El Dorado Royal Resort, Quintana Roo, MEXICO

FIRST Trip to MEXICO

LOGISTICS

Travel: Ottawa > Cancun > El Dorado Royal - 4 hr flight, customs, a corona getting on the bus, 45 min bus trip, 3 hr check in delay while room was cleaned, eat - drink - beach - eat - drink - bed.
Photography: Scanned analog

El Dorado Royal Resort, Quintana Roo Photography

INSTRUCTION: ORCA Canoe Tripping Level II Certification: Canoeing the Missinaibi / North French / Moose Rivers, ON

A Certification

LOGISTICS (ON,  CANADA)

Designation: MISSINAIBI is a Canadian Heritage River

Canadian Heritage Rivers: MISSINAIBI
Put-In: Peterbell Sched Stop 

Solo & Tandem Canoes: Missinaibi River - CIII, 19 river days, 443 kms
Experience: Intermediate moving water skills are required to negotiate rapids CII and greater, there is some lengthy portaging and the area is an isolated wilderness

Take-Out: Moose River Crossing

Certification By: White Wolf Expeditions
Instructor: Jeff Zuchlinski
Course: ORCA Wilderness Tripping II
Photography: Scanned analog

MISSINAIBI  Photography

The Smokies

The Smokies

Accommodation: Mountain Rose Cabin, Cobbly Knob Rentals, Gatlinburg, TN

TEAM Brooks: Helen, Ron, Sue, Cheryl, Kyla, Trestan
Others: Katie, Me
Hiking: Ramsey Cascades Trail (12km, strenuous)
Rafting: Big Pigeon River (CI > CIV), 11kms, 17 rapids, water level HIGH
Outfitter: Rip Roaring Adventures
Guide: Meaghan 
Guiding: I steered the raft through the final half dozen CII > III's at days end. 
B&W Photography: Sue
Photography: Scanned analogue
Event: 27th Wedding Anniversary

Apparently, called the Smokey Mountains, because the air rarely clear due to continuous and sometimes very heavy humidity.

KAYAKING: Pukaskwa Shoreline, Pukaskwa National Park, Lake Superior, ON

Paddling On The World's LARGEST Freshwater Lake

LOGISTICS (ON,  CANADA)

Route: Hattie Cove > Michipicten Harbour, Lake Superior, ON
Paddlers: Karen, Gerry, US
Duration: 13 days on the water
Description: The section we paddled is said by many kayakers to be the best on Lake Superior, if not all of the Great Lakes. 175 kms of road-less wilderness, clear turquoise waters, wonderful sand beaches and several white-water rivers with spectacular waterfalls.
Photography: Scanned analog

From Superior - Journeys On An Inland Sea, by Gary and Joanie McGuffin

"Superior is the most expansive lake on Earth. Its' area of 32,000 square miles (82,000 square kilometres) would cover the province of New Brunswick with room to spare, or the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts combined. A rock dropped into the water over the lakes' deepest spot would sink 1,330 feet (450 m) before coming to rest on the bottom. Superiors' enormous size can also be described by its volume of water: 3,000 cubic miles (6,500 cubic kms), enough to cover the North and South American continents a food deep. A drop of water entering Superior from rain clouds or rivers can circulate the basin for 200 years before it flows down the St. Mary's River at Sault Ste. Marie. More than 200 rivers flow into it, but the St. Mary's is the only one flowing out. The coastline is nearly 2,000 kilometres long and if you add to that, the shoreline around all its' islands, the total distance is closer to 3,000 kilometres. It creates its' own weather patterns, establishing rules about the ebb and flow of seasonal life. Its' sheer size deters crossing by hawks, eagles, ospreys and falcons, who prefer to fly the eastern and western shores during fall migrations."

Pukaskwa NP Photography

INSTRUCTION: Basic Sea Kayaking: Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, ON

Women's Sea Kayaking

LOGISTICS (ON,  CANADA)

Dates: July 6 - 10
Paddlers: Chris, Donna, Peggy, Helen
Put-In: Killbear PP
Route: Put-In > Pancake Is. > Franklin Is. > circumnavigate Franklin Is. > Takeout at                             Killbear PP
Instruction: Basic Sea Kayaking skills

Lake Huron Photography

Hiking in Frontenac PP

Day Hiking

Hikers: Ellen, Randy, Helen, Me
Trails: Little Salmon Lake, Akron Lake Loop
Distance: 28.7 kms

KAYAKING: Vargas Island Circumnavigation

Sea Kayaking

LOGISTICS (BC,  CANADA)

Outfitter: Wild Heart Adventures
Guides: Kim Crosby, Adam
Route: In Clayquot Sound, from Tofino > a circumnavigation of Vargas Island > Tofino
Kayak: Seaward Tandem F-glass
Accommodation: Vargas Island Inn
Photography: Scanned analog from journal pages
Purchase: $2900. Cost included shipping from BC to Ottawa, re-gel the hull, replace all deck bungees and detail. Trailhead in Ottawa, delivered the boat to our home in Kanata. We used the kayak for many years before selling it in 2014 for $1500.

