It's a gorgeous route...there are a lot of portages along the way, but they're totally worth it for the lovely views and the solitude. Let us know if you want to do the route, Jeff!
I have fished Sand River many times but that was within hiking distance to the parking area at hwy 17. Ive always wanted to travel the river by canoe so thank you for the video and the knowledge of the river!
It is such a splendid river to paddle, we'd highly recommend it if you can! The tough part is that there are only really a couple of ways to it; one involves a pretty gruelling series of portages (see our previous video to this one), or a drive up a sometimes challenging and poorly maintained old logging road. Either way is tough, but the reward is this gorgeous river! Early Spring (high water, less bugs) and fall (likely higher than summer water, fall colours) would be her most splendid seasons, but the landscape requires no particular season to appreciate. Thanks for watching!
@@beautyofthebackcountry I wouldn't try a river route solo so I keep to flat water. I hear ya on some of the log Rds in poor shape. But that keeps the crowds at bay....
Nice finish. Pretty rocky river when you two did it. I like the afterthought of things to remember to bring on the next trip: a bug jacket (in May) ... who knew ? 😁😁
It was surprisingly low for May, we thought so as well! Sheri actually meant that list as a reminder for us personally, but Jay went ahead and put that in the film to show that we're still figuring it out as well :) Thanks for watching!
Love glass mornings like that! Lady Evelyn Falls are so beautiful, great place to chill by..that is a 5 star campsite. What, you didn't drop the falls...HA! Got to love those shallow rapids, it's fun to moonwalk down the river. That large rock bluff was beautiful. Great paddle Jay, looked like a lot of fun. Gotta celebrate with a fritter.
Couldn't agree more about that campsite at the top of the falls...magical! We were surprised with how shallow many of those rapids were, considering we were one of the first boats down them this year. Thank goodness for the Royalex ;) Thanks for watching!
Nice trip. We can relate to the early nights. Sometimes it’s embarrassing how early we go to bed. The best stargazing for me is if I get up in the middle of the night. And I’m usually too tired to really enjoy. Thanks for putting this out.
We couldn't agree more! The best opportunity for us to catch a glimpse of the night sky is the midnight bathroom break, but those are thankfully rare for us. Thanks for checking us out!
I totally enjoyed watching! Portages amaze me as a backpacker. I thought I had it rough bushwhacking with only a pack on my back. No complaining from me anymore.😄
Haha - you have backpacking down to a science! We did a lot of backpacking last summer, and while we loved every minute of it, we're definitely more than happy to don the canoe and hit the water. That payoff at the end of a portage is priceless :)
Those were some nice sized Wolf tracks. They're always my favorite to come across. Calwin Falls are just stunning. I love Cedar Tea, I try to have one on every trip after a brutal day because I find it relaxes me before I crash for the night and it's good for ya. I still can't get over how low the water levels were there for May, crazy. Thanks for sharing guys!
We found more moose, wolf and beaver tracks than human tracks on this trip, which we were thankful for! Cedar tea is our favourite drink after a long day, and cedar is so abundant along the river banks. Thanks for watching, Rob!
The portages were a lot easier to follow with the foliage grown in. Plus I the trails were cleared a bit before we went through (except for the dead black spruce going to the river). Not sure what is better, clearer trails or higher water 😅
Haha good to hear that the trail was easier to follow once the leaves had grown in! We would imagine that the higher water was a blessing, even though we thought it was lower than typical for that time of year. We'll take a few wrong turns on the trail over having to walk our boat downriver. This is why we like to do our river trips in spring...Thanks for checking us out!
Haha...ohhhhh perhaps we'll do a video just on our various recipes! It's got quinoa, coconut milk powder, freeze-dried strawberries, maple syrup, cinnamon and one special ingredient ;) Thank you for watching!!
My first plan was in and out to Wildcat but after seeing this I'm definitely doing the loop. Your best video yet! How many days should I allow for complete loop plus one insurance day. I'm in good shape and just above intermediate paddler.
Great question! We did it in 4 days/3 nights, but Ontario Parks won't actually let you book sites that far apart in those timelines lol We went out in early May, so there was only one other set of paddlers, and that was low risk for us. We'd plan for 6 days/5 nights to be safe, keeping in mind the river will be pretty bony anytime after mid-June, so a fair bit of lining will be necessary. As a duo, we had the luxury of single-carry portages for the most part (aside from the first day), which saves a fair bit of time. Another thing to keep in mind is that you'll need a quick shuttle from the end of Sand River back up to Gamitagama to get your car - it's not a true loop. You might get lucky and run into Joe Robinet and Tosh to shuttle you like we did, but it's not likely haha!
Love the two waterfalls along the way!
They were so magical - video does not do them justice!
Thanks for sharing. Looks like a nice route.
It's a gorgeous route...there are a lot of portages along the way, but they're totally worth it for the lovely views and the solitude. Let us know if you want to do the route, Jeff!
Fun trip. Looks like another one to add to my list of trips for next year. Thanks for bringing us along
You should add it to your list, Dennis! It's challenging, but the payoffs are totally worth it
The Canoe looks heavy . Who needs a gym right . Great Video .🔥
Well said - we save on gym memberships with our 70lb Royalex boat! Better view than a gym also ;) Thanks for watching!
