Kayaking, Bruce Peninsula National Park, through paddle

Have you ever hiked the Bruce Trail through Bruce Peninsula National Park, stood at a scenic outlook on the Niagara Escarpment, gazed out at Georgian Bay, and wondered, what is actually down there? Now is your chance to find out, to see the escarpment from the best perspective, a fish eye view.

Itinerary:

Option 1: Friday, Sep. 7, leave after work for Bruce Peninsula National Park, Cyprus Lake car camping, a three hour drive.

Option 2: Saturday, Sep. 8, 6:00 am, leave for Tobermory, stopping at the park office for permits. Drop by outfitter in Tobermory to pick up kayaks if required. By 11:00 am, park start point vehicle at Little Cove Bay, and commence paddling east past the Overhang, Grotto, Cave Point, Storm Haven.... to High Dump, the furthest backcountry campground.

Both options: Detour via Dyer's Bay on the way up to leave an end point vehicle in public parking.

Secret option 3 for hikers only: participate in the meetup but hike instead from Cyprus Lake, or Dyer's Bay, to High Dump. Hike anywhere you want for that matter, Dyer's Bay to Cyprus via High Dump.

Sunday, continue paddling east (out of respect for predominant westerly winds) past Cabot Head Nature Reserve, stop at the lighthouse for a look-see, and on to Dyer's Bay boat ramp. We may elect to hide a mountain bike(s) along Cabot Head Rd. on the way up to expedite retrieval of end point vehicle and reduce paddling distance, or make it more fun! Return kayaks to Tobermory if required. Retrieve start point vehicle by necessity. 4:00 pm, commence three hour drive to Kitchener-Waterloo.

Inspiration:

Photos from a scouting mission last weekend http://www.flickr.com/photos/65337815@N02/sets/72157631249973384/show/

Cost:

Option 2 without kayak rental:

$30 shared gas + $12 camping permit + $5 shared parking = $47

Option 1 with kayak rental (assuming 4 persons Friday camping):

$30 shared gas + $9 shared Friday camping + $55 two day kayak rental (Suntrail below) + $12 camping permit + $5 shared parking = $111

Difficulty:

It is hard to judge since difficulty varies by wind speed and direction. The coastline, as per photo above, is inhospitable under heavy waves. There are no outer islands to shelter from the surf making for tricky landings and launches. Probably not your best introduction to sea kayaking. The distance, despite the Dyer's Bay endpoint (pun intended), is manageable for an average backcountry fitness level.

Pedometer view of route with distances in km http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5631668 By happenstance High Dump is at the mid point translating to 18 km per day.

Kayak Rental:

Thorncrest Outfitters, Tobermory, 519-596-8908, http://www.thorncrestoutfitters.com/paddling/rentals.htm 'Single sea kayak', $70/two days, is the most likely boat. Their kayak delivery cost, albeit not unreasonable, suggests you may want to strap it to your car roof for the short distances.

Suntrail, Hepworth, (519)935-2478, http://www.suntrail.net/content/summer-rentals 'Touring kayak' $55/two days, is the most likely boat. Price includes all gear for safety and transport. Returns must be back by 5:00 pm Sunday.

Camping:

High Dump campsites use tent pads. Equip your shelter accordingly.

(Remind me to reserve a site!)

Fine print:

There is no particular reason this needs to be a through paddle. The point of the exercise is to capitalize on the predominant westerly winds, and visit the seldom seen eastern extent of the park. Given contrary winds Sunday, we could return to Little Cove.