Kayak Therapy and friluftsliv at Big McCoy.
Details
Join me in my fight against Nature Deficit Disorder and enjoy some friluftsliv (http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/blogs/how-friluftsliv-can-help-you-reconnect-with-nature) at the McCoy Islands. What’s friluftsliv? It literally means “free air life” and it’s a term often used in Norway to describe a way of life that is spent exploring and appreciating nature. My Norwegian ancestors had it right and it’s my kind of thing.
The McCoy’s were widely used for commerce during the fur trade era and commercial fishing in the early 20th century. The Islands take their name from a trader named McCoy (not the “real” one) whose murder was never solved. Local legend has it you can hear him scream on the eve of his murder, under the September full moon, so... I thought we’d go here in July.
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In typical Georgian Bay weather, this trip is classified as a B3 Wilderness trip, (GLSKA Trip Guidelines (http://www.glska.com/archive/PDFs/GLSKA_Trip_Guidelines.pdf)) which is generally suitable for intermediate and advanced paddlers.
Friday
From Waterloo, drive approximately 4 hours and meetup at the public launch in Dillon around 5:00pm. We’ll need to be on the water by 6:00pm. We’ll paddle a couple hours and find a campsite for the night on the north end of Franklin Island.
Saturday
We’ll take an early start to the day and paddle the 6½ km open water crossing from the Shebeshekong Channel to the McCoy Islands. Paddling about 15 km this day, should leave us time to stretch our legs and explore the kettles on the southern end of Big McCoy or we’ll choose to explore anywhere we want to. The idea though, is to enjoy a moderately strenuous paddle and set up camp earlier, rather than later in the day. Then we’re free to unleash ourselves into the rest of the McCoys, already knowing where we're camping for the night.
Advanced paddlers with solid navigational skills may have the option of leaving Dillon early Saturday morning and catching up with us in the Shebeshekong Channel, but this could be a problematic choice if the weather changes and we lose our cellphone or gps signals.
Sunday
Return by taking a 3 km open water crossing to the southern channels of the Hertzberg Island cluster and a second 3 km open water crossing of the Shawanaga Inlet, before returning to the take out at Dillon. The paddling distance will be 15-20 km.
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You may rent a touring poly kayak from White Squall or Swift. Both places are on the way. White Squall has better kayaks. Add about 45 minutes to your ETA if you need to pick up a rental Friday afternoon.
http://www.whitesquall.com/index.php/rentals
http://www.swiftoutside.com/#!rentals/c1j5e
Expect to pay nominal fees for parking, but there is no charge for camping as we’ll be camping on Crown Land on Franklin and Big McCoy Islands.
Weather on Georgian Bay is a fickle creature. Expect the weather to change.
Changes in weather can quickly alter a trip's difficulty...making a paddle awfully simple...or simply awful.
Like all trips with KW Backcountry Travel Meetup, you're responsible for your own gear, food, transportation and bringing sufficient common sense to ensure your personal safety.