DogPaddle Posted September 19, 2004 Posted September 19, 2004 So we are going canoe tripping/portaging/camping. We will be gone 5 nights. We will be in tents at night, no facilities, no cooler etc and about a day and half paddle/portage from nearest road access on average. Kavik I have taken on trips before and he is ok. Zaphod I have not taken. I am going with another woman who is fairly competant and likes my dogs. Its later in the year so the dogs tipping the canoe is a bit more of a problem than if it we warmer/full summer. Here is the forcast: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/Pages/CAON0394.htm Basically 11 C (52 F) overnight and 23 C (74 F) during the day, no forcasted rain. And just in case your interested here is where we are going: http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/mass.html http://home.golden.net/~bcaron/massasauga.html I'll try to figure out how to post a picture for you in just a sec. Quote
DogPaddle Posted September 19, 2004 Author Posted September 19, 2004 These are all pictures from the Bluewater site listed above. Best site for planning a trip to The Massausaga. I love it, sooo beautiful! Quote
bgb699 Posted September 19, 2004 Posted September 19, 2004 :o WOW! And I thought my neck o' the woods was beautiful...that is absolutely gorgeous! Im glad youre having good weather for your trip..have fun, be safe! Quote
DogPaddle Posted September 19, 2004 Author Posted September 19, 2004 Thanks. The weather is pretty good. I like the cooler nights and the days aren't too warm for portaging - we may even brave a short swim. Quote
Malamum Posted September 19, 2004 Posted September 19, 2004 Wow that looks just gorgeous - I am sooo jealous. I say take Zaphod. You never know he may totally surprise you and be on his best behaviour. If Kaviak is generally good on trips like that Zaphod may follow his lead and do as he does. Quote
Horsefeathers! Posted September 19, 2004 Posted September 19, 2004 I say leave the dogs at home and take ME! [quote name='Malamum']I say take Zaphod. You never know he may totally surprise you and be on his best behaviour. If Kaviak is generally good on trips like that Zaphod may follow his lead and do as he does. Actually, I think that's pretty dang good advice. In my experience, the best teacher a dog can have is another, well behaved dog that can lead by example. That is, of course, unless your well behaved dogs forget all about their manners and training and get totally stoopit following the lead of a "free spirit" (yeah, call it what you want). Nah, your dogs are probably normal and will likely do fine. 8) Seriously, the best life lessons any of my dogs have ever learned came from senior dogs, so I say go for it! :kciuki: Quote
DogPaddle Posted September 19, 2004 Author Posted September 19, 2004 HF - Your welcome to come, all ya need is to find a way to get up to Canada by Monday afternoon. Oh and it would be better if you knew how to canoe or if not that you better know how to swim. :lol: Quote
Horsefeathers! Posted September 19, 2004 Posted September 19, 2004 Uh, no, but thanks for thinking of me enough to ask. :P Quote
DogPaddle Posted September 19, 2004 Author Posted September 19, 2004 :lol: I invite everyone to come when they ask about my trips. Strangely, I've not had one person take me up on it who wasn't already a canoeist. I guess the prospect of travelling into the bush, sometimes carrying a canoe that may way up to 70lbs plus all your gear and food, paddling and travelling as much as 18k/day and having no toilet, somehow puts people off. I guess it doesn't sound like much of a vacation but I LOVE it, only way to see some of this country properly IMO. Quote
DogPaddle Posted September 19, 2004 Author Posted September 19, 2004 Required reading regarding the no toilet thing. How to Shit in the Woods: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art Up Shit Creek: A Collection of Horrifyingly True Wilderness Toilet Misadventures You must also learn to use these words: thunderbox, cathole and open-air-lat. Quote
imported_Kat Posted September 19, 2004 Posted September 19, 2004 Its a beautiful place and I think if you are sure that both dogs will be trusted and behave, then they will have a great time with you too :wink: Quote
Malamum Posted September 19, 2004 Posted September 19, 2004 DP, I would jump at that sort of holiday it sounds great to me. I have never canoed before but I have been kayaking and I had a great time doing that. I was even crazy enough to enter a 14km race with hardly any experience and I thought my arms were going to fall off by the end :wink: I have also been camping on the beach with no facilities so the toilet thing doesn't put me off, so count me in..... just need to get to the other side of the world :wink: Quote
Daisysmom Posted September 19, 2004 Posted September 19, 2004 I would take the dogs. Watching them have a great time will add to your fun too. Just beautiful picutres........... Quote
DogPaddle Posted September 19, 2004 Author Posted September 19, 2004 Malamum - Getting halfway around the world before I leave town tomorrow might be tricky. :lol: Sounds like you would enjoy it though. I have decided to take the boys, bought Zaphod a pack, Kavik already has one. Taking them to the vet just before we head out tomorrow. Got reflective strips for their collars. Getting very excited now. We are taking a camera and we should be able to get up to 300 digital pictures. I'll just post some when I get back. :lol: Quote
