The Locks of the Trent Severn Waterway

Honestly, I found this blog post very difficult to make concise.  Our Trent-Severn Waterway trek was so unique - such as experiencing going through fourteen Locks and living for eight days in a houseboat moving each day along the Waterway.  With so much content, how do I describe all this and keep the videos under a few minutes?

The Trent Severn Waterway is one of Canada's most spectacular waterways. The Waterway stretches 240 miles from Lake Ontario's Bay of Quinte to Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay. My wife and I readily accepted an invitation to join our friends Linda and Dundee for a week on a houseboat on the Trent Severn Waterway.

Friends ask many questions such as, "What and where is the Trent-Severn Waterway?", “What was the houseboat like?”, “What did it feel like going through a lock?”, “How did you navigate?”, and “Did you spend all your time on the houseboat?”  I finally came to the conclusion I could only do this by breaking the trip into small videos and letting you choose for yourself which ones to view.

The waterway is an impressive chain of lakes and rivers linked by more than 40 locks and some 33 miles of excavated channels. All of the locks are situated in beautiful park-like settings and most are integrated within small and inviting villages. Indeed, the Waterway is a unique gem of Canada.
 
Given the extensive length of the Waterway, our timeframe of eight days, and the need to return our rented houseboat to where we picked it up at Happy Days Houseboats in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, our trip would take us through only seven of the locks as we headed from Lake Ontario and turned around after we locked through Kirkfield Lift Lock.  On our return we would repeat each of these seven locks.

The Waterway is home to two of the world’s highest hydraulic lift locks, located in Peterborough and Kirkfield.  Indeed, we locked the Kirkfield lift twice.

In addition, we visited via car four locks (Trenton, Glen Miller, Sydney and Peterborough Lift Lock). These visits gave us another perspective of the locks because at two of these locks the lock master allowed me into their lock houses to be an “associate” to work the controls to “lock in” and “lock out” the boats.  I was even told by one lock operator, “You are the oldest kid whoever assisted us!”  Indeed all the lockmasters and operators were wonderful.

 The Lock Operators – Ontario Ambassadors

The lockmasters and operators who guide and oversee the lock as your boat passes through the locks offer extraordinary assistance and indeed are ambassadors to Trent-Severn, Ontario, and certainly Canada.  The warm welcome and support we received from them in going through the locks were exceptional.

We slept on the houseboat all nights tying down seven nights in defined wall areas just outside the locks, and one night we tied to trees on Wolf Island in Lower Buckhorn Lake (The back of the boat was anchored in the lake.)

The Trent-Severn includes fixed chamber locks and hydraulic lift locks (at Peterborough and Kirkfield, two of the world’s highest hydraulic lift locks. Indeed, we locked the Kirkfield lift twice.)  A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on lake, river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a conventional lock is it has a fixed chamber in which the water level is lowered or raised (as is the Bobcaygeon Lock); whereas in a boat lift lock, it is the chamber itself that rises and falls (such as the Kirkfield Lift Lock). 

Navigation Aids and Tour Our Houseboat

We used navigation charts and a GPS to follow the Trent-Severn channel.

The houseboats are advertised for even novice boaters, and houseboat companies will provide you with an orientation course including hands-on demonstrations and navigation skills, followed by a checklist, before you cast off.  Personally, I would not recommend this trip for a complete boating novice without being sure at least one driver feels comfortable in big boats.

My friend Dundee is a fully qualified boater, and I have a nineteen foot deck boat.  The biggest challenge was driving and navigating our forty-foot long and fourteen-foot wide houseboat into and out of the lock areas. 

History and Specs of The Trent-Severn Waterway
Construction began in the Kawartha Lakes region in 1833 with the lock at Bobcaygeon marking its beginning. It took over 87 years to finish the entire Waterway and only until 1920 could a boat travel the whole route between Lake Ontario to Lake Huron.

The navigation channel runs a depth average of six feet from start to finish. The conventional locks vary in raising and dropping water levels, whereas the Kirkfield Lift is 49 feet and the Peterborough Lift is 65 feet.

