Paddles with Wolves on Indian Arm

Well, to be more precise, we were paddling with the "wolf" clan of the Coast Salish First Nations, people - with Takaya Tours, to be specific.

In the language of the Salish, "takaya" means "wolf". I guess since we were paddling on Indian Arm, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, technically, that would make us sea wolves. But I didn't see Jack London or even Edward G. Robinson there, so I guess I'll let that one pass...

However, as I am sometimes wont to do on this blog, I digress.

Our trip consisted of a full morning's excursion that combined outdoor adventure, culture and nature.


Takaya Sea wolves - ready to paddle!

A short drive from downtown Vancouver brought 11 of us to our put-in/takeout points in Cates Park, known traditionally as Whey-ah-wichen, Salish for "facing the wind."

Our interpretive guide, Laura Leigh Yuxweluptun'aat, began our journey with an explanation as to the history of the area and what it meant to her people, the original inhabitants of the area.

First came a blessing in her native tongue, a prayer for a good journey. Then she and canoe guide James Healy drummed and chanted as part of the ceremony to send us on our way.

They also explained about the paddles we'd be using in our traditional ocean-going canoe. One side contained an image of their clan symbol, the wolf; the other side an "eye" painted to help guide the canoe.

At rest on Indian Arm.

Proper paddling means the eye should always be facing backward, towards the stern of the canoe. 

Of course, there were some non-traditional chores to attend to as well, like digging out the rain gear and picking out, then adjusting the PFD's we had to wear.

Following tradition, we greeted our canoe as we entered, with, "Hello, Dancing Serpent, I'm coming into the canoe." It also lets anyone else already in the canoe that someone else is getting in, and rocking the boat at that point is not really a good idea.

Soon, we were off and paddling up the inlet, passing forested beaches and some other small craft, including some people fishing from a rubber dinghy and a pair of kayakers out for a morning paddle.

While it was not raining at this point, the mist-shrouded shores around us created a mystical feel to our environment.

At various points along the way, we would stop for rests, and Laura Leigh would share stories from her people, handed down orally, generation after generation.

As we approached a sheltered point on the opposite shore where we planned to take another break, I spied a great blue heron, serenely walking along the water's edge, looking for some tasty fishbits, no doubt.

Laura Leigh shares Salish stories.

The heron was one of several birds we saw during our trip, including several cormorants, a Pacific loon or two and a marbled murrelet.

I occasionally scanned the sky to see if I could spot a bald eagle, but no luck this time at catching a glimpse of the feathered monarchs of the coastal airways.

A harbor seal also popped its head up briefly, but didn't linger, quickly diving back into the depths of the ocean.

All too soon, our journey came to an end.

Schedules being what they are, we knew we'd have to come back another day if we wanted to participate in an ancestral rainforest walk, or sample a traditional salmon feast which Takaya offers as an option to its tours.

Video courtesy of Vancouver's North Shore Tourism

Early travels full of fond memories

June is always a very difficult month for me. My father's birthday was today, June 4. Father's Day is also in June.

It just so happened, by father passed away on the eve of Father's Day, 1992.

So you can probably understand why June is not really one of my favorite months.

For that matter, the whole April-May-June quarter kind of sucks, from where I sit.

Mother's Day is in May. My mother's birthday was April 3. I put her to rest on April 5, 2007.

Suffice to say, I'm always glad when we roll into July.

So what's this doing in a travel blog, you may ask?

Well, like many people, my first memories of travel involve traveling with my family. As an only child, that meant jumping in the car and driving somewhere with my mom and dad, or sometimes, just with my dad.

Dad and I did a bit of travelling together, just the two of us, as I was growing up. Just us guys, hangin' out. It was pretty cool, actually.

My very first "road trip" took place when I was seven years old: my dad and I drove from Newmarket, Ontario to Niagara Falls. I remember anticipating the trip for weeks before school ended. Then, the second week of July, we were off.

I distinctly remember looking forward to not just seeing the falls, but also looking forward to eating a hot dog by the falls - which I did. I've eaten many, many gourmet meals over the years, but none more memorable than that one. Eating a hot dog (with mustard and relish), standing by the railing looking at the falls with my dad, the memory will never fade.

