French River Provincial Park (Ontario) Report.

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French River Provincial Park

August 2002

(Note from Jan: The three people listed below (Gary, Don, David) are all members of the NetNude message board.)

I was looking for a place to combine canoeing or kayaking with outdoors nudity, and I certainly found it in French River Provincial Park (thanks David (another nudist and dedicated kayaker) for the suggestion). This is an area of Ontario that is not well known by most people, even those who have visited Algonquin and/or Killarney Provincial Parks, located in the same vicinity. A great place to be nude in nature.

The French River was the route of the Voyageurs, those intrepid canoeists who transported goods from Montreal and furs from the West. It runs from Lake Nipissing to Georgian Bay. French River Provincial Park, which is south of Sudbury, is a waterway park 105 km in length, and is divided into western and eastern halves. Our trip was a loop covering about half of the western section of the park. The French River breaks into multiple channels at it nears Georgian Bay, so we had a choice of a number of possible travel routes.

Don (he’s a nudist as well) and I organized a four-day trip for late July, 2002. We started at Hartley Bay House on Hartley Bay, a few km west of Highway 69, travelled west and south to the south-west corner of Green Island, then east along Georgian Bay, north up the Eastern Channel of the French River and back to Hartley Bay.

The area is part of the Canadian Shield - essentially a vast area of undulating rock. The river follows a major fault line in the area caused by the weight of the rock, and divides up into a number of natural channels. Because of rapids, rocks just below the surface and low water conditions in later summer, much of this park can only be accessed by canoe or kayak and, as a result, offers a wilderness experience.

Day 1 (half day)

Don and I picked up our rental sea-kayaks at White Squall Outfitters ($34 per day each, must reserve in advance) and cartopped them to Hartley Bay House ($5 per day to park).

Our first day was pretty easy travelling, and the weather was warm and sunny after an initial period of light rain. We started out in early afternoon at the same time as a large group of German kids who were enjoying a canoeing day trip, so had to postpone nudity until we left them behind. We stopped for a late lunch and a swim along the way. We stayed the night on one of the very few sandy beaches that we found on the whole trip. People passed by in boats only occasionally, so we were able to enjoy a warm evening nude.

Day 2

On the second day, we traveled the Old Voyageur Route. This was very interesting to me, having been fascinated by stories of the Voyageurs in school. The channel varies in width, but is mostly pretty narrow -- at one point we could touch both walls simultaneously. Very picturesque, but we had our cameras packed away.

At one point we heard rushing water ahead, then arrived at a small waterfall. As we approached it, Don said: There’s a dog swimming over there - no, it’s a wolf - no it’s a bear! Sure enough, there was a black bear swimming across an opening into a little bay off to our left, not more than 100 metres away. It climbed over a small islet and disappeared into the trees just ahead of our intended route. Keeping a watchful eye, we carried our kayaks around the waterfall, but didn’t see the bear again. Shortly thereafter, we had to portage a dry section of the channel (dry because of the low water levels at this time of year).

We continued on, and as we neared our intended stopping point for the day, we encountered a fairly strong headwind and had a challenging push to the closest campsite. We stayed at a location that was a very large smooth rock formation, with limited vegetation. As we were choosing a campsite, we noticed blueberry bushes (berries are a staple of bears’ diet) and clumps of moss overturned (grubs being another staple) and then some bear poop (conclusive evidence). After realizing that we could find bears anywhere, we decided to stay put. We hung our food in a tree well away from our campsite, as we did every night. This is absolutely essential, not just for bears but for other nocturnal scavengers as well. Anyway, no bears. However, we did encounter an Eastern Fox Snake, about 1.5 km long, grey with copper bands, not poisonous, which was curled up in a crevice.

Day 3

Our third day was Marathon Day. We traveled 28 km, first east along Georgian Bay, and then north along the eastern channel of the French River. We encountered four short portages along the way, all in one area (we had chosen a fairly narrow channel that was high and dry in several places). Note: portaging a loaded single kayak over a dry stream bed of jumbled rocks is not fun, so it’s necessary to choose a route that is mostly portage-free.

At the end of the day, we arrived at a long 240 metre portage and got some help carrying our kayaks from some very friendly guys travelling in a very small sailboat.

Because we continued travelling until late in the day, and arrived at an area with boat access, and also because it was Saturday, the four marked campsites in the vicinity were occupied, so we had to find an unofficial location. We had a fire (our only one of the trip) and, to celebrate our accomplishments of the day, consumed some very nice 12-year old Scotch that Don had brought.

