We picked up our canoe this weekend in Ottawa.
Initially, a couple years ago, when we talked about getting boats we thought we'd get kayaks. It's the boat we're most familiar with. Back when we were dating we took a kayaking course together at the University of Alberta. That must have been 26 years ago now. I still remember practicing Eskimo rolls in the Butterdome pool.
We never did become kayakers at that point of our lives. We become parents and then moved out east and became hikers and backpackers.
When we realized that our contentment and sense of home, as Easterners, was somewhat dependent on pursuing a water sport (so much water!) we just assumed kayaks. But then I started to read and research and we came to the conclusion that to start (paddling enthusiasts tell us this is the first of many boats) a canoe would be a better investment since we want a water craft that will allow multi-day trips and portaging.
Once we made this decision: single canoe vs. two kayaks we looked for the lightest model we could afford. We want to do multi-day trips that involve portages. Which means @toesalad will be carrying this baby on his shoulders. Lighter is better. (Which happens to be one of our mottos about most things.)
We settled on Souris River Canoes handmade in Atikokan, Ontario. The canoe specs met our needs.
https://www.sourisriver.com/prospector16
Our newest baby is a KEVLAR Prospector 16.
How we can afford to buy such an awesome canoe right now is another story for another day but the main point of that story is that over the past couple years we've weathered a pretty significant financial loss. The canoe was our consolation prize, of sorts. It's the KEVLAR lining to a dark and stormy cloud of our life story.
Souris River Canoes does a delivery run through Ontario, down into Minnesota & New York State. We picked up our canoe on Saturday at the most easterly delivery point in Ottawa. And then on Sunday we took it for a maiden voyage in la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, a channel of the Ottawa River, on the north shore of Laval.
We lost something. We gained something. We start over again. We learn new skills. We paddle new territory.
