Bob & Diana McElroy / News / archive / First Paddle of the Season

First Paddle of the Season

2018 April 22

We're finally getting some nice spring weather. So we got the canoes out of winter storage yesterday and went for our first paddle of the season on the Chalk River this morning. The air was cool, but the sun was warm and the wind non-existant.

Getting the canoes out of winter storage — Getting the canoes out of winter storage with Bob contemplating our driveway.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — First paddle of the season. From the Corry Lake bridge to the beaver dam and return. Here's the view from the bridge looking downstream towards Hwy. 17.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — This view is from the bridge up into Corry Lake.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — The Corry Lake bridge.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — Along the shore at the outlet of Corry Lake.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — Diana photographing the edge of ice on Corry Lake.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — The edge of ice with with geese.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — "We're out of here."

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — The edge of ice on Corry Lake. We're still at the stage where we get melting during the day and cat ice formation at night. -4C last night.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — We turned around and paddled downstream to the beaver dam but no farther. No problem going downstream farther but it might be a challenge coming back up. And there's no solid ground on either shore for a lift over. Too cold for a swim.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — A nice grove of jack pine just upstream of the beaver dam.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — A very large beaver house. No doubt the dam owners live here.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — A Compton Tortoise Shell Butterfly resting on the beaver house. (We saw another one around our house later in the afternoon.)

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — Looking upstream on the Chalk River.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — A pair of nesting Canada geese. This is the guard goose. The first strategy is to keep a low profile and hope we don't see it.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — "Okay, I've been seen. So I'll just sidle slowly off this way, away from the nest."

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — The brooding goose on the nest. We don't have high hopes for this nest. It will probably get flooded as the river rises to its normal spring levels.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — Cat ice along the river's edge.

First paddle of the season on the Chalk River — Approaching our launch point, the Corry Lake bridge.

Chalk River Point Alexander