To quote that old beer commercial, "It doesn't get much better than this."

Our road trip took us across the border into New York state and into Grand Island. Why there? Because my dad was taking me to Fantasy Island.

I'm not talking about the one populated by Mr. Roarke and his sidekick Tatoo, but rather an amusement park with a decidedly western theme, rides, the whole deal.

In the early 1960s, a Saturday morning TV show on the Buffalo NBC affiliate featured hosts and a studio located at Fantasy Island. The hosts were dressed as cowboys, and they always plugged Fantasy Island in between the cartoons they showed. 

Three-year-old Cowboy John, ready for action.

Like most six- and seven-year-old boys, I loved the idea of being a cowboy. My dad decided that summer was a good time for a father-son bonding experience (although no one labeled it like that back then) and we made our plans.

I loved it.

I got to spend time with my dad, went for a Mississippi paddle wheeler ride, visited an old "saloon," went for a stage coach ride with real horses (I kept hoping bandits would try to rob us like the brochures said they sometimes did - so I could save the day like Ralphie in A Christmas Story - but they never showed). The day was capped off with a live shootout in the western town streets.

I remember much more about the trip: about teasing my dad when he had more spaghetti spots on his shirt than I did, following dinner in an Italian restaurant...drawing superhero pictures on paper in our motel room...just hanging out with my dad. It was just so cool.

Over the next several summers, our family travels took us to places like Expo '67 in Montreal, Old Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario, Upper Canada Village near Morrisburg, Ontario, a cool cottage trip to Lake Huron and visits to relatives in Detroit.

However, we didn't do another multi-day father-son trip for another five years, when my involvement in the Boy Scouts of Canada, coupled with three summers attending Camp Richildaca, motivated me to convince my dad to go camping with me.

He eventually acquiesced, and camping then formed the basis for many of our family holiday travels for years to come, at least until I became a teen-ager and just didn't hang around with adults any more.

Dad adjusts the tent flaps,
first camping trip, June 1968.

My most memorable camping trip with him took place the first summer we camped, in the summer of 1968, when we spent a week in Algonquin Provincial Park. I camped, hiked and paddled there many more times throughout the years, but that first trip was special.

During that trip, he taught me how to play poker, at our campsite picnic table, using match sticks as chips.

We hiked, we played catch, we went swimming in the lake, roasted marshmallows over a campfire at night ... if it sounds like pretty idyllic stuff, that's because it was.

What I really remember is my dad being sick the second half of the week, but he wanted to stick it out for me as much as he could, so I'd have a good trip, a good memory.

I think it meant a lot to him, because he never got to spend much time alone, doing things with his dad. He was trying to give me what he had missed growing up. So despite his cold, he sucked it up and slept in a tent for the entire week.

After I went off to college, my parents divorced, my dad eventually remarried. However, they both began to travel internationally much more as I finished university and became more of an independent adult, with my own life and my own travels to plan.

My dad visited places like Florida, Greece, Turkey; my mom journeyed to Florida, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil.

So you can see I came by my love of travel, my wanderlust, quite naturally.



Sitting at the top of Victoria Falls,
Zambia, Africa, 1993.



I never did get to travel internationally with either parent, which in some ways, is very sad. They were both still alive when I began to travel outside North America. My dad lived to see me take only one international trip, though. A year after I adventured in Belize for two weeks, he passed away.

His legacy for me became part of an amazing trip I took in Africa a year after his passing, as I used most of my inheritance to pay for a six-week odyssey through six African countries.

So even in his passing, even though he was gone, in a sense, he was still travelling with me.

And he still is.

Happy Travels, Dad.

Sunshine Coast trips: never enough...

One of the great gems of British Columbia is an area known as the "Sunshine Coast". And it is so close to the city of Vancouver, so accessible - yet it remains largely unexplored.