Cheryl the best love thess trips
So glad you're enjoying them :)
I have fished Sand River many times but that was within hiking distance to the parking area at hwy 17. Ive always wanted to travel the river by canoe so thank you for the video and the knowledge of the river!
It is such a splendid river to paddle, we'd highly recommend it if you can! The tough part is that there are only really a couple of ways to it; one involves a pretty gruelling series of portages (see our previous video to this one), or a drive up a sometimes challenging and poorly maintained old logging road. Either way is tough, but the reward is this gorgeous river! Early Spring (high water, less bugs) and fall (likely higher than summer water, fall colours) would be her most splendid seasons, but the landscape requires no particular season to appreciate. Thanks for watching!
@@beautyofthebackcountry I watched part one and also Joe and Tosh too. I stare at that damn backroad mapbook so often just thinking of it
@@beautyofthebackcountry I wouldn't try a river route solo so I keep to flat water. I hear ya on some of the log Rds in poor shape. But that keeps the crowds at bay....
@@wills5047 That's one of the reasons all the hard work is so rewarding - not just the personal accomplishments, but also the solitude!
Nice finish. Pretty rocky river when you two did it. I like the afterthought of things to remember to bring on the next trip: a bug jacket (in May) ... who knew ? 😁😁
It was surprisingly low for May, we thought so as well! Sheri actually meant that list as a reminder for us personally, but Jay went ahead and put that in the film to show that we're still figuring it out as well :)
Thanks for watching!
Love glass mornings like that! Lady Evelyn Falls are so beautiful, great place to chill by..that is a 5 star campsite. What, you didn't drop the falls...HA! Got to love those shallow rapids, it's fun to moonwalk down the river. That large rock bluff was beautiful. Great paddle Jay, looked like a lot of fun. Gotta celebrate with a fritter.
Couldn't agree more about that campsite at the top of the falls...magical! We were surprised with how shallow many of those rapids were, considering we were one of the first boats down them this year. Thank goodness for the Royalex ;) Thanks for watching!
Nice trip. We can relate to the early nights. Sometimes it’s embarrassing how early we go to bed. The best stargazing for me is if I get up in the middle of the night. And I’m usually too tired to really enjoy. Thanks for putting this out.
We couldn't agree more! The best opportunity for us to catch a glimpse of the night sky is the midnight bathroom break, but those are thankfully rare for us. Thanks for checking us out!
I totally enjoyed watching! Portages amaze me as a backpacker. I thought I had it rough bushwhacking with only a pack on my back. No complaining from me anymore.😄
Haha - you have backpacking down to a science! We did a lot of backpacking last summer, and while we loved every minute of it, we're definitely more than happy to don the canoe and hit the water. That payoff at the end of a portage is priceless :)
Wonderful! You two are a great team! ♡
Thanks! We couldn't think of better trip partners :)
Those were some nice sized Wolf tracks. They're always my favorite to come across. Calwin Falls are just stunning. I love Cedar Tea, I try to have one on every trip after a brutal day because I find it relaxes me before I crash for the night and it's good for ya. I still can't get over how low the water levels were there for May, crazy. Thanks for sharing guys!
We found more moose, wolf and beaver tracks than human tracks on this trip, which we were thankful for! Cedar tea is our favourite drink after a long day, and cedar is so abundant along the river banks. Thanks for watching, Rob!
I learned about your channel from Joe Robinet in one of his videos.
Thanks for checking us out! We hope you enjoy the trips 😀
The portages were a lot easier to follow with the foliage grown in. Plus I the trails were cleared a bit before we went through (except for the dead black spruce going to the river). Not sure what is better, clearer trails or higher water 😅
Haha good to hear that the trail was easier to follow once the leaves had grown in! We would imagine that the higher water was a blessing, even though we thought it was lower than typical for that time of year. We'll take a few wrong turns on the trail over having to walk our boat downriver. This is why we like to do our river trips in spring...Thanks for checking us out!
😊 What is Sherry‘s world class famous quinoa porridge recipe please ? You guys are awesome
Haha...ohhhhh perhaps we'll do a video just on our various recipes! It's got quinoa, coconut milk powder, freeze-dried strawberries, maple syrup, cinnamon and one special ingredient ;) Thank you for watching!!
The special ingredient…..ooooh is it love?
My first plan was in and out to Wildcat but after seeing this I'm definitely doing the loop. Your best video yet! How many days should I allow for complete loop plus one insurance day. I'm in good shape and just above intermediate paddler.
Great question! We did it in 4 days/3 nights, but Ontario Parks won't actually let you book sites that far apart in those timelines lol We went out in early May, so there was only one other set of paddlers, and that was low risk for us. We'd plan for 6 days/5 nights to be safe, keeping in mind the river will be pretty bony anytime after mid-June, so a fair bit of lining will be necessary. As a duo, we had the luxury of single-carry portages for the most part (aside from the first day), which saves a fair bit of time. Another thing to keep in mind is that you'll need a quick shuttle from the end of Sand River back up to Gamitagama to get your car - it's not a true loop. You might get lucky and run into Joe Robinet and Tosh to shuttle you like we did, but it's not likely haha!