Exploring

One advantage of not going from campsite to campsite on a steady diet of 20 km. paddles every day, is that we got time to go exploring.  So on day one we went out for a gentle paddle of only a few km, exploring some of the narrow rocky channels that the French River is known for.

Off we went, my favourite reliable paddling buddy in the stern.  Yes that's me with my new Tilly hat.  It's not actually new, it's a replacement for my 40 year old one that died - they have a lifetime guarantee so they sent me a new one!  This was one of those narrow channels where it's hard to avoid hitting the rocks beside you with your paddle.

There were a lot of bright red Red Maple saplings at the water's edge.  The water levels are high this year, and most of these were flooded - but then Red Maples like wet feet.

More of those pine trees and rocks, and if the water's calm, reflections.

We came out of that narrow channel and it opened up into a long narrow marsh, here filled with Smartweed.

More mature Red Maples on the shoreline were a deep purple red.

I tried to get pictures of some of the sedges, rushes and water lilies as we paddled by, but it's amazingly difficult to do so in a moving canoe!

After exploring to the end, eventually we found a different route out to the main channel.

And found some interesting rock formations.  First a wide band of white quartz, and second a good example of how metamorphic rocks get folded at some point in their history.

More bright red Red Maples.

And more rocks and pine trees as we made our way home.

Of course we did manage a GORP break along the way, our traditional mid-morning and mid-afternoon break.  I was responsible for two days worth of GORP breaks, so I made it a little more luxurious than the original 'Good Old Rasins and Peanuts'.