That's not such a bad thing ... part of its charm is the fact that it is only a few hours away but still maintains a remote feeling. As a travel writer, I almost feel a bit guilty encouraging people to visit it. From time to time, most travel writers struggle with the dilemma of sharing their special spots, their favorite destinations for fear of creating too much consumer interest - especially when you're dealing with areas that are special because they are not typically "tourist-y" areas.


Don't make a fuss,
just hop on the bus - er - ferry.


Getting there does involve a bit more than hopping in a car - but not much. You cannot just drive there - you do have to take a B.C. ferry or two, starting from Horseshoe Bay, then again from Earl's Cove, depending if you want to stay on the Lower Sunshine Coast or visit the Upper Sunshine Coast. But it takes less time to get there than it does to drive from downtown Vancouver to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen and sail over to Vancouver Island. Still, it does seem more people plan trips to the island than they do the Sunshine Coast.

Frankly, I'm glad there is not too much traffic up and down the Sunshine Coast Highway. The highway is mainly a two-lane road, so it can be backed up at times, at least close to ferry arrivals/departures.

The drive itself is beautiful, once you get away from the ferry landing at Langdale.

I've made four trips there in the seven years I've lived in Vancouver, and I feel I haven't even scraped the surface on exploring the area. There are so many things to see and do there...

Want to go sea kayaking? It's not hard, because the Pacific Ocean is your constant companion on any journey up the coast. There are several companies based along the coast, including Half Moon Sea Kayaks on the lower coast, and Powell River Sea Kayak on the upper coast.


One of the stops along the way,
Desolation Sound Marine Park


If you're a hardcore hiker, there's always the Sunshine Coast Trail. While not as well known or publicized as its older, bigger brother, the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, it offers much to those who love spending time in the outdoors.

Looking for a great resort to stay at? Go to Rockwater Secret Cove Resort, where you can try your hand at "glamping" in their luxurious tenthouse suites. Along the upper coast, Desolation Sound Resort offers kayaking/dining packages when you stay in their chateaus.

If you're looking for something a bit more private, Moon Dance Cabin provides a secluded, bay front getaway that is still very close to any services you may require.


Moon Dance Cabin: secluded yet not isolated.



Just because you're outside the city, doesn't mean there's not good food. The Laughing Oyster offers some incredible meals; their beef wellington is second to none.

Looking for a spa experience, with a bit of other outdoor activity like kayaking or hiking? Painted Boat Spa and Resort can fill that bill.

As I'm looking back at what I've written here, I'm struck by the feeling that it reads like just another tourism ad, a case of a writer shilling for something. But quite frankly, most of this stuff I've experienced myself, on my own, booked by myself, paid for by moi - so it's not like I'm trying to be overly optimistic and positive to please or impress tourism reps. Also, I am not necessarily endorsing all of the companies with links listed here -  those are just included to give you an idea where to start.

Yes, even given that caveat, it still may sound like I'm promoting the area shamelessly. Fair enough, believe what you will. It's just that it is very hard not to write effusively about my travels there because they really have been magical.

When all is said and done, there really is some kind of mystic charm to the region that has to be experienced to understand. It has to be felt in person in order to appreciate what the Sunshine Coast is all about.

But don't take my word for it. Hop in your car, jump on a ferry and see for yourself. And don't be surprised if you find yourself coming back, again and again and again ...



Paddling the Sunshine Coast near Painted Boat Spa

Favorite travel books - a never-ending list

As a travel writer, the one question I get asked more than any single question is: "Where's your favorite/most memorable/most exciting place/trip/experience you've been/had...etc.?" in all its shapes and forms.

My answer is pretty standard: Don't have one. Unless it's the next place I'm going to, maybe... I've had memorable experiences - good and bad - everyone I've traveled. There is no one place I would pick over any other. I'm not fence-sitting - that's just the way I feel. It reflects my experiences and the way I deal with things, I guess. Doesn't matter where I've been - Thailand or Peru, the Cayman Islands or Africa, Malaysia or Belize - I've had some good times and some bad times. Obviously, I've had much more good than bad, or I wouldn't do this any more. But I digress from the real subject of this blog post.

Probably the second-most asked question I get regards travel books: What's my favorite?

