Trail Swag Reports: 2013 Kitchener Waterloo Canoeing Symposium

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The host, David Bain welcomed everyone to a sold-out 2013 Kitchener Waterloo Canoeing Symposium at the Princess Twin Theatre in Waterloo.

Mike Kipp from Wilderness Paddle Works proudly displayed his handcrafted paddles.

There were lots of booths and sponsors including Treks in the Wild, Outdoor Adventures Canada, and the Friends of Killarney selling their Canoe Guides to help with trip planning.

Jeff's Map wasn't the tastiest item at the concession stand, but Jeff was more than happy to chat about his maps and canoe tripping.

The first speaker, Jeffrey McMurtrie, creator of Jeff's Map (read our interview with him), spoke to the various iterations of his map over the years. Due to frustrations with trying to follow a map to find portages and camp sites during a camping trip in Algonquin Park (Even the chief naturalist told him that their map was "A work of art, and not a map"), Jeffrey decided to create his own map. It was interesting to hear (and see) all of the changes over the years.

The second speaker was "Uncle" Phil Cotton who spoke about The Wabakimi Project who created a map and has helped with endless amounts of maintenance over the years to Wabakimi Park (Ontario's second largest Provincial Park). He mentioned how few the visitors are when recounting a recent trip where he didn't meet another canoeist until Day 45 of his trip.

He urged people to put Wabakimi on their 'bucket list' of places to visit, and enjoy the boreal forest and numerous excellent places to canoe.

Linda Besner and Leigh Kotsilidis shared details of their yearly (June 13th to 23rd this year) poetry and music tour which is done by canoe. Fish Quill Poetry Boat, paddles from small town to town to play at historic landmarks and to share in the experience of art and poetry in addition to inviting local artists to take part as well.

Abigail Lapell, one of Fish Quill Poetry Boat's past musician's played two live songs, and Linda as well as Leigh read a few lovely poems.

Mark from Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler (also known as Mark in the Park) couldn't wait to get back out to paddle in Algonquin. He's visited the park over 110 times over the course of 14 years and compiled numerous trip logs on his website. We were treated to a slideshow of some of his photos over the years. Be sure to visit his website for a wealth of information on Algonquin!

Mike Monaghan showcased his canoeing, kayaking and camping photos both downstairs in the theatre and during his presentation. 

Chris Mayne spoke about the One Kids Place Children's Treatment Centre photo book which is a Kiwanis fundraising project while sharing his own photos as well as other's that have contributed to the project.

The legend himself, Hap Wilson gave us a pictorial history of his environmentalism, and canoe trips over the years. Stories from exploring Temagami, to taking part in the 1989 blockades, to the books that he has written were all wonderfully told. Hap even mentioned that his Missinaibi book may have helped prevent further deaths from occurring in the treacherous waters in that area.

Preston, from The Portageur, who was making note of "Bucket List" suggestions from Hap.

James brought one of the canoes that was "hot off the press" from HandCrafted Canoes from Breslau, Ontario. It was quite the showpiece with lots of people admiring the handiwork that went into it.

Algonquin Outfitters: Algonquin Art Contest Winners

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Algonquin Outfitters announced their Algonquin Art Contest Winners.

"In 1912 Tom Thomson stepped off the train an into Algonquin Park to start his iconic journey to capture the essence of Algonquin.  100 years later we're still inspired by the beauty of the landscape, wildlife and even textures and colours the park offers up.  In the fall of 2012 we announced our first Algonquin Art Contest.  Our plan was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Tom Thomson first stepping foot in Algonquin Park to start his iconic painting journey.  By the end of the contest we had accumulated 90 entries in our contest across our Professional, Amateur and Child categories."

Congratulations to the winners, and 17 Honourable Mentions have also be announced.

Professional Category Winner: Catherine Luce from Huntsville, Ontario
Professional Category Winner:  Catherine Luce from Huntsville, Ontario
Amateur Category Winner: Laurie Benson from Cannington, Ontario

Amateur Category Winner:  Laurie Benson from Cannington, Ontario

Child Category Winner: Callia Silverton from Toronto, Ontario

Child Category Winner: Callia Silverton from Toronto, Ontario

Road Trips: Canoe Landing Park

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When I first drove past Canoe Landing Park, I did a double-take. I don't often drive on the Gardner Expressway in Toronto, but I wasn't certain if it was my imagination, or did I just see an oversized Canoe sitting on the edge of a hill? After a second look, a smile creeped across my face and it felt like one of those "Only in Canada" moments. Sure enough, not only is there a massive canoe smack dab in the middle of Toronto, but you can actually visit it for free.

You can get to Canoe Landing Park, just off the Gardiner Expressway, by turning on to Dan Leckie Way (a bit of a difficult turn. If you aren't from Toronto, I would almost suggest parking on Front St. or King St. and waking down).

 

This privately funded urban park opened in 2009 and has a fair bit of Canadiana art. The paved pathway (easily accessible via wheelchair) leading up to the canoe is called the "Terry Fox Miracle Mile".  The canoe itself is called "Tom Thomson's Canoe" and along with the "Iceberg Benches" near it, were designed by Douglas Copland. There are large fishing bobbers, an artistic beaver dam and colourful lighting that is quite nice to look at from dusk onwards. It was even ranked as one of the best places in Toronto to make out.

For me the essence of the park was to create a soul where one didn’t exist – to give life to the land.
Another key factor was also the fact that soon enough there are going to be thousands of people living there, and these people will have to form a community — so then how to give them a space they can share?
The two big moves were to establish a new relationship between the park site and Lake Ontario, and, of course, to build in the Miracle Mile.
The three main constructed pieces—the Canoe, the Dam and the Bobbers—are about water and the history of both Toronto and the country. The Canoe aims at both the lake and at the Gardiner Expressway, and in doing so creates a communal and almost giddy sense of friendliness, while the Dam and the Bobbers create a sense of futuristic Canadian energy. All three pieces aim to point people into the future, using the past as a propellant.
The landscaping is a way of creating various planes and surfaces that make people feel that they’re not only in a city, but also in a larger national landscape that is both civilized and wild.  (I don’t want to second guess Greg, but I think that’s not inaccurate.) I’m surprised when people are so excited about a hill being built into the landscape …of course there’s a hill—this is Canada.
- Douglas Coupland