A quick and short post…may take a while to get back into the whole blogging thing!

Fall has arrived, and we enter our favorite paddling season,. Today was paddle day #130, so it looks as though we will easily attain at least 150 days on the water in 2019. Here is a brief video compilation of our first 100 days….

https://vimeo.com/362073198

We have upcoming canoe camping trips, and we certainly hope that some of our colorful leaves hang around for a few more weeks! It will be a rather out-of-the-ordinary fall season for us…we normally use fall to ramp up our hiking activities in the cool weather, preparing and getting in shape for winter’s snowshoeing and skijoring fun. However, Gryphon has developed arthritis and bone spurs in one knee, so he is on exercise restriction. He is facing arthroscopic surgery, and will be limited in the intensity of his winter excursions this year. We will adjust, and work to keep him safe and healthy!

These orthopedic issues arose a few weeks before our planned September canoe camping trips; thankfully, this year we decided to go easy, and did not have any long portages in our canoeing plans. We first had a 5 day return trip to Parc Regional du Poisson Bland in Quebec. We did not have a beach site this year, but an amazing high rocky site, with 180 degree views of this huge lake. This spectacular large island camping area, on a lake north of Ottawa, is clean, well-run, and a true delight ( except for when we get wind-bound). We encountered only one negative…a truly idiotic jerk who decided it would be funny to intentionally drive his powerboat within 6-10 feet of the bow of our canoe. Even if he does not speak English, I think he understood what we said to him! Otherwise, it was a great canoe camping trip!

We opted to rent a larger, heavier canoe in order to deal with the often large waves on this lake…even so, we had a bit of a tight fit with all our gear! It was much more stable, however, than our little solo boats.

After a few days at home ( well, for me and the dogs…my husband flew to DC for a few day to visit our son), we were off to the Adirondacks. We planned to paddle at least 5 new lakes, and try out two new campgrounds; we accomplished all that and more! The weather was perfect, perfect, perfect! The entire album, and captions, can be found on our Facebook page.

So we enter fall facing uncertainty for Gryphon and his future activities…so glad that he is comfortable in the canoe, so he is able to continue his outdoor adventuring! Soon the lakes will ice over, and the paddles and boats will be put away…stick season will be upon us, and then it is just a matter of waiting for snow.  Paddle On ( at least for another 6 weeks or so)!