spider solo
New member
Aug 2011
Last year I enjoyed such a nice trip here I wanted to returned this year with my wife to see the "best of the best" from last year and have new explorations for ourselves as well.
Somewhere there should be a trip report kicking around these forums from last year, but just for a idea of the location we were paddling the Cabonga section of the Reserve faunique La Verendrye Quebec
Perhaps it is better described as being north of Montreal and Ottawa, a region of much water but before you get to Hudson Bay (a goal I still dream of paddling)
Last year I came home with stories of Loons gathering in great numbers (96), tracks of Bear and Wolfs as well.
We don't have our pictures ready to post yet, but thought a story or two might be told.
We make the big drive up from NH, get our permits and monies all squared away all in the same day leaving us with 9 days on the water so to speak.
The weather is gorgeous and the water much higher than last year water enough for us to paddle most anywhere we want we just needed the navigation and confidence to paddle to our hearts content.
Day one
on the water proves to be one of the most challenging days for us in ways that had never crossed my mind before.
We take a chance and explore an area that was dry last year, it leads us to a beautiful beach and sandbar with the possibility of a designated campsite. The day is hot and in the blink of an eye my beloved is shedding clothes..well till there are no more clothes to shed.
Miles from nowhere Marilyn, a long time "skinny dipper" is in her glory swimming her cares away.
When lo and behold what do I hear....is that a boat ?
Sure enough, perhaps it is what the ladies have known all along....anytime there is a naked woman some guy is going to show up out of nowhere.
Beyound a doubt this guy has to come to exactly where she is swimming and my wife is not amused...keeping with the family parameters of these forums it is probably best not to quote her at this particular time.
She scrambles up the beach and hurriedly get dressed....somehow the fisherman decides there are no fish that he has to catch after all and heads back from wherever it is he came from.
Ahh we relax talking softly when Splash Splash! Splash ! a bear has burst from the woods and is running across the sandbar to the adjoining island !!
Excellent view !! Near as we can tell he was unaware of us !
(I wrote a bit more about the bear sighting in the general forums section)
Near as I can figure this sandbar is popular with motor boats so though we paddled to this remote spot they can access the water from a different location as it turned out we were hurried and harried as we dragged our boat over the sandbar, people, snarling dogs the whole bit. (I think the people did not expect us to defend ourselves when the dogs came at us)
Moving right along... we paddle a couple of hours to put distance between us and pull into an even more beautiful campsite about 6 in the evening.
The wind is up the next day and I am exhausted from days of hard work getting ready for the trip.
I sleep the day away in a most beautiful location.
..more latter I do want to say though that Marilyn had a personal best of seeing a raft of approx 70 Loons before the trip is over.
Last year I enjoyed such a nice trip here I wanted to returned this year with my wife to see the "best of the best" from last year and have new explorations for ourselves as well.
Somewhere there should be a trip report kicking around these forums from last year, but just for a idea of the location we were paddling the Cabonga section of the Reserve faunique La Verendrye Quebec
Perhaps it is better described as being north of Montreal and Ottawa, a region of much water but before you get to Hudson Bay (a goal I still dream of paddling)
Last year I came home with stories of Loons gathering in great numbers (96), tracks of Bear and Wolfs as well.
We don't have our pictures ready to post yet, but thought a story or two might be told.
We make the big drive up from NH, get our permits and monies all squared away all in the same day leaving us with 9 days on the water so to speak.
The weather is gorgeous and the water much higher than last year water enough for us to paddle most anywhere we want we just needed the navigation and confidence to paddle to our hearts content.
Day one
on the water proves to be one of the most challenging days for us in ways that had never crossed my mind before.
We take a chance and explore an area that was dry last year, it leads us to a beautiful beach and sandbar with the possibility of a designated campsite. The day is hot and in the blink of an eye my beloved is shedding clothes..well till there are no more clothes to shed.
Miles from nowhere Marilyn, a long time "skinny dipper" is in her glory swimming her cares away.
When lo and behold what do I hear....is that a boat ?
Sure enough, perhaps it is what the ladies have known all along....anytime there is a naked woman some guy is going to show up out of nowhere.
Beyound a doubt this guy has to come to exactly where she is swimming and my wife is not amused...keeping with the family parameters of these forums it is probably best not to quote her at this particular time.
She scrambles up the beach and hurriedly get dressed....somehow the fisherman decides there are no fish that he has to catch after all and heads back from wherever it is he came from.
Ahh we relax talking softly when Splash Splash! Splash ! a bear has burst from the woods and is running across the sandbar to the adjoining island !!
Excellent view !! Near as we can tell he was unaware of us !
(I wrote a bit more about the bear sighting in the general forums section)
Near as I can figure this sandbar is popular with motor boats so though we paddled to this remote spot they can access the water from a different location as it turned out we were hurried and harried as we dragged our boat over the sandbar, people, snarling dogs the whole bit. (I think the people did not expect us to defend ourselves when the dogs came at us)
Moving right along... we paddle a couple of hours to put distance between us and pull into an even more beautiful campsite about 6 in the evening.
The wind is up the next day and I am exhausted from days of hard work getting ready for the trip.
I sleep the day away in a most beautiful location.
..more latter I do want to say though that Marilyn had a personal best of seeing a raft of approx 70 Loons before the trip is over.
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