MajiesMom Posted September 20, 2004 Posted September 20, 2004 OH COOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Magic would die! Oh, she would l-o-v-e to go camping, she loves the outdoors and the lake. You guys can pee in the bushes together. :lol: Can't wait to see pics!!!! Quote
DogPaddle Posted September 20, 2004 Author Posted September 20, 2004 You guys can pee in the bushes together. icon_lol.gif Can't wait to see pics!!!! :o Quote
MajiesMom Posted September 20, 2004 Posted September 20, 2004 [quote name='DogPaddle']You guys can pee in the bushes together. icon_lol.gif Can't wait to see pics!!!! :o LOL :lol: I can't wait to see pictures of your trip, not of you and your dogs peeing in the bushes. :P Quote
kendalyn Posted September 20, 2004 Posted September 20, 2004 the prospect of travelling into the bush, sometimes carrying a canoe that may way up to 70lbs plus all your gear and food, paddling and travelling as much as 18k/day and having no toilet, somehow puts people off. Hey I am more than ready to join you! As long as you guys don't pack Farina in for breakfast. That stuff makes me puke! Do you guys use an aluminum or wood canoe? I've used both and while the woody is way prettier, I'd rather portage an aluminum any day of the week. You must also learn to use these words: thunderbox, cathole and open-air-lat. We always call it a biffy :lol: I've heard of thunderbox and open-air-lat but never cathole! I'd take both dogs. It would be a good warm up because 5 days on trail is a relatively short trip. Do you keep them on leash during portages? Will they pull on the leash? If so, who handles the dogs while you're portaging? I'm assuming it's not the person carrying the canoe. I'm fairly decent at portaging a canoe but I don't think I could handle it with two dogs pulling on me. Of course, maybe you're excellent at it and can handle both... About how many rods will your portages be? Quote
DogPaddle Posted September 20, 2004 Author Posted September 20, 2004 MajiesMom - Right, pictures of the trip I can do. :lol: Kendalyn - Usually I rent a kevlar canoe as they weigh only 45-55 lbs. I would love to own a carbon-kevlar - they are stronger and weigh less but they are really expensive. This year to save money we are borrowing a friends fibreglass canoe. I agree the wood canoes are beautiful, my friend had a cederstrip - unbelievably pretty, glides nice too put a true pig to portage. We aren't taking Farina, we are taking mostly gorp, same bagles, cheese (waxed) apples, protein bars and our dinners, thank dog for tuna pouches. Oooh and I made my own jerkey. :D Cathole isn't actually a thunderbox/open-air-lat/biffy - you have to dig your own cathole sometimes. I think we are doubling the canoe, I usually solo it for portages but the woman I am going with is not keen on that. When I took Kavik, my brother soloed the canoe and the light clothing/bedding pack and I took the rest and Kavik. I always leash on portages - some people are afraid of dogs and I don't want to freak them out. They pull some but I'm hoping to waist leash them and use their forward momentum. :lol: Also I don't want to bring their prong collars. I have packs for both of them so they can carry their own food, maybe that will slow them down some. All of our portages are listed in metres not rods. We picked this route because there are just a few short portages but more challanging paddling - more rough water - its a series of islands and channels in Georgian Bay which is off of Lake Huron. Our longest portage is around 500m this trip - I think that is about 100 rods. On an average trip we try to keep the longest portage to 1500m so 300 rods, however, I want to do the Bonfeild-Dickson portage in Algonquin sometime - 5250 m or 1043 rods I think. :D I am so not doubling that one, one trip. :D Anyway I'm off today, talk to you all later. Quote
kendalyn Posted September 21, 2004 Posted September 21, 2004 Awesome idea on the Kevlar! I've never used one but I could love to. If I were going to buy a canoe, that would be it. :) Doubling is probably a good idea with the dogs along. It will give you a little extra assurance as portaging a canoe is mostly a balance issue and not weight. I wish I could go!!!!! I've only ever been to the Boundary Waters canoeing. I love it up there though. If you haven't been, think about planning a trip. I want to do the Bonfeild-Dickson portage in Algonquin sometime - 5250 m or 1043 rods I think. I am so not doubling that one, one trip. Holy Smokes! 320 rods = 1 mile so about 200 rods = 1 km. That's longer than any portage I've done. Yeah, most surely a one tripper. How much more do you feed the dogs when they're on trail? Quote
DogPaddle Posted September 25, 2004 Author Posted September 25, 2004 I'm back. Kendalyn - I offer the dogs a bit less kibble but supplement with whatever I'm eating. Funny thing is they eat very little no matter how much I offer - too busy I guess. :D Trip was great. Wonderful weather, we swam everyday, the trees had just started turning when we arrived, we slept outside (no tent) on the last night, photos when I recover. Good news - Zaphod is perfect in the canoe and excellent around the site. Bad news - Zaphod is spaz on the portages and is afraid of people portaging canoes and appears aggressive towards other dogs and children on trail! Also we shorted our trip by half a day because Kavik sliced his toepad up. He appears to be ok right now - more info later. Quote
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