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Canada Great Outdoors

Heaven on a Kayak in Parry Sound

“Who here has been in a kayak before?,” our leader asked. When only one of the fellow bloggers in my group raised their hand, our leader moved swiftly. “Tandem kayaks would probably be better,” she told the rest of us, as with two people the chances of you flipping the kayak are much smaller. I breathed a sigh of relief. I’ve always wanted to give kayaking a try but was always terrified of the flipping part. Especially in the waters of the Hudson River, where, fun fact, you can kayak for free in New York City.

But thankfully, these weren’t the polluted waters of the Hudson. This was the pristine clear water of Georgian Bay, an enormous body of water that opens into Lake Huron! Dotted with thousands of tiny islands, Georgian Bay’s Parry Sound was the perfect spot for a little sea kayaking adventure with White Squall Adventures.

“Who needs a skirt?,” the leader asked. A skirt? Why it’s that thing that you see on kayakers that seem to tether them to their kayaks. In fact its purpose is to keep water from pouring into the kayak and, I dare say, when you’re wearing one and NOT in a kayak, you look a wee bit ridiculous!

Posing in a Skirt
What can I say? I’m always up for a good pose while looking ridiculous!

Georgian Bay is not an ocean, opening up into one of the Great Lakes, so why were we sea kayaking? Apparently that’s just the name for the type of kayak we were using. Steering is interesting as it primarily involves a pedal system to control the rudder. In the tandem kayaks this job fell to the person in the back, and after my rocky steering experience in a canoe the day before, I was not keen to try again. Thankfully, my kayak-mate, Lisa of Girl About The Globe was happy to oblige!

"How do you get in this thing?"
Lisa ponders, “How do you get into this thing?”

Turns out we made a pretty good team and once we got going around several of the islands, I really started to enjoy myself! Here we were, whisking ourselves across the water and easily at that! It didn’t feel like quite the chore that canoeing did. This was fun! A lot of fun!

It took a little while to get into it though. My arms ached. Oh, how the ached. And it had only been 5 minutes! Don’t you love those reminders of just how out-of-shape you are? Soon enough, though, I grew used to it and really enjoyed myself. Nothing quite like getting in touch with nature in a non-motorized vehicle, huh? It was such a peaceful activity that I could have done it all day!

The whole lot of us bloggers  on our kayaks (smile Jill!). Photo courtesy of Explorers' Edge.
The whole lot of us bloggers on our kayaks (smile Jill!). Photo courtesy of Explorers’ Edge.

Around the miniscule islands we went, soaking the spectacular scenery that I had gotten so used to seeing during my time in Explorers’ Edge, just a couple of hours north of Toronto, Canada. It was a really wonderful escape from urban life and I practically forgot everything that was going on in the world as we glided along in that kayak!

Kayaking on Parry Sound. Photo courtesy of Explorers' Edge.
Kayaking on Parry Sound. Photo courtesy of Explorers’ Edge.

Sadly, though, all good things must come to an end, and before I knew it, we’d rounded an island when our guide told us it was time to head back. “Nooooooooooooo,” I screamed inside. It was too soon and I realized I had a new favorite water-based activity. One thing I know for sure though is that I will be back!

Though Explorers’ Edge and White Squall Adventures graciously hosted my time at Parry Sound on Georgian Bay, all opinions expressed here are my own. 

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By Aaron

Hey there! I'm Aaron and this is my travel site, where I document my adventures to all corners of the world. My love for travel started at the ripe old age of four, when a midlife crisis uprooted my family to Ecuador for five years. Since then, I've been to countries on 4 different continents. When I'm not blissfully on the road, I reside in New York City, where I become the ultimate travel junkie and spend my days dreaming up my next great adventure! Read More...

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