Almost airborne... that was the coolest part of the long boat. (Photo Cliff Pratt)
While everyone in the Ottawa Valley seemed to be away at the Whitewater Grand Prix I spent the past few weeks on the Ottawa River doing something a little different. My close friend Zac Crouse just embarked on a sea kayaking trip from Beachburg, Ontario (home of the Ottawa River’s whitewater section) to Halifax, Nova Scotia. He’s doing the trip to promote sustainable modes of transportation and an active lifestyle. Zac approached me in the fall about the trip and was wondering if I could help him shoot a documentary about it. I jumped on board.
Zac taking a hit (Photo Cliff Pratt)
Charging over a wave (Photo Cliff Pratt)
That sea kayak moved fast! (Photo Cliff Pratt)
The Ottawa isn’t typically known as a sea kayaking destination and both of us really like whitewater kayaking so rather than just start the trip in Ottawa we decided to spend two weeks in Beachburg so Zac could get warmed up for the trip and we could shoot some whitewater sea kayaking. It was also a great opportunity for Zac to get used to paddling the long boat in Rapids since he’d inevitably run into some on his trip. With really high water this year in the Ottawa Valley our days on the river were pretty interesting. Close to the end of our two weeks together we paddled down river to Ottawa, something that I don’t think many whitewater paddlers have done. It was really cool to see a different side of the Ottawa and the beautiful scenery along the way. I’m now back in BC while Zac is continuing to Saint John, New Brunswick by himself. Friends from Nova Scotia and I will join Zac there as he completes his trip. For more info on Paddle to the Ocean visit zaccrouse.com, also check out the little video I put together from our train ride to Ottawa and our first few days on the water.
Paddle to the Ocean: The Trip Begins from Paddle to the Ocean on Vimeo.
Kelsey Thompson