Day 4 (half day)

Our final day was easy travelling, with no portages. North up the Eastern Channel of the French and east into Hartley Bay. There was some thunder in the area, so we were a bit worried about being a target for lightning, but then the weather turned sunny. We arrived back at Hartley Bay House at noon, just as the wind picked up. Later on, we heard that a tornado touched down in a provincial park just north of Sudbury. Wow. Our first stop when we got back on the highway was the Hungry Bear Restaurant, where I bore down (beared down?) on an excellent banquetburger, onion rings and soft ice cream cone. Civilization has its benefits.

Opportunities for nudity

Over the route we took, which favoured the narrower channels, we saw only a small number of people, because there are only a few cottages and not many boaters in the area. I was able to be nude almost all of the time, both when travelling in the kayak and when camping. For the maximum naked experience, I didn’t wear my PFD (although kept it on the deck) and didn’t use the spray skirt, but I’m a good swimmer and most of the time we were travelling in calm water close to shore. Don’t try this at home.

When we did see people, they were usually at a distance. However, when people passed by, we still had a tendency to move out of sight - got to work on that. On the third day, when travelling through a very narrow channel, we passed a group of two adults and eight teens (Germans I think), travelling in five canoes. We met them with no advance warning at a turn in the channel and passed each other within a couple of metres. No time to cover up; however, they didn’t recoil in horror or anything.

It felt entirely natural to me to be nude, except for sandals and hat, throughout the trip. Why wear clothes when the weather is warm and sunny and when you’re in and out of the water all day? Interestingly, we saw no other naked people on the whole trip. What they missed!

Kayaking for several hours per day over several days is a very quick way to get the upper body into shape. We were amazed that we were able to keep going non-stop for several hours at a time. I left with a significant gut and returned with a six-pack of abs (well, not quite).

Navigation and camping

Don proved to be an excellent navigator, using the map published by the friends of the French River. He also had a GPS device with him which, even though there was no detailed map stored in the device, allowed us to keep track of location, distance traveled, average speed, etc. Over the 4 days, we traveled about 77 km (16, 19, 28, and 14). Our average speed when moving was about 4 km per hour. With a following breeze and calm water, we were able to achieve a maximum speed of almost 7 km per hour over a short distance - could almost have towed a waterskier. Don and I agreed that this distance was a bit too ambitious for four days (actually, three full days), particularly when considering that it’s possible to get held up for a full day or even more by heavy winds that are common in the area.

The French River map is quite detailed (shows campsites and houses), so topographic maps are not necessary. Generally, we chose channels that are narrower, for more seclusion and more picturesque scenery. Keeping to our intended route among the islands was pretty tricky because, from eye level, one island looks pretty much like another. We had the most difficulty finding the channel we wanted when exiting Hartley Bay and navigating among the many small islands close to shore in Georgian Bay. If you travel in this park, do not underestimate the challenge of navigation.

Camp sites. There are only a limited number of campsites (all marked on the map), the definition of a campsite being an area on the bank of the river that is flat enough to pitch a tent. In most cases, it’s necessary to camp on rock, so tents need to be anchored by rocks rather than by tent pegs. There are no facilities at all at any of the campsites.

Food and drink. We drank the water from the river after purifying it with Pristine water treatment -- chlorine dioxide that you mix up from two little bottles, which is completely effective and adds no taste. We used an LPG stove for cooking. Note: fires are discouraged, and there’s not much dead wood available anyway. We took mostly dehydrated food - heat water, add the food, wait 5 minutes and eat. We burned or packed out all of our garbage.

Clothes for nudists. Clothes are necessary for protection against the weather, and for the start/finish of the trip. Here’s what I took for mid-summer weather: wet/dry sandals, quick-dry shorts, wicking T-shirt, insulated vest, breathable rain jacket and sun hat. Even at this time of the year, hypothermia is a possibility, so it’s necessary to have a way of warming up if all of your clothes get wet - e.g. sleeping bag. We packed all of our stuff in 20 litre plastic dry bags. As we were out in the sun for 12 hours per day, we found that 30-level sun block, and a hat, were essential.

Biting insects. No problem at all on the water, and sometimes not on shore when there was a good breeze. At other times, we found that 20% Deet was totally effective for mosquitoes, and also that Johnson’s Baby Lotion kept the biting deer flies away! This discovery was made by a nudist friend of Don’s.

Biting animals. There are black bears in the Park, but in most cases they are dangerous only if protecting cubs or when startled (bear bells provide an advance warning). Bears swim, climb trees and can outrun a human. I’m told that the best way to deal with a black bear is to face her, raise arms to maximize apparent size, make threatening noises and back away slowly. The other way is to turn away from the bear, put your head between your knees, and kiss your ass goodbye. There are also Massassauga rattlesnakes in the area, so it’s necessary to keep an eye out for them. Their venom is not immediately life threatening, but help may be several hours away.

All in all, we found the trip a rewarding nude experience in Canada’s great outdoors. I may go back to the French River in 2003, so if interested, email me.

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