Peaking at Balsam Lake the system takes the traveler 600 feet above Lake Ontario and 250 feet above Lake Huron’s, Georgian Bay.

Standard lock dimensions are one hundred and twenty feet long by thirty-two feet wide. The two exceptions are the Big Chute Marine Railway at one hundred feet long by twenty-four feet wide and Port Severn is only eight-four feet long and twenty-three feet wide setting the limit if you wish to traverse The Trent Severn Waterway from one end to the other.

“What Does it Feel Like Going Through a Lock?”

First, be sure read the above Seven Easy Steps for Locking Through.  Then, click on the two below videos to see what it feels like to go through the Bobcaygeon Lock and the Kirkfield Lift.

·       The Bobcaygeon Lock – a conventional lock

·       The Kirkfield Lock – a Liftlock

“Did you spend all your time on the houseboat?”

There are many places to enjoy on the Trent-Severn and I cannot possibly discuss them here.  I will, however, refer to three that are special to me.

·       The first is the Buckhorn Canoe Company. Dundee and I discovered this unique canoe building company owned and operated by Dick Persson.

Dick's company builds, restores and outfits traditional all-wood, wood-canvas canoes, and small boats. We were immediately impressed with Dick's extensive historical knowledge of restoration of old watercraft, old canoe companies, and their boat and canoe models.  His shop and showroom were museums unto themselves.

Go to Dick’s Blog and read his passion and unique perspective for the history, research, building, repair, restoration, outfitting and use of wooden canoes.

With Dick’s permission I did a brief video of his comments on the differences between the Otter Tail and Beaver Tail paddles.  Indeed, I will shortly be using an otter tail to see if I can improve my J-stroke by keeping my return stroke in the water.

·       My next "must share" is my swimming in Burleigh Falls.  I wanted so much to swim at least once on our trip, and this was my opportunity.  The below brief video has my brave five foot ledge jump into Burleigh Falls.

·       Last, I must introduce our visit to the magnificent Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario.  This huge museum had exhibits and live and hands-on demonstrations of canoe and kayak building.  Embedded throughout the museum was the history of the native people and the essence of canoes and kayaks in Canada’s being. 

Click below for a brief video of special moments at the Buckhorn Canoe Company, swimming Burleigh Falls, and the Canadian Canoe Museum.

Never Say, “I wish I had locked the Trent-Severn Waterway”

The Tent-Severn Water is a wonderful and memorable experience, and now Cathy, Linda, Dundee and I will never have to say, “We wish we had house-boated the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario Canada.

More Videos and Pictures

I have many videos and pictures of the inside and outside of the houseboat.  In addition, as we went through the eight locks (twice each), I took lots of pictures and videos.  I made an effort to divide the pictures into four groups, so if you have the time, here they are:

·       Walk Through Our Houseboat

·       Locking through the Trent-Severn

·       Special Memories

·       Navigating the channels of the Trent-Severn Waterway

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Steve’s latest book, Outdoor Enthusiast: Never say, “I wish I had…” is now available as an e-Book at Kindle and Nook.

References to the Trent-Severn Waterway

o   Trent-Severn Tool Kit

o  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trent%E2%80%93Severn_Waterway

o   http://www.thetrentsevernwaterway.com/#top

o http://www.ontariowaterwaycruises.com/kawartha.html

o   http://www.trentsevern.com/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=219&Itemid=328

o   http://www.happydayshouseboats.com

o   http://www.buckhorncanoes.com

o   The Waterway (Kawartha Region Lockdimensions)

o   FAQ

Four Days in Northern New Hampshire with Family and Friends Hiking, Paddling, Tenting and Moose Sighting

Grab a cup of coffee or another favorite beverage, kick up your feet, and enjoy how a family bonds in the great north woods of New Hampshire.  My 18-year-old nephew Austin graduated from his southern California (CA) high school.  For Austin to achieve this educational milestone, my wife Cathy and I arranged for him to fly to New Hampshire in July to experience our “Live Free or Die” outdoors.

