Accessibility and Access Keys [0]
Family and historical ties have led a pair of brothers back to the Ottawa Valley to share in the kayak adventure of a lifetime.
John and Doug McCarthy have made it a goal to paddle the navigable part of the Ottawa River and to spend one day paddling on each of its tributaries.
Obviously, this is a multi-year plan.
“That’s our goal,” John McCarthy said from his Ottawa home. “Our great-grandfather emigrated to the Ottawa Valley and I think as you get older, you become more aware of your heritage. It’s something I hope to do over many years now that I am working less.”
Oddly enough, the kayaking adventure spun out of cycling adventures that the brothers had experienced.
John explained that their father, who was in the Canadian Forces, was from Chalk River. Over the years, he was stationed in Petawawa several times meaning the boys grew up here as well as other bases around the country.
As adults, Doug settled in southern Ontario and John in Ottawa.
John said his brother is a two-time cancer survivor, something that has altered their lives in more ways than one.
“After that we kind of gave ourselves a shake. We said we’ve got to make time for each other,” John said.
They began by taking cycling trips together once a year including a special 10th anniversary tour in Ireland.
On one of the bike trips in this area, they took a kayak course at the Madawaska Kanu Centre near Barry’s Bay.
Over time, each man acquired a kayak and more interest in paddling. Eventually they decided to try a kayak trip instead of the bike trip.
They opted to tackle the Rideau Canal.
Next up came the idea of tackling the length of the Ottawa and also spending time on its tributaries.
With their sister Pat Pellerin and her husband Bob living in Pembroke and their mother in a retirement home here as well, they began fitting kayak trips in on visits back to this region.
Last year, they did the trip from Deep River to Petawawa and from Petawawa to Pembroke.
“We could really only do one day this year so we decided to paddle an entire tributary, the Muskrat River,” John said.
Assisted by a light breeze and the current, the brothers made the trip from Cobden to Pembroke by kayak in about nine hours.
“The trip greatly exceeded our expectations,” John said.
Since he was a child, and crossed over the river driving to Ottawa with his parents, he always wondered what lay around the next bend.
As an adult, however, he was worried that the river’s proximity to Highway 17 and, in a few places, built up regions, would mean a weedy, dirty trip.
John was pleasantly surprised and also amazed at the diversity of terrain in a relatively small area.
Beginning with Muskrat Lake, he pointed out that the north shore features cliffs and unique precambrian shield rock with pine trees that cling to it. The south shore, directly opposite, is flat farm land. The brothers followed the north shore which is relatively unpopulated, enjoying lunch on a rocky outcrop where they could view the lake.
“The exit from the lake to the river by the Highway 17 bridge is like a gate. It truly is a remarkable change and then a couple of kilo-metres downstream we were into Mud Lake which couldn’t be more different from Muskrat Lake,” he said.
John described Mud Lake as shallow and weedy, very clear and featuring a wide variety of plant life.
“It was like a major airport. Every five minutes there was a Great Blue Heron taking off. It is a real jewel and if it is not a protected habitat, it should be,” he said.
The next distinct area followed shortly after the lake. He said the river then narrowed and the brothers were aware of the affect of urban development and farming. He added they enjoyed the stretch paralleling Mud Lake Road as that is the area where their sister lives.
Getting closer to Pembroke, the speed of the river picked up, particularly at the rapids by Pansy Patch Park.
John suspected that even a week or two later in the season, the water there would have been too shallow to paddle. However, as the water was clear, he felt it would be fairly easy to walk and line the boats through had they needed to.
“We ended up on a few rocks but it was a great way to finish, a little rush at the end,” he said.
The duo paddled under the Mary Street and Pembroke Street Bridges, entering the Ottawa and paddling around into the marina basin where they were met by their sister and her husband.
“The marina is just fabulous. It is a nice piece of work,” he said.
John said he recently took part in the Mississippi Mills 100-km bike tour and he is now considering paddling on the Mississippi from Almonte or Carleton Place to the Ottawa River.
He also has his eye on the stretch of the Ottawa River between Mattawa and Deep River.
“What ever time allows,” John said.
Anthony Dixon is a Daily Observer reporter