Tessie's Trip Journal (A Dog's Perspective)

My parents are two humans who love to canoe and camp. They have taken me on many trips, and this time we are on the North Channel of Lake Huron. I enjoy camping, however, the canoeing is not always to my liking because I'm not particularly fond of the water. My parents keep me safe by putting on my Salus doggie PFD (Personal Floatation Device) which I'm happy to wear. One day the waves were a little too rough for my little stomach and when we got to shore I threw up. My mom and dad try their best to make my time in the canoe as comfortable as possible. They put down a nice foam pad for me to sit on and create a little space for me in the canoe but it's not up to my usual standards of comfort at home - a lazy boy chair. The tent, on the other hand, is something I look forward to all day long. When I smell the tent bag being pulled out from where it is stowed in the canoe, I wag my tail and watch anxiously as it's being set up. I love being on shore because there are so many things to play with. So far I have chased cormorants, mallards, squirrels and chipmunks. The only animal I wasn't allowed to chase was a porcupine - I didn't understand why. I have also become the official dishwasher on trip - my favourite job. I've had the pleasure of tasting bits of leftover pasta, pad thai, soups and puddings. We have just landed at the North Channel Yacht Club where I will be heading back with my grandparents to go on a summer vacation in Sudbury. I've enjoyed paddling out here, but this puppy is pooched.

A Porcupine is Eating our Canoe!

It's two-thirty in the morning and Tess, our dog, is walking anxiously around inside the tent. She can hear a rustling outside. Half awake, Jon and I try to calm her down, but to no avail. We try to fall back to sleep when we hear something trampling on the deck of our canoe. With his headlamp on, Jon climbs out of the tent to see what's outside. To his surprise, a big fat porcupine is sitting on the stern of our canoe gnawing at our wooden gunwales and deck plate. From inside the tent, Tess and I could hear a loud clap and Jon shouting, "Stop eating our canoe!" The porcupine abandoned his project and scurried up a tree. We examined our canoe and found there was minimal damage - a few chew marks in the gunwales and spray deck. The rest of the night we dozed in and out of sleep waiting for the return of the porcupine. Luckily he didn't return. We expect he found something better to chew.

Where I Learned to Paddle

The North Channel of Lake Huron is one of my favourite places to paddle as well as the site where I took my first few canoe strokes. This is where I caught, what I call, the paddling bug - it infected me with my love of canoeing and kayaking. The first boat I learned to paddle was a 36 ft. voyageur canoe. I learned these skills at Camp Manitou, an Anglican Church camp that I attended as a youth, and later as a counselor. We had a chance to stop in at Camp Manitou in the middle of Senior Girls' camp. The girls and the staff were just heading on an outtrip and we had a chance to talk to them about our journeys by canoe. They had so many good questions to ask us, however, the funniest question was, "Do you guys have massive pipes?" We were treated to dinner that evening and I had a good time reminiscing about happy times at camp. We would like to thank Camp Manitou for their warm hospitality and send off.