The four-day trip describes:

(1)   Hiking Tuckerman Ravine Trail from the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) Pinkham Notch hut to the AMC Lake of the Cloud (LOC) hut for a one-night stay.

(2)   Hiking from LOC hut to the peak of Mt Washington, the highest mountain in the northeast at 6,288 feet and "Home of the World's Worst Weather".

(3)   Tenting for two days at Lake Francis State Park in the Connecticut Lakes area in Pittsburg, NH.

o   Hike to and around the 4^th Connecticut Lake located on the border of Canada and the United States. The 4^th Connecticut Lake is the headwaters of the 410 miles long Connecticut River

o   Paddle the Third Connecticut Lake

o   Paddle Lake Francis

o   Moose sightings on 18 mile Moose Alley

In addition to Austin and me, our fellow trekkers were his father (my brother Dennis), my sons Timothy and Shaun, my two grandchildren 15-year-old Madison and 12-year-old Carson, Ron my brother-in-law, and invited friends Justin and his 17-year-old daughter Sarah.  Ten would hike to the Lake of the Clouds (LOC) hut and Mt Washington, and seven of us would continue to the Great North Woods Lake Francis State Park campground.

Preparing the Hike to Lake of the Clouds Hut (LOC) and Mount Washington

As the hiking trek leader I had responsibility for the safety of my fellow outdoor enthusiasts:

· Which trail should we take? I had hiked Tuckerman’s many times, and although Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail is one of the most dangerous trails to LOC and Mt Washington, I wanted my group to experience the scenic, excitement, and knowledge of hiking this unique trail.

· What time in the morning do we start our hike to LOC?  LOC serves their family-style meals at 6 pm sharp (breakfast at LOC is at 7 am sharp).  I expected the hike from Pinkham to LOC to be between 4 and five hours.

· What kind of clothing, supplies, and food do we need for a one-day overnight hike in the White Mountains?  Hiking Tuckerman Ravine Trail is not to be taken likely.  Snow, high winds, rain, lightning, and fog can be expected year-round – this means ALWAYS prepare to spend the night on the trail in the mountains.

· What emergency supplies do we need in case of an unanticipated overnight while hiking?

ü  AMC’s Ten Essentials for a Safe Hike are mandatory.  I enforced this by giving each person their own whistle and flashlight.

ü  For each person I provided a 3 ml / 30-gallon contractor bag (aka trash bag) in case we had to immediately camp on the trail (or daresay get lost for an overnight).  To use this bag we would make holes in the corner of the bag for our eyes and mouth, slip the bag over the head, and have some level of protection.

ü  Duct tape. You never know when this can come in handy e.g. broken eye glass frame, sling, strap, etc.

You need to be in good physical shape for a five-plus hour hike up Tuckerman’s Ravine with sections nearly straight up (no need for climbing ropes), but certainly, there are places where you use your hands to assist in crawling up rocks. My training schedule included two hikes up Uncanoonuc Mt in Goffstown, NH.  Uncanoonuc, combined with two months of four times a week speed walking four miles in my hiking boots, prepared me for Mt Washington, and in particular climbing the headwall of Tuckerman Ravine.

An Educational Dinner
Hmm, how do I emphasize the importance of hiking safety to teenagers? The night before our trip my wife Cathy made a great spaghetti dinner for Austin, Madison, and Carson. This dinner was my opportunity to stress safety and the necessary items for the hike. Unannounced, I demonstrated my hiking whistle (One toot for, “Where are you?” Two toots, “Come to me”, and three toots, “Emergency”.) I gifted each a whistle and asked them to demonstrate a signal. Yes, they thought I was “loony”, but indeed they practiced a lifesaving skill.
We talked about hiking in groups. My son, Tim, has hiked with me many times and has my confidence in tight situations. He would lead one group up the mountain. Ron was also experienced, and he would lead another group. The sweep group (the slow hikers) would be led by me. Other than the aforementioned, no one was to get ahead of their leader – no matter what. We did not want to experience a lost hiker.

