Canoeing: the Old Ausable Channel

Frankie and I returned to the Pinery Provincial Park to camp with Mary and Keith for our fourth consecutive Memorial Day weekend.  The park is located on the eastern shore of Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario, and it is a really special place.  Mary and Keith always make reservations months in advance, and secure a fantastic camp site with a private path to the beach.  The facilities are top notch, and the oak savannas are an unusual ecosystem that provide habitat for plants not commonly found in the northern hardwood and succesional communities near my home.  I truly treasure our time here.  This year was a little different because Mary is suffering grievous knee pain.  X-rays have showed that both knees are bone-on-bone, and recent steroid shots didn't seem to help much.  I suggested canoeing or kayaking as a way to get outside together without Mary having to be on her feet the entire time.

The boat rental concession is centrally located within the park, and we have driven by it many times.  I've always been interested to explore the Pinery this way, but there are always so many other competing demands for our time, and we've never made it happen before.  Of course, Mary and Keith have been before, but not Frankie and I, and we were very excited to get out on the water.  I didn't think all four of us could reasonably fit in one canoe.  Frankie and I went canoeing together once already this spring, at Beaver Lake; it was his first time.  The wind got strong and the poor kid wasn't able to help much, so we struggled a bit.  The two of us have tandem kayaked together successfully before, as kayaking doesn't require muscle up front, so I thought that might be a better option.  However, Keith decided it would be too hot and sunny on the water, and elected not to join us.  Mary, Frankie, and I could easily canoe together, so that's what we did.  It was so much fun! 

setting out

Keith drove downstream a bit to take our picture from shore

the bend that we used for our turn around point

the dock on the Heritage Trail

approaching the dock at the end of our paddle

We canoed 2 miles down to a bend in the channel, which looks like a dead end from a distance, and then 2 miles back.  Keith was correct that it was hot out on the water.  However, it was also amazing and I'm so grateful for the experience.  I am not sure how eager Mary will be to repeat it though.  She did fantastically out on the water; she is an experienced canoeist and had no trouble steering or paddling, at least not that I could detect (she has shoulder issues, too, and hopefully those weren't aggravated).  Unfortunately, getting in and out of the canoe was excruciatingly painful for her.  It was heart-breaking to witness.  Frankie can get in and out with ease, of course, but is bizarrely lazy in a canoe.  He gets excited about the idea of canoeing, but is unwilling to put much effort into learning to paddle.  He was very pleased to get the middle seat today and ride along like royalty.