> Georgian Bay: Weather in Georgian Bay is probably like northern Michigan at that time of year - either lovely warm or cold and rainy. Hot days can have freezing nights. Be prepared for the full range of temps and don't rely on a summer weight sleeping bag or tent. You're into the shoulder season where it hasn't quite turned into stormy fall conditions on the lake, but it could without warning. My favorite time of year to paddle! September is good because most folks (read: Torontonians) think summer ends on Labour Day and stay home after that. That means fewer motor boats and more camping opportunities. The further north you are, the better. > > Routes? Camping opportunities? Get the book "Guide to Sea Kayaking Lakes Huron, Erie & Ontario" by Sarah Ohmann and Bill Newman if you don't already have it. This will get you going, certainly better than any info I could write here. White Squall, in Nobel (near Parry Sound), is the main kayak shop in the Georgian Bay area. They can provide guides and/or gear. Skip the book on Sea Kayaking Georgian Bay by Jonathan ---- and Heather -----. It's too full of errors to be worthwhile (e.g. "take highway 69 from Toronto..." highway 69 is about 200 km north of T.O. You have to take highway 400 to get there. The authors seem unaware that the highways have been rebuilt and renumbered in the last twenty years!) There are excellent small-craft navigation charts that cover Killarney to Port Severn. If you prefer navigation charts to topos, I'd recommend them. Typically 1:20000 with some 1:15K or finer in detail. Chart numbers (south to north) are 2202, 2203 and 2204. Whatever you do, do not attempt Georgian Bay without maps. You can easily get lost among the islands! If you prefer topos, the newest ones are available in Tyvek (waterproof) and are metric with 1 kilometer grid overlays and UTM coordinates all at 1:50:000. Sometimes it's hard to pick which (nav or topo) to use. Be advised that the water levels are about a meter (three feet) below what we've been used to and there are passages that are now portages and bays that have become lakes. The water level info on the nav charts will help you avoid dead ends. Also, I think they're going to change the name to the 30,000,000 islands. Lots of shoals are now picnic spots. This past weekend Amie and I were out marking shallow rocks with white gel coat as a warning to others! > Is Killarney Park worth adding to the itinerary (I know it is popular with > canoeists, but what about kayaks)? Killarney is a spectacular park, but you won't get far without a portage. It is hard to describe just how different it is from the surrounding area. White quartzite outcroppings instead of the grey granitic rocks of the bay. With the dark coniferous trees and turquoise and azur lakes (hard bottom means little plant life, so the water isn't tea colored) makes for a visual feast. There is a route through the east side, Bell Lake to Balsam, that involves a liftover with a tiny marine rail thing - if it's in working order. Makes a portage trivial. Camp on the far end of Balsam (you need a permit for the specific site in advance - this park fills early and you shouldn't risk not getting your permits ahead of time especially in early Sept). Then portage (610 meter), with kayak and lunch, over to David Lake and paddle to the portage to Boundary Lake. Stash the kayak in the woods and hike up to the top of Silver Peak (it's a marked trail). This is probably the best intro to Killarney you could get. You might prefer to rent a canoe in Killarney (the town) for this part of your trip. You could also kayak around the outskirts of the park and not enter it. Some is accessable directly from Georgian Bay. The guide book I recommend above shows a route from Killarney to the French River on the outside of Philip Edward Island. I've never done it, but you could do the inside (Collins Inlet) as well and rejoin their route further on. If you get to the French and have time, scoot over to the Bustard Islands. There are some astounding campsites in there, but they're all a secret! Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Jun 26 2001 - 19:01:57 PDT
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