This was published 9 years ago
Canoeing holiday in Canada: Just glide on by
It's Canada in a snapshot: cedar forests, placid lakes and a giant sky, writes Ben Goundwater.
Dog paddle: On a canoe adventure.Credit: Ben Groundwater
There's something wrong with my canoe. It's not moving the way it should, not gliding through the water with the ease that it was a few minutes ago. I'm dragging hard on the paddle but it's like we're moving through thick, tarry sludge rather than clear Canadian water.
I turn to check what's happening in the back of the boat and immediately spot the problem. Arel, my 14-year-old captain and fellow paddler, is sitting calmly with her oar across her lap, taking in the spectacular scenery. Busted. She grins sheepishly. "You were doing such a great job," she says. "I thought I'd let you go."
The two of us are about halfway through today's canoe journey, a leisurely paddle around Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia. We began the outing in Azure Lake, a stunning stretch of water hemmed in by dense cedar forest, before making our way through a narrow connecting river ("I've never canoed in a river before!" Arel yelled), and eventually popping out here in Clearwater Lake.
Still life: Canoeing in British Columbia.Credit: Ben Groundwater
The scenery is postcard stuff, and only a half-hour drive from the nearest town. "When people imagine going to Canada," says Arel's dad, Ian Eakins , as he glides past in his boat, "this is what they picture."
He's talking about the crystal-clear lake, its glassy surface unruffled by wind or current; he's talking about the cedar forest; about the ospreys circling overhead; about the flawless blue sky. That we're taking it all in from canoes is the icing on our naturalist cake – these silent, leisurely watercraft are the perfect way to travel through such pristine wilderness.
The boats are also functioning as our mules, helping to transport all of the camping equipment down the lake. This is a mulit-day canoe trip, a journey with days spent on the water and nights curled up under canvas. We broke camp early this morning, taking down tents and packing them into the canoes before setting off on the day's adventure.
When people imagine going to Canada, this is what they picture.
Ian Eakins
You can't help but feel a bit like Davy Crockett out here in the canoe, paddling down the lake, just missing the raccoon hat to complete the feeling of rustic North American outdoorsiness.
It's a sensation that kids, it turns out, go mad for. Given the distance between Wells Gray Park and the nearest PlayStation, or Xbox, or even a mobile phone signal, you might think children would be a bit stir-crazy out here, but there's an old-fashioned appeal to this sort of adventure that immediately sinks into their bones.
Ian's our guide, and his three children, aged 12 to 16, are accompanying us on our three-day adventure – although "accompany" isn't really a strong enough word, given 14-year-old Arel is in charge of my canoe, and 16-year-old Bodin is in charge of everything from camp set-ups to coffee making. It's all hands on deck.
(Well, mostly. Last night while we prepared for dinner, Bodin chopped wood, Arel made miniature sailboats out of bits of driftwood, and 12-year-old Ame took a log for a "walk".)
All three kids are seriously good paddlers – when they decide to dip their oars in, that is. It's not until the third day of our trip, when I'm given the back seat of our canoe, that I can appreciate the fine job Arel has been doing. The person in the back has to both steer and paddle, which isn't easy, so I can forgive my captain the odd breather.
As we paddle on down Clearwater Lake, with mirror images of the mountains reflected in the water, it becomes apparent that, despite their canoeing prowess, the sport the two girls are most dedicated to is fishing. The pair have lines in the water at every opportunity, patiently waiting, although the small problem for Arel and Ame, and the giant reprieve for Wells Gray's fish, is that they're not very good at it. Still, who cares?
Camp tonight is by the lakeshore at a spot called Huckleberry. It's just a clearing in the forest really, with a long-drop toilet and a bear-proof cage for the food. The bath is that big expanse of water in front of us.
Pretty soon the camp kitchen is up and running and Ian's wife, Tay Briggs, is producing a feast for hungry paddlers, grilling chicken pieces over an open fire as the cedars around us slowly retreat into darkness. The stars are out tonight, a huge twinkling blanket thrown over the sky, as the chicken is served and bellies are filled. Next, the kids whittle down sticks to spear fat, fluffy marshmallows and roast them over the flames.
This is the kind of time that dads like to roll out their stories, tales of adventure and scrapes with danger. Ian has plenty of them – he's been a mountain guide for 35 years, he tells us, 15 of which were spent in Nepal helping hikers tackle some of the country's highest peaks. It makes paddling a canoe in Canada seem rather sedate, although Ian couldn't be happier.
"This is such an incredible place," he says. "And it's a nice way to stay in shape."
Especially if you're the only one paddling.
Ben Groundwater travelled as a guest of the Canadian Tourism Commission.
TRIP NOTES
MORE INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Air Canada has daily flights from Sydney to Kamloops, via Vancouver. Call 1300 655 767, or go to aircanada.com. From Kamloops, it's a one-and-a-half hour drive to the town of Clearwater. For car hire, go to budget.ca.
STAYING THERE
Ian Eakins' Wells Gray Adventures has three-day canoeing trips on Clearwater Lake for $CAD460 a person – children under 13 years receive a 25 per cent discount. The price includes guide, accommodation, meals, and transfers from the town of Clearwater. Go to skihike.com.
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