Black River April 2009 - Hastings County Ontario

David and Rob run this class three rapid in a narrow technical canyon on the upper Black River. The week before it was a portage but a little less water made it a great run. The Black is an advanced level whitewater river. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Right - A turkey vulture swoops over the Black River. Hopefully it wasn't waiting to feed on us, thinking we wouldn't make it down the next rapid alive. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Right-Ted and I scout the first canyon on the upper Black. Ted Arie Heather and I ran the river that day and the water was high! in this picture Ted and I are arguing over what line to take. Photo by Heather McGeorge
Ted and I getting lined up to run the first canyon while a white blanket of snow lies on the forest floor. Photo Arie Vander Reyden

Arie and I spinning around in an eddy. This river requires a lot of technical maneuvers.
Photo (c) Ted Baird 2009

Ted and Heather get sucked into a huge hole that almost dumped Arie and I.
Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

No way they can save this one now. Heather is still trying to low brace but Ted has just dropped his paddle. Heather bashed her elbow on a rock which gave her a bad cut while both of their paddles snapped in half, all on this dump. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

A small brook pours into a raging rapid on the Black. We portaged this one but the next week it was a great run. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

The upper Black flows through many small rugged canyons where the Canadian Shield dips South into Hastings County. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Arie is bundled up on a chilly April morning. Because of our late put in we camped along the upper river. There are a couple good sites in this stretch but almost all of it is on private property, which we didn't know at the time. The upper and lower can be run in a day, it's about a nine hour paddle in canoes. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Ted and Heather front ferry into an eddy.
Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Ted and I run a challenging, technical, and big rapid on the lower Black. This one was a lot of fun! Photo by Arie Vander Reyden

This is the last big rapid before hwy #7 crosses the river just east of Madoc Ontario. Photo by Arie Vander Reyden

The Black River in Hastings County is a heart pounding challenge for canoeists. The river is mostly run by kayakers. This is a good place to start the season because it is ice free sooner than rivers further north.

Learn more at http://www.canoebeyond.com/

Petawawa River - Cedar Lake to Lake Traverse - May 2009

My friend Marty and I paddled the Pet this spring. I was originally going to solo but Marty heard I was going at the last second and joined in. This shot is of Bypass Falls on the Petawawa. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Sophie plays with a stick as we wait out the heavy winds on Cedar Lake. The beginning of our trip saw us paddling in strong winds and huge whitecaps. We were the only canoe on the lake. Later we heard that another group tried to paddle that day but they all got blown away from each other and separated. We waited until the waves were a lot smaller before we left the island, but as we paddled we were pushed by a very strong tailwind. The waves weren't to big for us to control the boat when we started surfing. This was the best time I have ever made in a canoe. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

White caps break on Cedar Lake. Capturing the size of the waves in a photo is hard. when they were at there biggest we found it easier to have the wind and waves hit us on the side as opposed to having the wind at our backs. When the wind and waves were coming from behind we would go into uncontrollable surfs where we came close to breaching. Also when a large white cap broke under us our canoe sunk in the frothy whitecap and we took in water. After that happened we made a beeline for shore and ended up at the island. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

This was Marty's first white water trip and he couldn't believe that we were already in so much danger on the lake before we even got to a rapid!

Right- Marty stands on an old rail bridge. The line is no longer in use but at one time was the only way to access Algonquin Park where the Petawawa River flows. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Calm water on Radiant Lake was a delight, especially after surviving the monster rollers on Cedar. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Left- This falls lies a short distance up the Crow River, a tributary to the Petawawa that enters on the south shore giving the river even more volume. I caught a huge smalll mouth bass here while fishing for brook trout, I threw it back quickly because it wasn't season. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Sophie (dog) and Marty inspect a cave at the bottom of a riverside cliff.

We didn't get the best weather, it snowed once, but it could have been a lot worse. the water was high and Marty was game to run all the class three and three pluses, which we did. We dumped once when we attempted something that was a little over our heads but we were fine. It was a great trip. I headed for the Pukaskwa a day after I got back. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

To learn more about the Petawawa and see some whitewater pictures go to www.canoebeyond.com

The Pukaskwa - May 2009

Above -Ted and Arie run this class three drop, typical of the Pukaskwa River. Photo (c) Jim
Baird 2009

Left - Ted stands in the boat house at Naturally Superior Adventures which sits right at the mouth of the Michipiciton River. The old boat house is now useless due to the drastic drop in Lake Superiors water level and damming up river. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Below- Our truck in Lake Superior Provincial Park. We stoped to stretch our legs at Old Woman Bay on our way to Wawa Ontario from Sault Ste Marie. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Laflures Dam at night. This is an old logging dam built around 1920. The slow shutter speed shot was illuminated by the large bonfire we made to dry out some cloths. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Arie looking out over Lake Superior. We Paddled seventy kilometers along the coast after we finished the river.

On this posting I have left out all the good images and stories from this trip in an effort not to spoil the May 2010 issue of Ontario Out of Doors Magazine who is covering our trip story. A full feature article is currently available in issue #4 of Kype Magazine.