Again, I don't have one favorite. I do have several I'd recommend, though. (You know what's coming next, don't you? Another list ...)

Some of these are literary travel books; others are guide books; some are collections of travel stories and some are not even strictly travel, per se, but there is an element of travel to them.

Some I've read only once; others are I've poured through and dog-eared the pages or highlighted the trips (if they're guidebooks). Some I read almost daily, like a religion.

Hard to pick a Top 10 in this category, for, as the title of this post suggests, it's really always growing. But as of this moment in time, to the best of my mind's recollection, these are my current Top 10 Favorite Travel Books. They aren't in any particular order, they're just in the order in which they popped into my head.

1. From a Wooden Canoe by Jerry Dennis. So, right off the bat, I name a book that probably has much less to do with travel than it does the outdoor life. However, my first real "travels" did involve canoeing. Besides, it's my list. This book features a collection of essays Jerry wrote for Canoe & Kayak magazine over the course of several years. At times funny, at other times poignant, but always very well written, I read stories from this at least once a week. My favorite is the essay on "Camp Coffee" that begins, "Morning isn't morning without a cup of coffee, but not just any cup will do ..."

2. 1000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz. If you're making a bucket list, this book is indispensable. Before I even got it, I'd done several of the trips described in its pages. I've done more since then, and it helped me plan part of my itinerary for a recent trip to Thailand. Great book to read for fun while planning holidays during a long winter evening, it's also great for the kind of quick glance required during "bathroom reading" sessions.

3. Smile When You're Lying by Chuck Thompson. A hilarious read for travel writers and tourism industry reps alike, even if you're not in the biz, it's an entertaining read. If you are considering a career switch to travel writing, you might think twice after reading this - or maybe it'll push you to jump even quicker! He's come out with a sequel I have yet to read, but sooner or later, I will get around to it.

4. Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? by Thomas Kohnstamm. Along the same lines as Thompson's book, but much more fictitious in nature. Entertaining - but don't believe that everything the author cites in here actually happens to guidebook writers on assignment. This book cause a bit of a stir in Vancouver in 2008, when a local columnist for a North Vancouver weekly who shall remain nameless (she knows who she is) reviewed the book, but also used it as a vehicle for launching into a critique of travel writers everywhere (she's not a travel writer herself). While some of her points were valid, publicly critiquing others in your profession is a bit unethical; if a lawyer or doctor or accountant had done that, they would have quickly lost their accreditation in any professional association in which they held membership. That aside, it is funny and worth a read - just bear in mind it's as much fiction as it is fact.

5. Tigers in Red Weather by Ruth Padel. This book is part memoir, part travelogue, part conservation story. It details the author's travels around Asia, in an effort to try to see every species of the seven tiger species left in this world before more become extinct. In addition to describing the hoops she has to jump through to try to see these animals, it details her own struggles to find a way to make a difference, to help them survive and avoid extinction. She also sprinkles in moments about the kinds of struggles most travel writers - or travelers, for that matter - can relate to: the scramble to find ways to pay for her odyssey.

6. Travels on my Elephant by Mark Shand. A memoir about the author's journey around India, riding the back of an elephant. It's been years since I read this, but I loved it. The one thing that's stayed with me about the story throughout the years is the end of it: Shand forms a very close bond with both his elephant and the mahout hired to take the pair around India, and the author finds it incredibly difficult to part ways when their journey is finally done.

7. Dining with Headhunters by Richard Sterling. One of my favorite writers, he combines food, adventure and travel into all his books. This collection is kind of unique, because it consists of short anecdotes based on his travels around southeast Asia, mainly while stationed aboard a U.S. naval vessel during the Vietnam War. Each story has food in it, and at the end of each story, recipes are supplied so you can re-create his experiences. So it's a cookbook as well as a travel book. My favorite? The "Feasts of Fatima," wherein the author falls in love with a lady of the evening. Very poignant. Great satay recipes, too.

