| We have launched from
Killarney twice and the Key River once. This trip we returned to
Killarney. It is much less crowded there than launching from further
east. See
Georgian Bay 08. No trip to Killarney is complete without a trip to
Herbert Fisheries for some fish & chips. This is quite possibly the best
fish & chips in the world (and you have to go to the end of the world to
get some). We camped in Killarney for the first night, since two of the
|
Since we typically camp with one tent,
I was a bit concerned about finding campsites for three tents. It turned
out to be a non-problem. We found many sites to support multiple tents,
this being one of them. It was the Fourth of July, and here were five
Americans celebrating in Canada. After dinner, we started a fire to
enjoy the clear blue sky, full moon and good friends. I can't think of a
better way to celebrate. Did I mention we had a good stash of wine on
board? NDK Explorers have lots of room for "the essentials". |
paddlers were picking up rental boats the next morning from Killarney
Outfitters.
I was very happy to find that all of
the paddlers were well prepared with good, reliable gear. After packing
the boats and doing one last weather check, we launched from the
Chikanishing River and headed out. We had a leisure paddle along the
outer shore of Philip Edward Island, seeing a few bears and other
wildlife along the way. Soon we came to our first campsite of the trip.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Like I said, we carry all of the comforts.
After breaking camp, we continued our trip east along the south shore of
Philip Edward Island. We had no real goal - just to have fun and enjoy
the paddling and each other. Along the way we paddled by an island where
a small black bear came right to the shoreline. He looked at us for a
bit, then turned and headed back into the brush. About 100 yards further
along, we came upon a campsite with several tents. I don't know if the
campers saw the bear, but the bear definitely saw the campers. The bears
are out there and you need to practice bear country camping to keep them
out of your camp (and tent). It goes without saying that "leave no
trace" camping is the only way to camp in these parts. |
After some exploring, we came to our
second campsite. I was excited to finally be able to try my new Siltarp.
This is a 12 x 12 tarp that folds into the size of a baseball. It is
perfect for camping and is great for maintaining a protected cooking
area. We found out just how great it was as it started raining shortly
after setting it up. Note the use of paddles as poles.
|
This campsite was so nice we decided to
stay two days and explore using this as a base camp. It was raining, but
with a drysuit and a dry hat, who cares? The rain brought wind with it,
and the main lake was getting some larger waves. This campsite provided
good protection and plenty of protected paddling. Did I mention that we
brought wine? We also had enough food for an army, and had hor'deurves
and great meals. |
For this trip we upgraded our tent and
sleeping bag. Note I said sleeping bag (singular). We have been carrying
two bags and zipping them together. We upgraded to a semi-rectangular
down bag (I know - don't get it wet) and a "summer coupler" that zips to
the bottom. It turns out that compressed down (i.e. the stuff you lay
on) does not have much |
Note the fine tuning on the tarp. As the rain started to fall,
technology prevailed. I carry lots of line, and we needed it. We also
brought a thermal water bag that you fill and set in the sun. This was
our shower, and we found a rock that made it the perfect setup.
Unfortunately, the summer of 2009 wasn't exactly warm so we never did
get a hot shower, but we did have some nice lukewarm ones.
 |
| thermal
efficiency. We use inflatable pads, and lying on the pads heats up the
air inside from body heat. This is your insulation between you and the
ground. When we are together, we unzip the bag so it lies flat and use
the coupler. If we are solo, we can use the bag as is. So, we ended up
with one less bag and a great system. Our new tent packs small but has a
vestibule and is large enough to keep everything dry during a rainy day. |
 |
 |
|
My New Tent Setup
|
Anybody Hungry?
|
After two days in this camp, we decided to
head back. The weather forecast wasn't great, with expected high winds
and rain. So, we explored some more and headed west toward Killarney and
the Chikanishing. We stopped for lunch in the Foxes, then continued back
to the take out. We packed up as a couple was provisioning their kayak
for a week of camping. The sky was black out into the lake - a sure sign
that we made the right choice. As we loaded the last bag and jumped into
the car, it started to pour. Perfect timing.
Part one of our trip was over, and we bade or friends farewell as my
wife and I continued to part two of our trip -
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. |
 |