CLAYQUOT SOUND Photography

RAFTING : Tatshenshini / Alsek Rivers, YT & BC, CANADA and AK, USA

FIRST Rafting Expedition

LOGISTICS (BC,  CANADA)

Designation(s): TATSHENSHINI - ALSEK are Canadian Heritage Rivers, World Heritage Site
Canadian Heritage Rivers: TATSHENSHINI
Canadian Heritage Rivers: ALSEK
Air Travel: Vancouver > Whitehorse, YT

Vehicle Shuttle: Whitehorse > Shawashee (Dalton Post)

Outfitter: Nahanni River Adventures

Guides: Ron Morrison, Trent Abbott, Pepi Krajc, Jeff Faulkner
Rafters: Lesley Brooks, Tom Irwin, Mona Whitaker, Roger, Carol and Eric Pearson, US
Rafts: Commanche, Heffi and Hualapai

Put-In: confluence of Klukshu Creek 

Expedition Raft: Tatshenshini, YT > Alsek River confluence, BC > near Dry Bay, AK  - CIII, 11 river days, 255 kms
Elevation Drop: 2000 metres

Take-Out: Couple of kms upstream of Dry Bay, AK
Portage: Take-Out > Dry Bay, AK

Air Travel: Dry Bay, AK, USA > Whitehorse, YT, CANADA
Photography: Scanned analog

Booth Lake Basecamp, Algonquin PP, ON

Second Annual O'Kane Family Canoe Trip

Booth Lake Basecamp Photography

Tea Lake Basecamp, Algonquin PP, ON

Brooks Family Camping Weekend

Tea Lake Basecamp Photography

RAFTING : Ottawa River, ON

Sport Rafting Daytrip

Ottawa River Rafting Photography

Louisa Lake Basecamp, Algonquin PP, ON

Basecamp Canoeing

Louisa Lake Photography

INSTRUCTION: Open Tandem WW Canoe Course: MKC, Barry's Bay, ON

INSTRUCTION

Open Tandem White-water Canoe Course Photography

Grande Lake, Algonquin PP, ON

Basecamp Canoeing

Grande Lake Photography

Madawaska River: Snake Rapids

A Whitewater Daytrip

Paddlers: Karen, Gerry, Helen, Me
Location: Lower Madawaska River
Accommodation: The Cabin, Norcan Lake

River Description: Snake Rapids - 9.5 km long, 8 sets CII/II+, several swifts

Madawaska 2000 Photography

Florida: Clearwater, Silver Springs, Key West

Visiting With Mae & Earl

Dates: February 19 - March 05

Days: 16

Activities: Cycling, Hiking, Kayaking, Snorkelling, Walking, Cultural, Photography
Photography: Old, poor quality, scanned images ... sorry!

Post Description: This happened too long ago and I can't remember the details. Read the photo captions, the story is in the photography and it's 'mostly chronological'.

Photography

Algonquin PP: Winter Hiking

Winter Hiking

Accommodation: Blue Spruce Cabins, Oxtongue Lake, ON
Hikers: Janice, Dave, Helen, Me
Location: Algonquin Provincial Park
Trails: Mizzy Lake, Fen Lake, Blue Spruce, Whiskey Rapids, Bat Lake
Distances: Hiked 20.2 kms, Skied 27.5 kms

Photography

Hiking in Algonquin PP

Long Weekend Hiking & Cycling

Accommodation: Mew Lake Yurts
Campers: Sue, Chris, Helen, Me
Location: Algonquin Provincial Park
Cycling: Rail Trail (25km)
Hiking: Centennial Ridges (10km), Hemlock Bluff (3.5km)
Other: Visited the Haliburton Wolf Centre

Photography

Canoeing the Barron River

Family Canoe Trip

Campers: Peggy, Tom, Helen, Me

Description: 18 km round trip, several portages under 500m, 1.5 km hiking trail, a spectacular canyon

Photography

Backpacking the Itijjagiaq Trail, Katannilik TP, Baffin Island, NU

Katannilik Traverse - Exploratory

LOGISTICS
Hikers: Wendy Grater (guide, Blackfeather), Sally Manning (guide), Karen Tippett, Gerry Irving, US
Pack Weights: Helen 56 lbs, Dann 86 lbs (From scales prior to trek). Everyone carried equivalent amounts.
Location: Katannilik Territorial Park
Photography: All from K&G. scanned analog
DVD Available: Get copy from Store

Publicity: Our trip was featured as article " Meta Incognito " by Sally Manning, Up Here Magazine, April 2000