What to do on a calm & sunny November day when the temperature is
forecasted to hit 20C? It’s time to go out and enjoy the Ottawa River in my
kayak! So on the morning of November 8th, I was heading to
Braeside to launch my 14ft Widgeon kayak in Lac des Chats and spend the day
exploring the Knox Landing islands, channels, inlets, bays, and wetlands. From
the Braeside beach, I did a counter-clockwise paddle of the Ontario and Quebec
shoreline. I had planned the river crossing at two points where the open water
is less than one kilometre. The plan was also to spend most of the day on the river’s
Quebec side -- in the Knox Landing area. The Knox Landing area
(including islands) is mostly undeveloped, and much of it is now protected by the
Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC).
|
 | | Lac des Chats, 14.5 km kayak track |
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 | | Knox Landing area, GE view |
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| NCC properties (Knox Landing & Pontiac area) |
The first inlet/bay (Bay 10W) that I entered leads to an extensive
wetland, but I could not reach it due to the low water level and dense
vegetation. At the next bay (Bay 16W), I did manage to paddle to the far end
and explore a very quiet and pristine wetland. As a bonus, a pair of Bufflehead
Ducks was still hanging around the Ottawa River to observe, and later I posted
to iNaturalist. From Bay 16, I tried a shortcut towards Bay 30W across a
wetland area and almost got stuck in the mud. Yikes!
I had a quick lunch on the north tip of KLI 22, and
then it was time to explore a bit more among the Knox Landing islands before
crossing the Ottawa River back to the Ontario side. I paddled 14 km and could
have stayed longer on such a beautiful day & area, but the days are short
in November!
This Knox Landing paddle brought back lots of old
memories from many Sea Pearl and MYS15 trips in this area from our years in
Dunrobin Heights.
 | | 14ft Widgeon kayak |
|  | | Bufflehead Ducks |
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| From a distance, I thought somebody was waving at me! |
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