We talked about the importance of stopping every 10 to 15 minutes to drink water.  An earlier hiking involvement, followed by a wilderness first aid course, made me realize dehydration can cause nausea and headaches and is easily avoided by frequent drinking of water.  Mt Washington is a steep, long hike, and hydration is critical for our troops.

I emphasized no cotton clothing – including underwear.  I emphasized this “strange request” by asking, “How long does it take cotton to dry out after getting wet?”  In survival situations, cotton is known as "DEATH CLOTH." Cotton holds moisture instead of wicking it away from the skin, and when wet, cotton has zero insulating properties.

Pinkham Notch to Lake of the Clouds (LOC)

I had concerns about guiding my group safely up to Lake of the Clouds.  Before, when Tim and I took the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to Lake of the Clouds hut, we found extensive fog and could see only a few feet ahead.  On that trek, we used cairns, the rock piles designed to designate a trail, as the means to ensure we kept on the trail.  I needed to watch closely the expected Mt Washington area weather.  I would not put my party in danger if the weather report indicated severe weather.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Enjoy this short video of our hike up Tuckerman Ravine Trail to Lake of the Clouds Hut followed by a next day hike to Mt Washington.

The northern tip of New Hampshire has a pristine area known as the Great North Woods.  I wanted Austin and my grandchildren to enjoy and appreciate this treasure of New Hampshire. Its many summer outdoor opportunities include paddling and fishing the Connecticut (CT) Lakes (Forth CT, Third CT, Second CT Lake, First CT, and Lake Francis), hiking the Fourth CT, and Moose sightseeing.

Moose Watching.

The moose is the biggest and most mysterious four-legged inhabitant of northern New Hampshire.  Seeing a moose is always a thrill for me. Certainly, for Austin and my grandkids, the thought of seeing these huge six to seven-foot-tall and 700 to 1200-pound animals was an expectation like waiting to get a glimpse of Santa Claus!  There are 6,000 or so moose in New Hampshire. The Connecticut Lakes area, in particular, enhances the opportunity to see a moose. 

The last 18 or so miles on route 3 in Pittsburg are designated, Moose Alley.  Driving slowly on Moose Alley at 5 am also enhances your chance to see a moose.  And, dusk is another good time. 

What is the best way to find moose?  My answer is always simple – look for cars pulled alongside the road.  For two days at dawn and dusk, we drove very slowly up Route 3.  See our success here.

The Republic of Indian Stream

As we hiked to the Fourth Connecticut Lake I shared a history lesson not readily known.  For a few years in the 1830s, an area of today's Pittsburg, NH was an independent republic, not part of New Hampshire and not part of the United States. The US attempted to tax the 360 inhabitants, and Canada tried to make them serve in its military, so the people decided to establish their own sovereign nation called, The Republic of Indian Stream. The existence of the Republic was ended by New Hampshire in 1835.  Later, the Webster -Ashburton Treaty of 1842 established the border between Canada and the United States – the border markers that we would crisscross as we hiked to the Fourth Connecticut Lake.

Hiking the Fourth Connecticut Lake

The 78-acre Fourth Connecticut Lake is located on the USA/Canada border.  It is called a “Lake”, but in my mind is similar to a small bog or marsh.  The narrow swampy walk around the lake took us a half-hour.  The Fourth CT is the headwaters of the 410 miles long Connecticut River that ends in Long Island Sound.  The trail to the lake starts at the United States-Canada customs border crossing station in Pittsburg, NH on the international border between the United States and Canada.  The whole hike from the customs station to the lake, walk around the lake, a brief ten-minute break, and then hike back, was less than two hours.

