A classic white water canoe tripping river running through the north of Algonquin park, this river has grown to command a special place in my heart! Rushing rapids that range from fun class I-II to raging class V waterfalls the Petawawa is both challenging and engaging for paddlers of all skill levels. I’ve now paddled the river (or a portion of it three times), and each time my experience has been wildly different!
Start: Cedar Lake
End: MacManus Lake
Distance and days: 85km in 5 days
The first full run I did was in 2012 on a Canoe Tripping Instructor Level 2 course run by the ORCKA. I was challenged by the big rapids as a relatively novice whitewater paddler. I was humbled by the volume and freezing cold water temperatures of early spring. I remember seeing patches of snow and ice on the river banks and thinking how wild it was that we were paddling rapids with ice on shore. I felt pretty badass, even though I don’t suppose I really was. Each morning, warming up my wetsuit as best I could before putting it on became an important and meaningful ritual. I learned how to navigate some of the less obvious challenges of a big whitewater river - communication with teammates, how to maintain sharp focus and decision making late into the day, how to bring positive energy to a group in stressful moments. My first trip on the river and I was hooked.
In the years since I have paddle portions of the river with friends and as a trip leader, but only once since - this past spring of the pandemic, did I paddle the full classic route from Brent Lake to MacManus. We had a larger group comprised of several pairs of people who were co-habitating or bubbled up. Because of the pandemic we arranged ourselves into small tent and cook groups, sticking to our everyday pairings to minimize any transmission risk. Despite the obvious challenges posed by paddling in a pandemic, our experience of the river was just as fulfilling as during a regular year. We paddled water that challenged our skill, but played it safe enough that there were no serious incidents, or even many unwanted swims. With a mix of very experienced paddled and some relative newbies (like I was in 2012) we had fun adapting our decision making to suit a group of varying skill levels. And the Petawawa did not disappoint.