8. Shadow of the Bear by Brian Payton. Very similar to the Padel book described above. Vancouver writer Brian Payton wanders the world, trying to gain a view of every kind of bear found around the globe. His travels are much more global than Padel's, since wild bears can still be found on four of the six continents, the exceptions being Australia (koalas are not bears) and Antarctica (those are penguins, not small bears in tuxedos!). He asks many of the same questions about bears and their future in our world as Padel asks about tigers. If you enjoy one, you'll probably enjoy the other.

9. The Tent Dwellers by Albert Bigelow Paine. Okay, you there had to be at least one book in this list that details a paddling trip, right? This is it. Paine was Mark Twain's biographer. He also spent a summer canoeing, camping, fishing and generally exploring the wilds of Nova Scotia in the first decade of the 20th century. That tale is told in this little volume, which I read myself back in 2000 - right before I planned a canoe trip in Kejimkujik National Park, which I then wrote about in Ski Canada's Outdoor Guide and the Georgia Straight. I didn't follow his path precisely, as he and his companions only spent a bit of time in the waterways of the national park, the rest of the time paddling outside of the boundaries in the vast waterways of the area.

10. The Art of the Airways/All Aboard! Okay, so I fudged it. These are really 10 and 10A. But I didn't know how to include one without the other. They both feature vintage art from the Golden Age of Air and Rail Travel. The first is a beautiful hardcover, coffee-table type book with many reproductions of posters from the airlines that first began taking people around the world. The second is a paperback book that I enjoyed while traveling across Canada by train, myself. If you love history, art deco style art, if you're in love with what many refer to as "The Golden Age of Travel" - or any combination of all three, you'd probably enjoy these books.

Well, there you have it. It was tough keeping it to 10 (well, okay, 11!) but I did have to cut off the list somewhere. Of course, now that I've done this, next week I'll probably read a new book that I'll wish I could have included here. Just like the wistful adage of travel (So many places, so little time...) there are so many books, and so little time ...

Thai-vs.-Thai : Chiang Mai - or Vancouver?

I had a chance to eat at the Pink Elephant Thai Restaurant in Vancouver a few weeks ago. It's not an authentic Thai restaurant in the same way places like Talay Thai on Vancouver's Granville or Tom Yum on Hastings Street in Burnaby (both really good restaurants), rather it's a kind of Thai-fusion eatery, combining traditional Thai flavors with some Western touches in an upscale, modern eatery.


Thai Pink Shirt cocktail.



The food here is very good. What really made it interesting for me was my main course: Keaw Teaw Num (or Num), a.k.a., Thai Noodle Soup. I had just eaten that dish - or one very much like it - in Chiang Mai, Thailand, less than a month before, at Just Khao Soy Restaraunt. In other words, I was comparing two very similar - if not exactly the same - Thai dishes, one from Thailand, the other made in Vancouver.

First things, first, though. Started off the dinner at Pink Elephant with one of its signature cocktails: the Thai Pink Shirt. And it was served to me by a bartender in a pink shirt. Don't know if he was Thai, although he was definitely of Asian ancestry.

The drink consists of a mixture of vodka, cranberry juice, grapefruit juice and strawberry liqueur. Very tasty. I could have drank those all night, but once the food started coming, I switched to beer, opting for one of Thailand's most popular brews, Singha.

Our appetizers consisted of giant scallop seared with Thai chili and something called a "Floating Market" that consisted of deep-fried spinach tempura and tiger prawns served with spicy Thai applesauce.


A "Floating Market" at Pink Elephant Thai



On to the main course. Well, three main courses really: In addition to the noodle soup, I had an order of Pad Thai and my companion ordered Taley, a seafood combination sauteed with peppercorn and Thai spices.

(This is how you can tell it's a trendy rather than a traditional Thai eatery; in traditional Thai eateries in both Vancouver and Thailand, the practice involves ordering several different small dishes that everyone shares; at Pink Thai, it was a very western-style "one-dish-does-one" approach.)

So how did the Vancouver Thai noodle soup compare with Chiang Mai's noodle soup?

They were both darn good.



Khao Soy noodle soup in Chiang Mai.



No, I'm not sitting on the fence; fact is, they shared some similarities, but there were many differences, as well. All you have to do is look at the photos.



