This place is magic

After what turned out to be a very stressful journey I finally made it to Ottawa, my kayak got held up somewhere between Detroit and Ottawa, but the nice people at Delta Airways were able to deliver it to me in the city just 24 hours late.  Since arriving it has been pretty classic Stakeout conditions, with weather ranging from snow flurries when I arrived, to 25 degree (celsius) blue sky days right through to Heavy rain storms.  At this time of the year the Ice flows on the river are very heavy, and avoiding Ice is a serious danger.  Add to that the freezing temperature of the water it is enough to put a lot of people off, speaking frankly I am ok with that, this time of year can be dangerous and it is easy to get out of your depth fairly quickly.  So far I have enjoyed paddling river runs of the Ottawa's main channel as well as surfing mini-bus slightly too low and slightly too high.  Waiting for perfect levels is just part of the fun of this season and one of the most magical things about this area of Canada.  Enjoy a few photos on this page and look out for a full gallery in a few weeks. For now lots of things to be getting on with.  See you on the river!

First Group shot of the year Matt Hamilton throwing his first trick of the year Lining up for mini-bus Joel Kowalski throwing massive Adam S. first surf at mini-bus, ever. Spring plant life Heavy ice flow and debris