A Kind of Throwback Thursday

Over this past year, DW and I took advantage of our new kayaks and got out on the water as much as possible. And every time we went paddling, I made sure to preserve the memory on video.

Many of these kayaking videos have been posted to my Brown Knowser YouTube channel. If you like kayaking or outdoor adventures, you might enjoy these videos.

I didn't share every kayak trip, though I imagine that I'll share more when and if I get the time to put the videos together. For example, I've wanted to create a video of the two days that DW and I spent camping and kayaking in Algonquin Provincial Park. I didn't want to camp but I did want to explore this beautiful part of our province, so sacrifices had to be made.

The sacrifices were worth it.

The final kayak trip that we took came at the beginning of October. Throughout the Ottawa Valley, leaves were turning a beautiful cast of reds, oranges, and yellows. For years, DW has wanted to rent a canoe for the two of us to paddle the Barron Canyon. I had resisted because I feared that camping would be involved, that she was trying to trick me into pitching a tent and sleeping on the ground.

With our kayaks, though, I was more interested in heading to this part of Algonquin Park, and because we had already camped this year, having passed the put in for this trip, and having hiked above the canyon already, we determined that we could get there early in the morning, paddle the day, and get back home by dinnertime.

So, on October 3, we set out before sunrise and arrived at the parking lot, near Squirrel Rapids, and got our kayaks in the water. Our trip was to cover the 10 kilometres between Squirrel Rapids and the Brigham Chute, a small waterfall on the other end of the canyon, and back. This trek included a 420-metre portage, which we had to do each way.

On this chilly, often rainy trip, I brought four cameras with me: one of my D-SLRs, my smartphone, and two 360-degree video cameras. My D-SLR sat in a dry bag, on my lap, and I would pull it out occasionally to capture still images. On the way to the waterfall, I used my Insta360 One R to capture video footage. But I only have one battery for this camera and knew I only had about an hour's worth of power. Shortly after we reached the Brigham Chute, this camera died.

It was not an issue, as my smartphone was in the zippered compartment of my life vest. I was able to finish recording the falls before we returned to our kayaks and set up a spot for lunch. It was here that I switched to my Insta360 One X to record DW as she prepared lunch, and for the return paddle back to the car.

Back home, I was quick in pulling the video clips from the cameras and storing them in a folder on my computer. Unfortunately, that's where I forgot about them.

Over the past few weeks, however, I returned to this folder and put together this final kayak trip of 2020. I posted it, late Tuesday night, on YouTube.

I've decided to share it here. Again, if you like videos of the great outdoors, give it a view. It's a throwback to early October.

I'm interested in your feedback: what you like about the video and where you think I can improve.

Cheers!