Khao Soy offered three choices of noodles, as well as three-different heat levels (I opted for hottest, of course - and it was hot!) and a selection of different types of meat.

Similarly,  Pink Elephant offered different meat, broth, noodle choice and topping, the latter which was extra.

The noodle soup dish at Pink Elephant.



However, the crispy noodles at Khao Soy were much bigger and crispier and numerous than the ones at Pink Elephant.

I'd still go to Pink Elephant again, mind you. As I would to Khao Soy, if I'm ever back in Chiang Mai.

One other plus for Pink Elephant: they make really good coffee - something most restaurants do not do. Unless they have "cup" in their name or used to be owned by an NHL all-star defenceman, most places just don't serve good coffee. These guys do.

And as anyone who knows me will be able to tell, I do love my coffee. So an eatery that actually serves a decent cup - not even special, mind you, just decent - scores BIG points with moi.

Favorite paddling destinations: the world

Last post, I listed my favorite paddling places in Canada. Now, to paraphrase broadcast news legend, Paul Harvey, "here are the rest of the places."

In other words, some of my favorite paddling trips around the rest of the world.

It's kind of a mirror image of my Canada trips, in that while my Canadian favs all involve canoeing, most of these are kayaking excursions - the notable exception being the Okefenokee Swamp.

1. The Oriente, Ecuador

Dawn along the Rio Shiripuno,
in Ecuador's Oriente.

Specifically, the Rio Shirpuno. We spent five days paddling along this jungle river, camping along the riverbanks three of the nights, staying a fourth night in a Huaorani village. The chief of the tribe, Moi, was our head jungle guide. Saw plenty of parrots, toucans and other birds, plus some caimans. One of the unique aspects of this trip was the face we were paddling small touring (sea) kayaks on a moderately fast-moving river. No rapids or whitewater to speak of, though. Read more about at A Journey Back into Time. 



2. Belize Barrier Reef
My first foray into sea-kayaking, took place at this UNESCO World Heritage site back in 1991. Great trip, we spent five days cay-hopping out to the reef - the second largest in the world - and back, camping on desert islands, snorkeling and learning the secrets of a good rum punch. Lots of outfitters run trips here.

3. Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia



Canoeing Okefenokee.



This is the largest national wildlife refuge in the U.S., east of the Mississippi. It's home to deer, black bears, plenty of birds and - the animal most people associate with the swamp - alligators. Spent three days paddling there, camping out two nights, and I must have seen 50 gators, many up close. Saw plenty of birds, too - herons, cranes, songbirds, raptors - and even some deer.

4. Everglades National Park, Part 1

Mention the Everglades, people automatically think, "swamp." Yes, there are swamps there, but much of the park consists of a "sea of grass" as well as mangroves, coastal islands, and wet "prairies." I spent half-a-day paddling a canoe through the Big Cypress National Preserve. Saw a few gators, and plenty of birds.
 
5. Everglades National Park, Part 2

I spent much  more time paddling a kayak among the Ten Thousand Islands, a series of coastal mangrove islands in the park. Saw plenty of wildlife - dolphin, sea turtles, manatees, herons, egrets, songbirds, ospreys, and many very small but pesky raccoons - but nary a gator, the animal many people associate with the 'Glades. It actually reminded me very of Belize - we camped on sandy island beaches every night.



Camping in the Everglades:
no swamps to be seen, anywhere.



6. Econlockhatchee River, Florida

 

This river provides plenty of opportunity for paddlers to get up close to anhingas, herons, egrets, many varieties of songbirds - and alligators. It's within shouting distance of Cape Canaveral, so you could see gators one day, gantries the next. I spent an entire day paddling a very stable, open-pit kayak - kind of like a cross between a canoe and kayak, really - and the river is slow enough that you have plenty of opportunity to stop and check out points of interest along the shore.

