The 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Adventures

Sunday, October 5, 2014

The 1000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River

I coordinated with a kayaking outfitter,
to explore some of the islands in the St. Lawrence River.

This company is based in Gananoque, Ontario. This special trip, though, was out of Brockville, Ontario, 
to explore the Frontenac Arch. 

Kayaking on the St. Lawrence River, a freighter passes behind me

 The Frontenac Arch is the ancient granite bridge connecting the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mountains. It is an incredibly biodiverse region and was recognized in 2002 by being designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
National Geographic also recognized the area as a geotourism region. This recognizes the connection of tourism of the region the geographical character of a place. This connection "...should sustain or enhance the environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and well-being of its residents."

Kayaking with the group through a narrows

Lunch!

 They served a wonderful lunch, much of the food was 
sourced locally. 

We had lunch on Stovin Island


The city of Brockville owns around 16 islands in the river here and maintains them for boaters to explore and even to camp on some of them. 

Heading back toward Brockville

 Murray Golledge, a local kayaking expert and kayak builder, paddled with us and told stories of this stretch of river that he loves so much. He talked about "listening to the river" and he told me that the river often gave tests instead of lessons. 
Murray said, "If you survived the test, then you 
learned the lesson." 
I certainly have some experience with that concept!

A gorgeous day on the river

The waters of the Great Lakes are on a slow journey to the northern Atlantic Ocean. All of these waters flow down the Saint Lawrence River -- hundreds of miles -- before merging with the ocean.

Check out the Facebook Page for the Frontenac Arch Biosphere HERE.

And connect with 1000 Island Kayaking 



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