The winter has set in and brother cold has embraced the area; freezing the lakes and blanketing the ground with a thick layer of snow. The canoes are hibernating and the paddles are stowed.
The videos and photos I took during the previous summer become an escape and allow me to "feel" the pull of the paddle and the gentle curves of my canoe.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 becomes a tool, facilitating the ability to virtually fly over my favorite canoe lakes and plan for the coming summer.
In this video, I couple the virtual flight to an actual canoe trip I took last summer. The trip; unlike my usual trips, did not include any portaging but rather several days exploring the North Arm of Opeongo Lake in Algonquin Park.
Opeongo is a vast expanse of water and is prone to ill temper. She invites the wind to play on her surface; giving brother wind a huge playground in which he proves that he does indeed, rule. Waves, higher than the gunwales of your canoe, will challenge the most experienced of paddlers.
Opeongo is not a lake to take for granted. You play by her rules and be sure to know you limitations before attempting to cross her water, should she be stirred up.
I hope you can lose yourself in this virtual flight as we fly from Stanhope airport to one of the largest lakes in Algonquin Park. Have a seat, buckle up, and lets hit the throttle.
