next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0359_01CA1DFB.E03C1070 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I had to be in Shelburne briefly for work on Friday morning, so I = decided to take my time getting back to the valley. In fact, I tied a = canoe to the roof of my car and arranged to meet a friend for an = afternoon of Shelburne County bushwhacking. My friend Danny is trying to paddle every named lake in Shelburne County = in his home-made 14 foot cedar-strip canoe, so he wanted to head for a = few lakes he'd not yet visited. You can see some of his photos at: = http://www.panoramio.com/user/1641644 The plan was to start on Highway 103 just east of Jordan Falls and to = follow Ogden's Creek to Mud Lake, Hayden Lake, Ogden Lake, then into the = Atlantic and up Jordan Bay.=20 "Will there be any water in that creek in August," I asked, skeptical. = "Oh yeah," he said. "Should be some." I didn't believe him, but I went = anyway. I like wading canoes up and down streams. Wading would have been a luxurious! Instead we spent 7 hours travelling = about 7 km, better than half of which we spent carrying, sliding and = manhandling our two canoes over rocks from puddle to puddle. This wasn't = low water; this was *NO* water. There were moments when the absurdity of = the two of us wrestling canoes down that waterless creek took on a = quality reminiscent of a Beckett play. Might have been easier to have = thrown the canoe into the woods and just admitted that we were walking. But it was beautiful in there and the day was astonishing. There were a = startling number of frogs, seemingly hopping out from under our every = step -- Greens, Woods, Leopards, and toads too. There were dragonflies = of all shapes, sizes and colours, and many different spiders. I saw a = set of perfectly formed raccoon tracks in the mud. When we finally made = one of the lakes, we saw a nice Garter snake out for a swim. There were = a couple of derelict, illegal cat snares on trees felled across the = creek. It was hard to hear the birds for all the racket we made with our = thrashing, and we were pretty intent on watching our footing in the = rocks, but I managed to notice or hear mallards, chickadees, and song = sparrows.=20 Anyway, when we finally reached the road along Jordan Bay at mid evening = we decided that we'd better cut the trip short -- daylight would soon be = lost, we were hungry and thirsty, and I still had to drive home to = Wolfville. I'd rubbed the red paint clean off the canvas on the bottom = of my canoe, but that's not really news and is quickly fixed. I hear a = lot of talk about the Slow Food movement; I suppose this is the Slow = Canoe movement. Best regards, Andrew Steeves Wolfville ------=_NextPart_000_0359_01CA1DFB.E03C1070 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6001.18294" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>I had to be in Shelburne briefly for work on Friday = morning,=20 so I decided to take my time getting back to the valley. In fact, I tied = a canoe=20 to the roof of my car and arranged to meet a friend for an=20 afternoon of Shelburne County bushwhacking.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>My friend Danny is trying to paddle every named = lake in=20 Shelburne County in his home-made 14 foot cedar-strip canoe, so=20 he wanted to head for a few lakes he'd not yet visited. = You can=20 see some of his photos at: </FONT><FONT size=3D2><A=20 href=3D"http://www.panoramio.com/user/1641644">http://www.panoramio.com/u= ser/1641644</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>The plan was to start on Highway 103 just east of=20 Jordan Falls and to follow Ogden's Creek to Mud Lake, = Hayden=20 Lake, Ogden Lake, then into the Atlantic and up Jordan = Bay.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>"Will there be any water in that creek in August," I = asked,=20 skeptical. "Oh yeah," he said. "Should be some." </FONT><FONT size=3D2>I = didn't=20 believe him, but I went anyway. I like wading canoes up and down=20 streams.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Wading would have been a luxurious! Instead we spent = 7 hours=20 travelling about 7 km, better than half of which we spent=20 carrying, sliding and manhandling our two canoes over = rocks from=20 puddle to puddle. This wasn't low water; this was *NO* water. There were = moments=20 when the absurdity of the two of us wrestling canoes down that = waterless creek took on a quality reminiscent of a Beckett play. = Might have=20 been easier to have thrown the canoe into the woods and just admitted = that we=20 were walking.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>But it was beautiful in there and the day was=20 astonishing. There were a startling number of frogs, = seemingly hopping out=20 from under our every step -- Greens, Woods, Leopards, and toads = too. There=20 were dragonflies of all shapes, sizes and colours, and many different = spiders. I=20 saw a set of perfectly formed raccoon tracks in the mud. When we = finally=20 made one of the lakes, we saw a nice Garter snake out for a swim. = There=20 were a couple of derelict, illegal cat snares on trees felled = across=20 the creek. It was hard to hear the birds for all the racket we made with = our=20 thrashing, and we were pretty intent on watching our footing in the = rocks,=20 but I managed to notice or hear mallards, chickadees, and song = sparrows. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Anyway, when we finally reached the road along = Jordan Bay at=20 mid evening we decided that we'd better cut the trip short -- = daylight=20 would soon be lost, we were hungry and thirsty, and I still had to drive = home to=20 Wolfville. I'd rubbed the red paint clean off the canvas on the bottom = of my=20 canoe, but that's not really news and is quickly fixed. I hear a lot of = talk=20 about the Slow Food movement; I suppose this is the Slow Canoe=20 movement.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Best regards,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Andrew Steeves</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Wolfville</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0359_01CA1DFB.E03C1070--
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects