How A Cancelled Train Led To A Great Canoe Trip

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A last-minute curveball from VIA Rail threatened to kill a long-planned Spanish River trip. We refused to pack it in. Instead, we pivoted north to the lower Temagami River, launching from Red Cedar Lake and finding warm days, calm nights, and a crew that just clicked. That shift became a reminder that great canoe trips hinge on nimble planning, weather grace, and teammates who keep it light when logistics go sideways.

We dig into what made Temagami shine, then map out Spanish River Take Two this June with a moving water certification led by an ORCKA instructor. Bill shares how becoming an ORCKA instructor transformed his own paddling—turns that used to feel “fine” suddenly needed cleaner torso rotation, tighter stern work, and better trim. Efficiency becomes the real safety net when rapids stack up. We talk guiding on the French River, especially the South Channel and five-mile rapids—quieter stretches where boat traffic fades and the landscape opens up. The theme is consistent: seek solitude, read water, and save energy for the moves that matter.

The trail talk widens to hiking windows along the Bruce Trail and Niagara Escarpment, a late-light glacier hike in Iceland, and the growing appeal of crown land access near Georgian Bay and Philip Edward Island. Overlanding gets a nod for freedom and a caution for cost. We share fishing highs and humbling blanks, including the fly rod cameo after a spinning setup sank in the French. Fly casting shines as craft and meditation, even when the net stays dry. Bill explains the cheeky origin of Thunderbox Diaries and why storytelling through images still feels like a living logbook.

Gearheads will appreciate the shoutouts: compact lights and pumps from Flextail, backcountry meals from Wanderlost Kitchen and SLY Foods that taste like real food, and a fresh collaboration with Ostrom Outdoors. Watch for a prototype debut at the Hamilton Adventure Expo at the Organic Boat Shop booth. If you love canoe tripping, whitewater progression, better trip food, and hearing how a busted plan turned brilliant, this one’s for you. Enjoy it, then share it with a paddler who needs a nudge. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: when did your plan B beat plan A?


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