7. The Mangroves of Grand Cayman Island
I've never really trusted those "sit-on-top" kayaks after spending an afternoon trying to stay atop one in the surf at Lake Malawi. But on this trip, I had no choice - it was the only type of kayak the tour company provided, at least for this particular tour. And I was even put on a-two person kayak with a non-paddler. But since we weren't dealing with big waves in the mangroves, we never really risked tipping (whew!) We did learn lots about the different kinds of mangroves, though - red, white and black - and the role they play in coastal ecology.

Favorite Paddling Destinations: Canada

Okay, so the title of this blog includes the word "Paddling." But I haven't posted anything about paddling since starting the blog back in March.

Up until now.

That has now been corrected.

I've paddled canoes for 40-plus years, sea kayaks for 20 years, so I've seen a lot of water, both fresh and salt. As a writer/photographer covering the subject, I've been published in Canoe & Kayak, Canoe Journal, Paddler, Canadian Wildlife, Nature Canada, the Georgia Straight, Fast Forward, Synchronicity, the Calgary Herald, Travel Writers Tales and its affiliated newspapers, Ski Canada (yep, that's not a misprint!), several online sites, and the book, More of Canada's Best Canoe Routes, edited by Alistair Thomas.

These are my favorite places to paddle in Canada. Some of them I've paddled multiple times, some just once - but they're all magic.

You'll notice two things: this is not a Top 10 list, although the total trips I've taken in all these parks combined would equal more than 10. Also, there are not kayak trips included; that's because most of my kayaking has taken place in warm, tropical waters. That'll come in my next blog post, Favorite Paddling Destinations: The World

These are not in any particular order; they're all wonderful trips.

1. Algonquin Provincial Park (Ontario)
This is where I first paddled on an overnight canoe trip without adult supervision, kind of a rite of passage, back in my high school days. I have many fond memories of paddling, hiking and camping here. I've had some incredible wildlife experiences paddling here, including my first heron sighting, first wild deer sighting, first American bittern sighting ... the list goes on.




Beaverlodge: Grey Owl's cabin.

 2. Prince Albert National Park (Saskatchewan)
Visited Grey Owl's cabin at Ajawaan Lake during a trip here, in October 1999. It's a beautiful park, we saw and heard lots of wildlife, including bald eagles, foxes, otters and wolves.

The latter serenaded us from across a small lake with a chorus of howls one morning while we were finishing breakfast.





3. Kejimkujik National Park (Nova Scotia)



Harry Lake, Nova Scotia,
just outside Keji's boundaries.

Once paddled by Alberta Bigelow Paine , the biographer of Mark Twain. Covered part of the same route Paine did in 1908 on a fishing trip in the area, later chronicled in The Tent Dwellers. Encountered deer, loons, owls and porcupines while paddling here.

4. Bowron Lake Provincial Park (BC) Located almost dead-smack in the middle of the province. I've paddled this one twice, the first time just the west leg, the second time, did the entire 110-km circuit. A great trip, both times.

It's a wonderful trip, almost anyone can do it, although some paddling experience would be helpful along sections of the Cariboo River portion of the trip. Both trips, we saw a moose in the exact same place in the same lake. Figured he must be on the park's payroll.

Bowron Lake staff moose.



 5. Dinosaur Provincial Park (Alberta) I was really fortunate to spend three days paddling and camping among the hoodoos and cottonwoods along the Red Deer River that runs through this park, I was with Calgary's Bow Waters Canoe Club at the time, we had to get special back-country permits to camp there. I saw the biggest beaver I've ever seen in my life while canoe-camping here. Also, my first prairie rattlesnake, indigenous to the area.

6. Pinecone Burke Provincial Park (BC)
Paddled here a few times, once as part of a paddling-hiking combo to see Widgeon Falls, the other times as just a day trip through Widgeon Slough. Lots of birds and wildlife to see. There's a recreation campsite at the trail head, giving you the option of camping overnight after a few hours of paddling, before hiking to the falls.

7. Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park (Alberta)
This icy alpine lake features one of Canada's most photographed images: Spirit Island. There are two back country camping areas, one about halfway up the 25-km lake just before Spirit Island; the other at the very end of the lake. The latter is much nicer, because the large boats that take tourists up to Spirit Island do not go past that point, so it's quieter and much wilder.