Paddle Third Connecticut Lake

This 235-acre Lake is located about a half-mile downhill from Fourth Connecticut.  During our paddle on this pristine lake, we saw beaver lodges and dams, loons, and the outlet to the Second Connecticut Lake.  Carson went for a swim. As we paddled around the northern end of the lake, we stopped to see the inlet from the Fourth Connecticut Lake.

To view a ten-minute combination of the above videos click here.  To view all JPEG pictures Click Here.  To view all Videos Click Here

Bedford Community Television (BCTV) is now showing Four Days in Northern New Hampshire with Family and Friends Hiking, Paddling, Tenting and Moose Sighting.

Republic of Indian Stream

Steve’s latest book, Outdoor Enthusiast: Never say, “I wish I had…” is now available as an e-Book at Kindle and Nook.

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Apps for the Outdoors

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Bedford Community TV is showing a streaming video of Apps for the Outdoors: Smart Phone Technology for Fresh Air Activities by Outdoor Steve

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Let's use smart phone apps with your outdoor activity. Do you know how fast you ran? How many miles did you bike last month? How far did you walk your dog? How many miles paddled? Can your friends look at a map and tell where you are on a remote wilderness trek? Smart phone apps can provide a fun and easy way to maintain a chronology of your outdoor activities.

Interestingly, as quoted from 6 Ways to Make Exercise More Fun, Effective and Even Tasty, “Multiple studies have found that high-tech gadgets – such as ….., and fitness apps – help people stick to exercise programs.  Who wants to disappoint their iphone?”

Browser Search “Outdoor Enthusiast Apps”

A smart phone with GPS connectivity makes available a wealth of outdoor applications (apps).  Enter keywords “outdoor enthusiast apps” in your preferred search Internet browser and you will see a plethora of web sites and blogs for Android, iPhone, Blackberry and other smart phone outdoor apps.  Refine your search further with specific keywords such as “Canoe Android apps”, “Hiking iPhone apps”, etc.

Here are four smart phone Android GPS apps and two desktop/laptop apps I have used for different outdoor activities. 

Browser Search for Our Breakfast Eggs

On one of our overnight paddling treks we wanted to do a bit of fancy campfire cooking.  We did a Google search and found a site recommending cooking an egg inside an orange, and the result was absolutely delicious (I Never Have to Say, “I wish I had paddled Florida’s Suwannee River” ).  On another trip we further tested my outdoor breakfast cooking skills by cooking an egg inside an onion. Outdoor Steve's Fireside Chat: How to Cook an Egg in an Onion.  Interestingly as of today I have over 13,000 YouTube views.

iMapMyFitness

 Recently I used my iMapMyfitness app with a fellow outdoor enthusiast who carved a walking and dirt bike trail on his New Hampshire forested property.  He asked me if I could give him total distance of the path with turns and hills of this new trail.

At the beginning of his trailhead I opened my app, clicked the Start Arrow, and proceeded to walk into his forest trail.  The app had a camera feature and we took a picture of a tree where a bear had recently clawed.  After meandering for nearly a half hour over this forested trail we arrived at our starting point where I clicked the Pause and the Save button.  We then went to his house, popped a beer, opened his desktop computer, and viewed the statistics of our trek.

There is no extra step to take the map and stats to transfer to your laptop. All your routes and workouts data are stored in iMapMyFitness online servers and not locally on your phone.

Where’sMy Droid

Can your spouse/friends follow you and locate where you are on a remote wilderness trek? Yes, if you have WheresMyDroid (WMD) app installed on your smartphone.

1. Download the Where’s My Droid (WMD) app to your cell phone you will be tracking.
2. Using the Command feature in the WMD app, go to the Ring Setup and GPS Setup to see the default Attention Words (e.g. Ring Phone, and Find GPS, respectively)
3. Share the Attention Words with those who will be following you.  To follow you, they simply send a text message from their smart phone to your phone.  The only text sent are the Attention Words.
4. The sender will get a text message back with your GPS coordinates.  Enter the GPS coordinates into Google Earth, and they will see your Droid’s location.