Learn more about the outdoors at http://www.canoebeyond.com/

Temagami River - August 2009

Top two images - Ted and I run Ragged Chute on the Temagami River. Just for the hell of it we brought along a spray deck to run this one along with a couple other big drops on the last day.They could have been run open boat if unloaded. The majority of the rapids on the river are class two's. Some are technical and are a fun challenge to run in an open loaded boat. Photos by Heather McGeorge. Island falls on the Temagami River is a beautiful place. We decided to make camp late that day so we could bask in the warm evening glow while relaxing beside the falls. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Left - A family of mergansers. We saw these guys while ducking (no pun intended) in behind some islands to avoid the strong winds on Wasaksina
Lake. We began our trip at Tetapaga Creek which is much less busy than the other starting point at the Lake Temagami access point. The creek brought us into Iceland Lake where we continued on paddling through lakes heading south towards the river. The route has a lot of flat water paddling for a river trip. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

I caught this nice small mouth bass on Cross Lake with a spinner. The fish snapped the cheap rod I was using. Photo (c) Ted Baird 2009

Right - An osprey nest silhouetted by dramatic clouds on Cross Lake. Cross Lake is long and can be a tough paddle when the winds aren't in your favor. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

I caught these nice pickerel on a Rapala minnow lure while fishing the river at the base of a dam. It's hard to tell from the picture but the big one is about three pounds. Nothing tastes better than delicious melt-in-your-mouth pickerel fillets coated with Fish Crisp and pan fried in lots of oil.
Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Making camp in the evening. Looks like we had enough gear for a three week trip. We paddled the route in five days. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Right - Tall white pines make up the skyline in the Temagami District. Less logging pressure in the area has made it famous for its huge pines. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Brad, What a character! Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

A loggers grave stands alone at the base of Island Falls, reminding us to travel with caution. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

The Temagami River is an intermediate trip with mostly class two rapids. Because the river is dam controlled higher water levels exist and make the river runable at any time of the season.

To learn more about this trip and others go to http://www.canoebeyond.com/

Bushwhacking With Deer Flies, Jim Baird's Wanderings - July 2009

My aunt, uncle, brother and I wanted to do a little exploring in an area we had not spent much time in before. After paddling and portaging we aimed our compass for a small lake off in the bush. The first kilometer was up a steep hill but we were rewarded with a beautiful view which included the lake we left our canoe at. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Left- Looking out across the lush forests of this crown land area, southeast of Bancroft Ontario. Photo (c) Jim Baird 2009

Above -left to right, uncle Steve, aunt Peggy and myself enjoy the breeze this hill top provided on a hot and buggy July day. Photo by Ted Baird

Right- Steve having fun while on the trek. Photo by Jim Baird

The deer flies were so bad this day that at times it seemed like they would block out the sun. Here's Steve, Peggy, Bonnie (dog) and I heading down hill. We made it to the lake for a little fishing swimming and lunch, then turned around and headed home. Photo (c) Ted Baird 2009

Bass Fishing, Summer 2009 - Jim Baird wets a line

Left - Ted with a couple of beauties, small mouth bass are great fighters pound for pound

I caught this monster small mouth using a slip bob and a large minnow at about fifteen feet deep. The fish weighed in at three pounds.

To catch this fish I sat on a dock repeatedly throwing my Rapala minnow lure out again and again with my bait caster. I didn't get as much as a nibble for forty-five minutes, when wham!! I felt a strike so hard it almost ripped the rod out of my hand. The beautiful small mouth made two breathtaking leaps before my brother Ted showed up with the net to land this monster. The fish weighed in at five pounds, that's huge for small mouth bass. I let the beautiful fish go after the weigh in and a couple pics. watching it swim away, propelling its chunky body with powerful strokes gave me even more respect for this fish. The big ones breed at a higher rate and they also pass on their gens which in turn produce more large fish. Keep the big ones and you'll stunt the size of the fish in the lake.

This day saw us portage a fair distance to a little known bass lake. We were at the tail end of a cold front and the fish weren't biting much. Never the less we caught a couple. Ted hoists this pound-and-a- halfer while Heather grins with approval.

What is it about the site and sound of running water that draws us in?

As we left, our surroundings were painted with that beautiful golden evening glow.

This nice small mouth put up such a good fight that it snapped my rod. I caught it on Cross Lake in the Temagami District using a spinner. I figure the fish was a few ounces under two and a half pounds.

As another successful day of fishing came to an end the drizzling rains of a sun shower dwindled and this rainbow appeared, arching from one side of the lake to the other.

Left -Dramatic clouds paint the sky on this late July evening

After travelling up a tributary, though some arrowheads, and over a beaver dam, I nabbed this nice large mouth with a Rapala minnow lure. Too bad I lost the monster I had hooked ten minutes earlier while fishing with a floating jig head and a large minnow.

I had more luck with Rapala lures this year than ever before.

"Rainbow Bass" I hoist a couple nice large mouth

Ted and I catch our limit, five bass each, we often practice catch and release but this day we had our family to feed and we were under strict orders to deliver a fish fry.

To learn more about canoeing camping and fishing see http://www.canoebeyond.com/ and make the best of your time in the outdoors.