C-Forum

Well, winter has finally come to the north country. While it hovers below zero and you contemplate throwing a few more logs on the fire, I thought it might be a good time to share a few stories of animals encountered in either your paddling voyages or perhaps as a surprise in your canoe. I'll start off with two quick ones.
This fall, my flatwater partner and I went on an early morning cruise on the Lamoille River in Vt on the backwaters above the Peterson Dam. It was the classic "Fog" run of fall with the warm water and cold air generating a thick mist so you didn't quite know where you were. As we approached a point and began turning we saw activity close in front of us. It was a duck and a beaver together on the water. The duck was burrowing its head into the beavers fur. We stopped and watched. It was almost like the duck was scratching the beavers back or grooming it or something. Then they spotted us and the strange behavior was replaced with a slap and flap of wings. Never seen these two species together like that before.
Another time during a flatwater race, I noticed a huge Wolf Spider crawling about the canoe as we paddled on. Of course it eventually worked its way up to the bow seat, climbing up our spare paddle lashed to the side of the seat. I watched with interest and finally informed my partner, who immediately went into a fit. Watching this transformation was the highlight of the paddle.
I'm sure you all have much better ones to share as we hunker down to another cold night. Anyone ever discover a wasp nest in their C-1 after getting in and skirted?

Pat

At the end of October we ran the Lièvre river in Québec on a weekend trip (fun pushy class IV). Getting there, was a late drive and as we were making our way at very low speed in very difficult terrain(I have a Cherokee) a grey wolf jumped in front of our jeep and ran in front of us, jumping side to side for approximately 1 mile. It seemed to be playing (tail was up) with the Jeep lights and was going way faster then us, so he'd stop, wait and go again. The road got too rough for some vehicules so I ended up doing shuttles for the rest of the group and every time a drove in that sector, it would jump in front of me again and start playing with the lights.

That was very exciting !

Mark and Kristine had just been married and I offered to photograph them in a natural setting''. We thought the Big South Fork would be a good place. The concern was getting my gear down to a great huge boulder downstream of the Ell without drowning it. Prior to loading the Pelican cased gear (large format 4x5 field camera for you photo buffs) in my open boat I wanted to test the emptied case for leaks. Mark and I walked down the sandy beach at Burnt Mill Bridge to hold it under water for a few minutes. We got about knee deep and noticed a large, funny looking stick resting on the sand a few feet further out. Thinking nothing of it, after all - it was the BSF, there are plenty of sticks lying about, we plopped the case down and shoved it under. At that moment, the “stick” shot straight for us':o'. Well anyone who has paddled in wilderness areas knows funny looking sticks generally don’t move very quickly under their own power and said sticks, if so moving, generally impart upon the viewer an ability to walk on water. We flung the case, one of us squealed like a girl and both of us made it about 4 feet up the beach before we stopped and sheepishly looked around to see if anyone had watched our girly man display':oops:'. Luckily, Kristine was changing behind a boulder and missed the sorry tableau.
We made her go get the case.
':P'

Paddling the Credit River in Mississauga one of the girls we were paddling with had a 10 lb Steelhead Salmon land on her skirt. She was in a yak. The same trip I don't know how many times my paddle hit a fish and as it muscled out of the way, disturbed my stroke.

Ok, I'll bite! Alligators help forward stroke technique, otters like free, long rides, and don't sit still. Snakes don't like being knocked out of trees, and geese don't like humans.