Day 11 - Official

Took the morning off and just relaxed to get my energy back. Played a game of horseshoes with the mature people and let them win. Yeah right, all they do now is play this game, my partner after a few rounds just shook his head then started razing me, I can take you mister and I don't care if you were in the war, maybe even the first one to boot.

Now that all my stuff was dried out from the rain in peterborough and the swamping on rice lake, figured it was time to pack up and get mobile, itching to paddle, weird. Have lunch at a chip truck (yum) and I get underway at around 1:30.

I meet my first "loopers". They left miami in may, came up the coast, did rideau canal then trent, down through great lakes and then Mississippi. They hope to be in the gulf in november then off to bahamas for christmas before they head home. Way cool, they say the trent is one of their favorite spots, third time they have done it.

I get through the lock in hastings at 2 and they are calling for thunderstorms, sky is clear and only have 24k to healey falls. The first hour is rough but then again the first hour of every day is rough, then I settle into a rhythm and accept the fact it's going to be hours of paddling.

About the hour mark I come across hundreds of massive fish just swimming across the top with their heads out of water, mouth open and eating whatever is on top. At first I thing it's current because the water is circling so much and I'm like where would current come from here. Then they splash and dive as I get near, some hitting the kayak. Was way cool and I got some video. Found out later they are carp and I continue to see them all the way down trent river to hastings. Beautiful views by the way.

At about the two hour mark I hear a trumpet playing in the distance and man was this guy good, I detour and follow the beacon, I find him sitting on his desk just playing and I start clapping. He was amazing with that instrument.

At about the halfway point I turn the point and wind in my face, good cause I am overheating from the over exposure to sun the day before.

Ok, now note to the friends following my trip and texting to keep me company, please don't tell me about the insane thunderstorms in toronto, I'm not that far away now and I don't want to think about it. Now keeping an eye on the sky every two minutes.

With two hours left the rain starts, I put on rain gear and good to go, I don't mind paddling in the rain, I'm warm and dry so doesn't matter, cools me down nicely. Sky looking like it does when lightning is going to happen, I pick up pace.

As I get to Healey Falls, ok can see it but 45minutes away I hear my first thunder, pick up speed even more. I get to the lock at 630 and they let me through. The lock at Healey Falls is my favorite conventional lock, a series of two locks joined and it's like a step down. I'm in the second lock when the first lightning hits, 400meters to next lock and my destination. It becomes a sprint and I stick right to the shore.

I pull up at the landing spot at 650 and out of kayak really fast, it's pouring at this point. I walk over to lock station but not getting rained on because I'm using my umbrella, oh wait, probably not good to hold up steel in a lightning storm, I put it down.

Wait half hour and the rain isn't stopping, I go get my tent and set it up, now having tent with a separate fly has one disadvantage, takes 2 minutes to get tent up and 30 seconds to get fly on, that's a lot of rain in the tent. I mop it up with my shamwow, ok not really, but high absorbent towel. Get out of tent to get my stuff and rain stops. Thanks.

Gorgeous evening and I just relax and make dinner then get an early nights rest, no more rain the rest of the night. Was another great day

ok, it's almost 9 and they are calling for rain and thunderstorms this aft. Going to get my but in gear and see if I can beat it.