By Graeme Smith, Director, Outdoor Education

The Grade 11’s just spent the past week sea kayaking out on the beautiful blue waters of Georgian Bay. Launching from the Chikanishing River only five kilometres from the town of Killarney, the group set out to explore the incredible Phillip Edward Island. Upon arrival at Killarney Outfitters on Monday afternoon, the group participated in a training session where they learned how to do wet exits in the event of an overturned kayak. After an evening in the back field at the outfitters, the group packed their kayaks and launched into what turned out to be an incredibly rich week of exploration, learning new skills and building friendships.

With a promising weather forecast, conditions were absolutely stunning on our first big water crossing. A wind at our back of modest intensity created rolling waves that gently pushed us forward at a delightful pace. As students became familiar with their kayaks and paddling partners, the group's efficiency surprised everyone as we covered an impressive 8 km within the first hour and half, a promising foreshadow for the rest of the week. The group was awestruck as they paddled through the maze of islands and windswept pines just so very characteristic of Georgian Bay.

Wednesday morning was welcome with overcast skies and a fairly uneventful sunrise. The group morale was high and everyone paddled throughout the day with excitement and enthusiasm. After lunch on a fairly exposed and windy rock point, we paddled the afternoon to the protection of the many small bays and islands providing relief from the wind. The afternoon clouds graced us with a slight shower that failed to hold back the group as the joyfully cooked pizza around an open fire in the soft rain. 

Thursday morning blessed the group with a beautiful sunrise and initially calm and ideal paddling conditions. A very gentle but in your face wind was no match for the fleet as we paddled into big open water around Blockbuster Island resulting in a view of the impressive Fox Islands. As the group moved forward and the winds slightly intensified, they were inspired by the challenge and enjoyed the fun as they paddled into some waves. After lunch, we met our most exhilarating conditions of the trip as we paddled our last leg into a headwind that was the perfect level and pushed the kids to paddle hard and truly enjoy the skill required to tackle those waves. After safely arriving at camp, the mood was high as the sense of accomplishment was palpable.

Friday morning everyone packed up efficiently, paddled across a bit more open water and ended the trip on an extremely high note.

Well done grade 11’s!

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