Paddler's Guide to Happy Camping
This is Kevin Callan's blog about his trips, his (mis-)adventures, and his favourite gear.
August 2008 archive
Navigable Waters still a major issue
Navigable Waters Protection Act: Rivers at Risk. Written by Scott MacGregor Founder and Publisher Rapid Media Transport Canada is in the process of rewriting the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) to eliminate a developer’s obligation to consider impacts on navigation when building dams, bridges, causeways or other invasive structures on ...
News from Friends of Chiniguichi
Canada’s largest remaining Old Growth Red Pine forest may be open to logging. Written By Mike McIntosh Chair, Friends of Chiniguchi Sounds unlikely right? … Think again. As many are aware, the Wolf Lake area, located in the Southwest corner of Temagami, along the Chiniguchi waterway, contains the largest contiguous ...
Algoma's Ranger Lake Loop
The third River Rat film Kip Spidell and I did was on Algoma’s stand of old-growth pine. We paddled the Ranger Lake loop (see my book A Paddler’s Guide to Ontario’s Lost Canoe Routes for details), going up the West Aubinadong to Megisan Lake. The pine are over 340 years ...
David Thompson's Madawaska River
Here’s another old River Rat film. Kip and I paddled the Madawaska to retrace map maker David Thompson’s last survey job. This is one of Canada’s most unique stories. The poor guy mapped most of Canada but found himself broke and out of work just prior to retirement. He had ...
Wabakimi: Wendell Beckwith's Center of the Universe
- Posted on August 25, 2008 at 9:55 AM
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Back in 1993 I traveled with film producer Kip Sidell, paddling through Wabakimi to film Wendell Beckwith's hermitage on Whitewater Lake. We shot a short film about the trip and I thought it was due time I placed the darn thing on You-Tube for everyone to watch (more "River Rat" ...
You Won't Believe Who Has Paddle 082 
- Posted on August 19, 2008 at 4:23 PM
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This is a really cool story that gets better and better. Remember I posted a blog about the Canoe Museum's Paddle-Post-Pass It On Program for the National Canoe Day and how I gave my paddle 082 to the owner's of the lodge up in Chiniguichi that started the whole thing. ...
Introducing Mr. Quetico - Dave Maynard
The staff at Quetico Provincial Park helped our film crew immensely while working on the Friends of Quetico film project for the park's 100th. birthday celebration and I’d like to place a special thank you for them in the blog. They were amazing and we couldn’t have pulled off the ...
I'm Back From Quetico!
I just got back from 18 days in Quetico. Wow, what a fantastic place to paddle. I doubt I could go through a season without at least one canoe trip here. This is a park where the average portage is 350 meters, bald eagle sightings are so common I began ...
Paddle - Post - Pass It On Update
Last year I ended up leaving my spare paddle on a portage put-in while paddling with the family in Ontario's Chiniguichi area. It had something to do with a nuisance bear stalking us and nasty storm heading our way (see previous Lost Paddle post for the entire story). But I ...
Women Rule in Algonquin 
In May I was on an Algonquin canoe trip with some male friends and while we were struggling back on the infamous 5 kilomter Dickson/Bonfield portage, a couple of young women past us, going at great speed. When I met up with them at the put-in they took some time ...
Filming Quetico for 100th. Anniversary
I'm off tomorrow morning to paddle Quetico for 20 days. Film producer, Kip Spidell, along with friends Andy Baxter and Scott Adams, are joining me in the park to work on a one hour documentary to celebrate Quetico's 100th. anniversary in 2009. The film is for the Friends of Quetico ...