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A 1906 photograph of the\u00a0Poonamalie Lock Station (32)<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0Rideau Canal<\/a>\u00a0in Canada…\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n Taking a break from\u00a0Politics<\/a>:\u00a0\u00a0My next big adventure is coming up in August.<\/p>\n But don’t let the “canal” name fool you.\u00a0 (Or the photo at the top of the page.)<\/em><\/p>\n This\u00a0Rideau<\/a>\u00a0“Canal”\u00a0is a\u00a0water route of “mostly natural<\/em><\/strong> waters, made up of lakes and rivers.”\u00a0 Of the 125 miles on this \u201ccanal,\u201d only 12 \u2013 about 10% \u2013 are \u201cmanmade locks and canal cuts.”\u00a0 The rest of the route consists of \u201cnatural waters,” as noted.\u00a0 That includes\u00a0Big Rideau Lake<\/a>, some 20 miles long and over three miles wide.\u00a0\u00a0(For comparison,\u00a0Lake Laberge<\/a>\u00a0on the Yukon River \u2013 which we paddled in 2016 \u2013 is 31 miles long and up to three miles wide.)<\/em><\/p>\n The direct route from Kingston to Ottawa is 125 miles, but that includes over 677 miles of shoreline.\u00a0\u00a0(Most choose that route because the prevailing winds are from the southwest.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Also, from Lake Ontario at Kingston the route rises<\/em><\/strong> 166 feet.\u00a0 It rises to the “summit of Upper Rideau Lake,” from where it then descends 275 feet to the Ottawa River at Ottawa.<\/p>\n The canal system<\/em><\/strong> was built between 1826 and 1832, to help defend Canada by allowing boats to travel safely along the southern border.\u00a0 I.e., Canadians could travel along their southern border – the border with the U.S. – “without<\/em> <\/strong>having to travel along the St. Lawrence River, in gunshot range of the Americans<\/em><\/strong>.”\u00a0\u00a0(And Donald Trump wasn’t even president…)\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The construction of the Rideau Canal was a preventive military measure undertaken after a report that during the\u00a0War of 1812<\/a>\u00a0the\u00a0United States<\/a>\u00a0had intended to invade the British<\/a>\u00a0colony of\u00a0Upper Canada<\/a>\u00a0via the\u00a0St. Lawrence River<\/a>, which would have severed the lifeline between\u00a0Montreal<\/a>\u00a0and Kingston.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n To give some perspective on how long such a canoe-trip can take, early\u00a0voyageurs<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0could cover the distance\u00a0 in three days.\u00a0 (But those were “very long<\/strong> days with lots of paddling.”)\u00a0<\/em> And that would include\u00a0portaging<\/a>\u00a0around the areas that have since been made\u00a0locks and canal cuts.<\/p>\n Today the recommended pace is anywhere from six to 10 days, as noted.<\/p>\n And there are 26\u00a0lockstations<\/a>\u00a0to pass through.\u00a0 Those you can either portage around – like the early\u00a0voyageurs<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0– or pay a fee.\u00a0 They all have washrooms and potable water, and most offer camping.\u00a0 (So it won’t be like\u00a0canoeing 12 miles offshore<\/a>, featuring eight days of\u00a0primitive camping<\/a>, on places like Half-moon Island, Ship Island, and “from time to time an occasional salt marsh<\/em>.”)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Other notes:\u00a0 The name\u00a0Rideau<\/i>\u00a0is French for “curtain,” and comes from the “curtain-like appearance of the\u00a0Rideau River<\/a>‘s\u00a0twin waterfalls<\/a>\u00a0where they join the Ottawa River.”\u00a0 And:<\/p>\n The canal also served a commercial<\/strong> purpose.\u00a0 The Rideau Canal was easier to navigate than the St. Lawrence River because of the series of rapids between Montreal and Kingston.\u00a0 As a result, the Rideau Canal became a busy commercial artery from Montreal to the Great Lakes.\u00a0 However, by 1849, the rapids of the St. Lawrence had been tamed by a series of locks, and commercial shippers were quick to switch to this more direct route.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Thus it “remains in use today primarily for pleasure boating, with most of its original structures intact, operated by Parks Canada.”\u00a0 But it’s not all fun and games, necessarily.<\/p>\n One Canal-guide noted three possible issues:\u00a0 Wind, waves and big boats.\u00a0 As for the first, while the prevailing wind is from the southwest, “be prepared for anything,” including a change in wind from the northeast.\u00a0 Also, waves can be an issue on big lakes, “with large sections of open water unprotected by islands.”\u00a0 And such large waves “can be an issue for a canoeist.”<\/p>\n The same is true of “big power boats (cruisers)” which also share the waterway.<\/p>\n One idea (the guide said):\u00a0 Paddle close to shore.\u00a0 It’s more interesting – with more wildlife and such – and keeps you further from the waves produced by big boats.\u00a0 But if you encounter one – here I’m writing under the “memo to self” idea – the general rule is to turn into such waves, meeting them head on.\u00a0 This “can actually be fun in a kayak (not as much fun in a canoe).”<\/p>\n I’ll be writing more on this adventure, if only in the form of a\u00a0postmortem<\/a>.\u00a0 (But not in the literal sense.)<\/em>\u00a0 Meanwhile, here’s hoping we don’t have to use this<\/em> <\/strong>little maneuver this August…<\/p>\n * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Rideau Canal\u00a0– Wikipedia<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Caption:\u00a0 “Poonahmalee, on the Rideau River, near Smith Falls, Ontario \u2013 October 1906.”<\/em><\/p>\n Portions of the text were gleaned from “Watson’s paddling guide to the Rideau Canal” (PDF), by Ken W. Watson, First Printing 2012, Current Revision May 2018, at pages 9-10, 17-18.\u00a0 The “wind, wave and big boat issues” are discussed on pages 13 and 14.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Re:\u00a0 “12 miles offshore.”\u00a0\u00a0See Canoeing 12 miles off the coast of Mississippi<\/a>, from 2016.\u00a0 (It was a both a review of the 2014 canoe trip and a preview of last fall’s\u00a0Camino de Santiago<\/a>\u00a0adventure.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>The “retro” image is courtesy of\u00a0Delightfully Retro\u00a0–\u00a0Image\u00a0Results<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"November](\"http:\/\/i1177.photobucket.com\/albums\/x350\/jbpermar\/Canoe%20trip%202014\/IMG_4329_zps7f7b5ddb.jpg\")
My Utah-brother and I will be paddling – some six to 10 days – up the\u00a0Rideau Canal<\/a>,\u00a0from Kingston to Ottawa, Ontario.\u00a0 (This is the same brother with whom I canoed\u00a012 miles off the coast of Mississippi<\/a>\u00a0in 2014, as seen at right\u00a0 And<\/strong> 440 miles on the Yukon River.\u00a0 And<\/strong> hiked the Chilkoot Trail – “the meanest 33 miles in history” – and most recently hiked and biked 450 miles on the\u00a0Camino de Santiago<\/a>.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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Then there’s this added note:\u00a0 “It is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America.\u00a0 Most of the locks are still operated by hand, using the same mechanisms that were used to operate the locks in 1832.”\u00a0 (Speaking of “delightfully retro<\/a>.”)<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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