ting waterlogged with my husband in our tandem canoe, and following our instructor down the rapids. Ashore we shuttled gear from car
trunk to campsite via wheelbarrow and camped with no cars around where the kids could play hide and seek among hundreds of tents. We met exhibitors thanks to my social butterfly son, and had dinner with paddling celeb Paul Mason and family. Our friendly campsite neigh-
bours partied far from the tents so we could fall asleep to the distant music of The Fireweed Company. Now that we’re more experi-
enced, we can skip the package deal and sign up for advanced clinics like stroke improvement next year. That will allow the kids more time on the water with us. I’ll also bring earplugs for sleeping just in case next year’s tent neighbours are noisier. And I’ll invite friends to join us. «oo
Post PalmerFest, she and her
husband have embraced rapids run- ning and are now the proud own- ers of a tandem whitewater boat. “I’m heading back to Palmer Rapids in a couple of weeks with a bunch of girlfriends and we’re planning to head down the entire lower Mada- waska,” Bruin said. At Palmer Rapids the river runs
hard all season long, so paddlers at the event can return another weekend and practise what they’ve learned. “Other paddling festivals are less structured gatherings that take place when the [Ontario] Power Au- thority lets the dam out upstream,” MacGregor said. Our weekend highlights include being on canoe in a sea of hundreds of paddlers, learning the strong whitewater forward stroke and the stern “pop” from instructor Suzanne, being in on my first canoe-over-ca- noe rescue, sharing laughs and get-
www.ottawaoutdoors.ca Québec maritime is home to 13 species of whales. Keep your eyes peeled! (Côte-Nord - Manicouagan)
A vacation destination to see and feel!
By foot, bike or kayak, nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts will enjoy memorable encounters in Québec maritime.
Plan your vacation online:
www.seeandfeel.ca/wildlife
Northern gannets – Bonaventure Island and Percé Rock National Park (Gaspésie)
Caribou – Gaspésie National Park
Atlantic puffin – Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve of Canada (Côte-Nord - Duplessis)
ottawaoutdoors 19
Photos: M. Loiselle/Tourisme Manicouagan, F. Klus/Sépaq, M. Laverdière, N. Boisvert
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