Target Practice

Canoe trips have a way of creating adventure for those who dare to pick up a paddle. Often, we can imagine the experiences that will send adrenaline pumping through our veins. Paddling alongside moving freighters, navigating through rough seas and negotiating through heavy boat traffic were all predictable sources of uneasy excitement for us this summer. But nothing was more unexpected and terrifying than hearing the sound of bullets being fired in our direction.

I ducked as the guns fired in unison unleashing a dreadful “Pow-ppp-pow” sound. We were paddling with our friend, Dave Patterson, and with a glance towards the shore, we noticed that we were approaching a Canadian Forces Firing Range past Grimsby on Lake Ontario. Target practice was being held onshore, too far away for us to see, but we did notice that they were aiming towards a towering berm that was built at the base of the shoreline. Yellow buoys marked, into the distant horizon, a large caution area for mariners to avoid when the firing range is in use. It was windy and the waves were building so together we decided it would be safer to sprint 200 meters through the buoys instead of paddling 2 kilometers out into the building seas of Lake Ontario to cross over. Besides, we were in Kevlar boats (don’t they make bullet proof vests out of the stuff?) and the large berm would protect us. For the moment, the firing ceased and we knew this was our chance. We built up our courage and started to sprint towards the buoys when another fearsome round of “pow-pppp-pow-pow” knocked some common sense into us. Deciding not to be a moving target, we headed towards shore. A guardsman informed us that we would have to paddle around the buoys. With a little convincing, he radioed other officers and we were given special permission to pass through.