20 September 2011

Entering Quebec

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon as we paddled away from the Parliament buildings of downtown Ottawa. Max Finkelstein accompanied us in his solo canoe, which had once brought him along much of the same route across this amazing country. As I looked back over my shoulder at the trees starting to sparkle gold in the valley, I was reminded just how fortunate we are to travel Canada’s waterways.

Our time in Ottawa proved to be more then just a typical re-supply point. We met up with Andrea McNeil from the Canadian Heritage Rivers Systems, Alex from the other group of canoeists, TranscaEAUda, and loads of other friends and family during our stay. We were also honoured to be welcomed into the home of Max and Connie Finkelstein. Max’s book Canoeing a Continent served as an invaluable resource during our preparations and we had contacted him before the trip for some advice. Having the opportunity to sit and share stories with someone who has been such an inspiration to us was truly a surreal experience.

Even though we had so much fun in Ottawa, getting back on the water always feels like returning back home; where we are most relaxed and comfortable. That being said, the journey between Ottawa and Montreal left our “home” less serene than usual. The heavily populated area forced us to find makeshift campsites on the outskirts of towns, in city parks, or near over passes, blurring the line between camping and homelessness (an ongoing debate in our group).

We enjoyed the sunshine and tailwind that accompanied us on the Ottawa River to the massive Carillon Locks, which lowered our canoes 20 m (65ft). The hydro-dam and present lock at Carillon were built between 1959 and 1963, replacing the 11 locks of the original canal system, and saving us a lot of time!

Once past there, the current slowed a little and we made our way to Lachine, dodging sail and power boats along the way, and meeting up with the St Lawrence briefly before heading into the canal system to bypass the mighty Lachine rapids. Passing the Lachine canoe club we ran into an old sprint kayaking friend of Stephanie and I, and later we were visited by Abby’s friend Jennie Mae Roy who brought us some delicious chocolate chip cookies! Our slow progress through the locks was making us anxious because we had been invited to attend the end of trip celebration for our fellow paddlers Mountains to Montreal. Their expedition had begun around the same time as ours, in Rocky Mountain House, AB and we were fortunate enough to have met up with them a number of times throughout our journey. We wanted to share in their excitement of finishing such a grand adventure, but unfortunately, just before we made it to the meeting spot we got a call from them to say that the event had already wrapped up. We were so disappointed.

We decided to stop in Old Montreal anyway, look around the town a little and of course, get poutines to cheer us up!
Our spirits raised again, we headed out of the city, to find somewhere we would be able to camp.
With the St. Laurence coming in on the right, and the strong currents converging in the center, this was tough water to handle. But we are experienced paddlers, we can handle currents, no problem! Add in some huge yachts, a few power boats zooming towards us in the no wake zone, and an irate speedboat honking and screaming at us, and the situation suddenly seemed out of our league. Where we come from, non-motorized boats have the right of way, but out there what it came down to was: we are small, and they are big. As I met eyes with the man who was driving one speedboat, and shook my head side to side as he smiled at me and sped away leaving the biggest wake I’ve ever seen to crash down on top of us, I knew we had to get out of there and fast! We stopped under the next bridge to calm our nerves, strap in any loose gear, and to make a game plan: stay together, stay close to shore and if you feel uncomfortable head for land. Luckily, after that the river opened up, the boat traffic slowed and we were no longer scared for our lives. So, it was now time to celebrate! We made it to the St Lawrence River!

The next few days we watched the landscape change from prairie flat farm land, to rolling hills and high cliffs We watched the freighters go by, stopping at the massive ports and huge factories along the riverside. We stopped in at the marinas and charming towns of rural Quebec, meeting friendly folks along the way. As we approached Quebec City, the river started to be affected by the tides, limiting our optimal paddling to the 6 hours when the tide was flowing out to sea. This also meant long treks through the muddy tidal flats to pull the boats up at night- a small price to pay for the fortuity of paddling the St Lawrence. Little did we know that the best of this mighty river was yet to come!  <Whitney> 

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