Fall 2025

Return to the Shelburn: Third Time’s a Charm by Tim O'Brien In my last article, I wrote about wrecking my canoe while doing a solo on the Shelburne River in August of 2023. I pinned on a rock a little way below Irving Lake, and my canoe was fully wrapped (literally folded in two and inside out. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, I got a ride to Caledonia, and my son picked me up. Embarrassed, depressed and more than a bit ticked off, I swore I was never going back in the woods EVER AGAIN! [...]

Southwest Paddlers Association: Summer Roundup What a season! Brief summary:  5 paddling training workshops: Whitewater with Blair Doyle, Kayaking with Tom Blackford, and three Adaptive Paddling with Pauline Halstead 1 St. John First Aid course  Monthly member-hosted paddles thanks to Carolyn Campbell, Todd Muise, Karen Cottreau, Marcy Wallace, and SWPA board Launch and successful roll out of Adaptive Paddling Program (kayaks and big canoe) July, August, September, with YACRO, Autism NS, SHYFT, Aidaen's Place, Acadia First Nation, Family Service of Nova Scotia, OLHS Community Big Canoe programs [...]

2nd Annual Pijinuiskaq Paddle Fest in Bridgewater Declared a Success by Donna Hatt Bridgewater’s 2nd annual Pijinuiskaq Paddle Festival, hosted as an expanded 2-day event on September 20 and 21 has been declared a huge success by the organizers, but more importantly, by the participants.  Attracting well over 120 paddlers from near and far, Sunday’s parade of paddlers on the LaHave River, Pijinuiskaq in Mi’Kmaq, became a beautiful bouquet of boats. Novice and experienced paddlers in canoes, kayaks and SUPs were joined by 10-person Big [...]