the whiskey supply and even second-guessed bringing a small camp chair. Andy arrived to pick me up with his 18-foot Nova Craft ABS Prospector. That’s a heavy canoe for portaging. He also had a massive, extra-comfy Therm-a-Rest sleeping mat and an over-sized lawn chair strapped to his pack.
Andy’s reason for choosing Georgian Bay was simple enough. Both him and I had never paddled that stretch—and the route had no portages. Andy refused to plan a trip this season that had portages. I guess it made sense, since the last trip I took him on was Algonquin’s Meanest Link—which had 93 portages, measuring 68 kilometres.
Check out the first video of the series…and there’s more to come.