Where’s My Droid assisted me when I was kayaking and camping on the Maine IslandTrail.  Given my friend and I were off the coast of Maine, we wanted our family to know where we were.  I gave them my Where’s my Droid attention words, and periodically they sent text messages and received our coordinates for Google map.  A real cool and safety feature.

Click the below to see how to download an app to your smart phone (I use Where’s My Droid as an example.

Where’s My Droid Download and Setup Video

Similar GPS location apps to Where’s My Droid are also available for the iPhone and blackberry at http://www.apple.com/icloud/features/find-my.html and http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/13560/?lang=en.

Google Earth

Google Earth was a valuable tool for me to plan my paddling trek aroundLake Francis in the Connecticut Lakes area of northern New Hampshire.  Before I went to the area we wanted know the paddling distance around the Lake.  Click here to see how Google Earth's Ruler feature  was used for this outdoor trek.

Google Earth Ruler Demo

MyTracks

My Tracks monitors and maps my distance and speed of a power walk, hike, run or any moving exercise.  As the below video will show, a simple Start, and then away I go.  My Tracks has a voice that can be set to announce my distance, speed, and time.  For example, I can set the voice to inform me every 1 minute, 2 minutes, etc, or set it to announce after each mile.  My Tracks can be considered a coach giving immediate feedback throughout your exercise (including your dog walk).

RunKeeper 

Run Keeper maintains logs of my bicycle rides.  It is similar to My Tracks in that it also has a voice announcement.  I must admit hearing the voice while wind is whistling through my helmet made hearing Run Keeper difficult.  Like My Tracks, the GPS keeps the logs online and so all trips are available on my desktop for each viewing.

Demonstration of My Tracks and RunKeeper Video

Technology Limitations

Battery charging is a major issue with using my smart phone.  As new smart phones are released the length of the battery charge time is improving, but these improved charge lengths are still an issue with my overnight treks – unless I carry a spare battery (but this will have the length of charge issue) or use a solar charge (hmmn – hopefully have sun exposure for an extended period of time, and indeed remain in a so-called steady position to maximize solar charging.)

To my rescue for extending my Android Razor Maxx smart phone battery life has come a company called SOS Ready. Battery recharging is as simple as turning the handle to output stable, voltage-regulated power to my smart phone.  This device weighs less than 4 ounces, is smaller than my fist, is water resistant, impact and shock resistant, and needs no battery or light bulb.  It is a great wilderness piece of equipment, and will shortly be part of my household emergency pack.  The manufacturer does say some phones are not yet ready for this device, so check their specifications before you order.

Another issue I have experienced is losing GPS satellite contact. Loss of satellite contact can  give you weird statistics, such as I was running when a voice announced my pace of 8 minutes per mile for the first mile.  I then walked a bit and the next time the voice reported it told me I was at a 7 minutes 30 second pace.  Is this a satellite GPS issue?  Hmm, remember to weigh and consider the statistical results.  J

Apps Recommendation

This discussion is meant to show how an app can be used to enhance your outdoor enthusiasm and accomplishments.  It is not a recommendation for a particular app. Some apps are intended for one activity; whereas another may serve a variety of activities.  Many apps are free, or have a minimal charge.  The apps here offer a free version and for a minimal cost you can get an upgrade version. 

Share Your Use of Technology for Enhanced Outdoor Activities. 

Share with me your use of technology for outdoor activities at steve@outdoorsteve.com.  Or tweet me your favorite outdoor tech activity at @OutdoorSteveYes.  Certainly post a comment on this blog. 

Never say, “I wish I had tried technology…”

Search for an outdoor app related to your favorite outdoor activity;  From within your smart phone, download the app.  Browse through its features – and test each one.  Challenge yourself with all kinds of questions: Does the app provide opportunity to lighten your outdoor experience?  Does the app challenge you in your activity training? Does it offer statistics and opportunities to expand your outdoor experience?

Steve’s latest book, Outdoor Enthusiast: Never say, “I wish I had…” , is now available as an e-Book at Kindle and Nook.