5th trip Report- Caddy Lake and some fun weather

[icedragonmx]

Caddy Lake, South Cross lake, North Cross Lake and Sailing Lake with a bit of wind and rain...


A wickedly fun/challenging trip. Had to fight a head wind for the whole trip in (14.7km) and a strong tail wind on the return. 35km in total with approximately 200m in nice portages. Set up camp in strong winds with rain and was soaked to the bone three times during the trip. Was glad I had a sheltered spot to hide behind for the 1st storm as that was crazy strong 65km+ winds at the storm front. Had rough lakes when the wind was angry on the return voyage and even got to surf my canoe on two foot waves in high winds. Had the front third in the air while riding the waves! Found a couple of new canoe hardcore trippers that got swamped on South Cross Lake and had to hike/slog/swim through the swampy shoreline to recover their sanity/gear/canoe. I provided a safety escort for the trip back with them and got to share in a few cool stories. They are well on the way to a life of adventure! Even had a chance to detour after the beach escort, into a side swap trail complete with floating bog and tight squeezes (rubbing on both sides). A "fun" that I would do again in a heartbeat. This time with a water proof camera to capture the surf action! Now back to the start of the trip...

Including the world famous tunnels....

North Cross Lake West Dam

Short video of the normal winds, just watch the trees



Storm rolling in- winds went crazy at this point-+65km and pulling water up off the lake

Rain in the forecast

Storm rolling in- winds went crazy at this point-+65km and pulling water up off the lake, time to hide

Taking down the camp the next morning

Ready for return trip

North Cross Lake East Dam

West Dam again

North Cross Lake

North Cross Lake to South Cross Lake Tunnel Views

Looking back

Back in the rain

Safe landing just before the South Cross lake to Caddy Lake tunnels after doing some wave surfing with the front third of the canoe in the air! I so wish I had a water proof camera for that action!!!!!

The pair of newer canoe campers that had been swamped in the Saturday High wind storm and had asked for a safety escort back to the Caddy Beach, no worries...

Just have to make to the tunnel and beyond, lol

A detour after the escort to a side swamp trail

At the boat launch ready for the drive home...Single carry style with some room for improvement

Good times even with the rain and wind and crazy storm, well maybe not the crazy storm front part!!! I have to say after seeing the other canoeist struggle with the wind and waves I can't say how happy I am with mine! Was everything I needed for the weather in hand and only needed to bail it out once due to the rain (not the waves). Worth every penny at this point! And yes I was bragging how light is was at the boat dock to a lovely lady that was looking for something lighter than a kayak.

Ready for the next trip!!!!!

 

[icedragonmx]

I'll post the Video links here as it did not seem to work to well

 

[Guest]

Good photos! Somewhere in Canada, I presume.

 

[Murat V]

Thanks for posting. Those rock tunnels are a neat feature! Liked your video showing all those swallows buzzing around in there.

 

[Hanz]

I just spent some time researching the tunnels. They say they were created to even the water out so railroad tracks could be laid. Are the tracks still there?

How do you like the sculpted portage yoke?

 

[icedragonmx]

I just spent some time researching the tunnels. They say they were created to even the water out so railroad tracks could be laid. Are the tracks still there?
How do you like the sculpted portage yoke?

The Railway is still in use. I could have been in the tunnel when a train went over but was escorting the couple back to the beach landing. The sculpted Portage yoke is great. I just wish they could replicate it using a foam core with a matching carbon fiber exterior! That would hopefully be way lighter than the 2lbs the QD wood yoke is. I wanted to drill the wood one to lighten it but it has such a nice wood grain I dont want to mess with it. I did need to wrap the metal in a non slip rubber tape to provide a better grip on the CF.

Thanks for posting. Those rock tunnels are a neat feature! Liked your video showing all those swallows buzzing around in there.

Was very neat with the bird hovering in front of the boat. The video just can't show how cool a spot that tunnel is! The second one is even better! A must do trip for anyone in the area. (Manitoba, Canada)

 

[Odyssey]

Nice trip, and really nice photos Ice. Seeing shots taken in inclement weather gives a good feeling for the whole experience. Those calm grassy shallows sure look alluring, just waiting to be explored. I love the videos too. Awesome feeling going through that tunnel! Around the 40 sec mark, I actually ducked my head while watching! Ha! Beautiful seeing the swallows swooping around, and the slurping sounds of water echoing off the tunnel walls. Coming back out into the lakeside scene, complete with a canoe in the distance, was fantastic.
Thanks Ice.

 

[Sturgeon]

Great pics. I could smell the storm in those two photos! I'm happy you're posting these trips. I get to see a part of the country that is not often seen by folks down here in S Ontario/Quebec/NEStates. Ps I covet your boat. I've tried one with a cane style seat. Wondering what you think of the combi seat...would you ever go to a more traditional and higher cane seat? Forgive my ignorance, but... Ergonomically, Is it weird to be so low in the boat? And Aren't you kind of sitting in the water?

 

[icedragonmx]

[QUOTE=Odyssey;n14549]Nice trip, and really nice photos Ice. Seeing shots taken in inclement weather gives a good feeling for the whole experience. Those calm grassy shallows sure look alluring, just waiting to be explored. I love the videos too. Awesome feeling going through that tunnel! Around the 40 sec mark, I actually ducked my head while watching! Ha! Beautiful seeing the swallows swooping around, and the slurping sounds of water echoing off the tunnel walls. Coming back out into the lakeside scene, complete with a canoe in the distance, was fantastic.
Thanks Ice.[/QUOTE]

That's great that you enjoyed the video! I do like when others can share in the experience. It is something where you need to be there to get the real feel of it but I am quite happy with that video! Now I just need to find a good waterproof Camera to help with the crazy storm stuff! I am so disappointed that I did not get the wall of wind or the wave surfing on camera! Would be nice with a camera stuck on the side of the boat and not having to worry about the rain or wave splashes. Now have a Panasonic Lumix TS5 on the wish list..... The grassy sections were unreal! I was puttering around in them forever just enjoying the reeds and scenery. Was a great trip even if I had to start by paddling past the cottage country stuff. The stuff past the first lake made up for that in a big way!

Great pics. I could smell the storm in those two photos! I'm happy you're posting these trips. I get to see a part of the country that is not often seen by folks down here in S Ontario/Quebec/NEStates. Ps I covet your boat. I've tried one with a cane style seat. Wondering what you think of the combi seat...would you ever go to a more traditional and higher cane seat? Forgive my ignorance, but... Ergonomically, Is it weird to be so low in the boat? And Aren't you kind of sitting in the water?

Thanks! The storms were fun but the wind was a bit too much. Even the regular wind (as seen in the second video with the falls) was hard enough to paddle against, felt that at the end of the day! When it went into storm mode around 6pm I ran for cover behind the cliffs and trees! Lol I love to see the trip reports from down south as I will never be able to find that type of terrain here. It is great to see others trip photos! The Canoe is a wonderful thing for me, can hold all my stuff and me and still goes great! I do like the lower seat for the extra comfort/support and stability. I can lock myself in by pushing on the foot pegs while pressing out with the knees. Makes me part of the boat when doing silly things in moving water and waves. I feel more secure at the lower position. The only downside is getting up after being too comfy for too long! Lol. You do sit at the waters height so a paddle length adjustment might be needed. I am 6'4" and use a 48" bent blade BB Black Pearl as my daily paddle. This system as I have it right now is very good, just need some better boots and a lighter tent/dry bag and a bigger food box for long trips, the wish list will never end! Anything that gets you closer to the pack boat style with the full support seat would be a great thing! Just make sure to get the foot pegs too!