THE BASICS
WHERE: Charleston Lake Provincial Park ( 2 hours-ish south west of Ottawa)
WHEN: July 2011
HOW LONG: day trip
GROUP: 1 mama, 3 kids (ages 2, 4, and 5)
DETAILS: I planned to go on an overnight trip with the boys but thunder storms were frequent that summer. The forecast was good so I felt comfortable taking on the wilderness site trip (with a 20 minute paddle in) but the boys were especially frightened of thunder so I decided to let them sleep at home. (It was a good call- we had a doozy that night.)
Instead of an overnight we did a day trip instead. We hit the road before 8am and were on the water by 10:30 (I think. Something like that.) The park has a separate put-in for motor and non-motor craft. Charleston Lake is huge so I guess there are many fishing boats out. I appreciated putting in with the boys in a place that was quieter and less busy- it even had a short trail so felt like a bit of a wilderness portage (albeit a very short one, which suited me fine).
The Friends of Charleston Lake provide a map on their website, which I printed up and followed. With the boys being so young I decided to paddle across to where the network of hiking trails and campsites run near the shoreline so that we could get out of the boat and wander whenever we needed to. The boys are great about paddling but sometimes they need to move around more than they can in the boat. After about 45 minutes exploring the shoreline and zig-zagging about we found a flat spot near a campsite where we could take out to have snacks and explore. We happened upon a mama turtle digging her hole to lay eggs. That was pure magic.
We were able to connect to the trail network and wander up and down over very rocky terrain for a while. The forest was lush from all of the rain, and there were mosses, lichen, and other greenery everywhere. it was also pretty slippery, but we managed alright. The bugs kept us from wandering too long in the forest so we paddled further around a point and discovered a dilapidated foot bridge that we could paddle under. It was quite special for the kids.
The wind started blowing more clouds our way, so I chose to be safe rather sorry. We paddled back across to the put-in side of the lake. We spent some time meandering amongst the bullrushes, investigating dragonfly nymph exoskeletons all over the place, and playing tag with a loon. When the rain started we were close to the take out and had an easy time of it.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We were on the water for maybe 4 hours total, but it felt like a real adventure. This trip taught me that a change in circumstances (the weather) does not necessarily mean that all plans need to be cancelled. Getting out for a short time is better than not getting out at all.
After loading our gear we took the short drive to one of the beaches where the boys found some other kids to play with. We also had a chance to swim which was great after wearing rain gear and PFDs in the buggy forest. Even without the kids I like to go for a swim after doing the sweaty work of loading up.
Charleston Lake Provincial Park is big, and it books up early. (I know becausu I asked.) It has hundreds of car-camping sites and a few paddle in sites and making reservations is required to be certain to get a spot in the summer. Just showing up for the day, though, was easy-peasy. We had an Ontario Parks Pass so didn't even have to pay the $12ish day fee to go in.
We will definitely go back. The shoreline is gorgeous and the campsites are easy to access with kids. Motor boats are a downer for me when I'm camping, but there is a section of the lake where there are wilderness sites where motor boats are not permitted. That would be worth checking out.
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