French River - Canoe Loop. Join Brad and Wayne Jennings as they head off on a 110 km, 4 day canoe trip out the French River, across Lake Nipissing and down the Wolseley River
Great video Wayne! I just love these really challenging lost routes you guys often do. I watch Brad's channel a lot too. I must admit, I'm really jealous of Brad to have been raised by a great Dad like you, to be able to be so knowledgeable and experienced at such a young age! I just did my very first backcountry kayak and camping trip ever last fall at the ripe old age of 54, but better late than never I suppose. At least that's what I have to keep reminding myself every time the deep regret of missing out on a lifetime of this experience creeps in. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Richard, Thanks very much for the kind words, much appreciated. I'm glad you have ventured out to do a backcountry trip. It's never too late to start, and hopefully for you, this will be the first of many epic adventures!
For the past two summers Ive worked at a fishing lodge along the river which you guys may have paddled by (Chaudiere) and it was awesome to see the route you planned. The river can get pretty nasty but you guys definitely lucked out on the Nipissing leg of the trip; and the rest of the trip in general. Well done!
thank you for this beautiful video. now that Killarney is getting so hard to get into, I've been wanting to try paddling French River, but I don't even know where to start! This video makes me realize that paddling a river (opposed to a lake) doesn't necessarily mean the river is in control.
You guys hauled ass. I really enjoyed Wayne's commentary. Glad you've followed well in his footsteps there Bradley. Amongst the great and shit weather, the easy ports and the hell bushwacks, the nice and inclement weather, this trip looked awesome. Equally as awesome is that it was a father and son trip. 👍👍
Hey Jamie, Thanks for the kind words. It's amazing how far and fast you can go when the weather conditions are favorable, but then you get those crappy days where things slow down! Oh well, like I said in the video "You've got to take the good with the bad." In the end, it's all fun. It's all part of the adventure!
Another good one. We have a 17 foot old town canoe and there is no way I can lift it like you guys can with that nova craft. Maybe I’m just getting old.
Thanks. That boat is a Nova Craft Cronje model. It's 17 ft. long and has a capacity of 1,000 ib. The nice streamlined, keel-free hull makes it a fast boat. Ours is made of TuffStuff and weights in at 55 lb. They make a slightly more durable version called the tuffStuff Expedition layup, and it weight 60 lb.. but there is also a light weight version made from Aramid Lite that is only 47 lb. Of, course in the video you see my young, strong son, Brad hoisting it effortlessly. It's a bit more of a struggle for me, but certainly do-able.
Great video... just subscribed. Brungs back memories of my trip up the French and on to Lake Nippissing and beyond back in 2004 as part of a 6 month solo trip I did.
Fantastic video - wow this looks so incredibly scenic! We did a French loop last year (Hartley Bay) and I would certainly would love to try your loop. Will you post a detailed route on MYCCR?
Thank you Colette, Good idea to post on MYCCR...I usually post a link to my videos on that site, but perhaps I should add a trip log with more details.
I'm always amazed at how you two do these trips. Do you ever get worried that you won't be able to bushwhack your way thru to the next lake and have to turn around?
Never had to 'turn back' yet, but have run into some very thick wooded sections that make it difficult to move with the canoe on your shoulders. A good map/compass and a hand-held GPS really help in these situations.
Really interesting trip...inspired me to start planning for this Spring. Gotta ask - are you wearing jeans at 4:26?? I've always been told to stay far, far, far away from jeans on any outdoor adventure! Not to mention a rainy one 😉
Nothing wrong with wearing blue jeans, they certainly are comfortable and warm. Just make sure you have other appropriate gear such as hiking pants, rain gear etc. with you. If it starts raining, it's easy enough just to pull on those rain pants over top of your jeans. I always take an old well-worn pair of blue jeans with me.
Greetings from across the great pond in the UK. Brilliant canoeing film, you both captured the rough with the smooth with this film. I could see the GoPro fixed onto the canoe but what other camera were you using? Looking forward to seeing more of your adventures. ⛺️
Thanks for watching. We always take at least 2 action cameras with us, usually a GoPro and a Sony. These get used for all the on-board canoeing shots. For my main camera I take along a Canon HF-G30 camcorder, ( this camera has a great lens and records great audio) and we sometimes shoot extra video with a Panasonic G3 mirrorless camera.
There is no substitute for a good topographical or nautical chart, and a compass. When you are in a boat out on the water, it can be very hard to distinguish changes in the landscape, as the islands and mainland all tend to 'blend' together. I find you just have to be constantly glancing between the shoreline and your charts and just be aware of where you are in relation to everything around you. Sometimes we too, make the wrong choice, but like everything else in life, it just takes a lot of practice.
Those rain pants are made by "The North Face" Perfect to wear around camp first thing in the morning, in the late evening when the biting bugs come out, and of course - when it's raining.
Hey Freddie, Yes, we always take a Garmin hand-held GPS unit along with us to help us on those 'lost' portage trails. Of course we check out Google Maps satellite images before heading out to check out the terrain, and we always have a good topo map with us.
Hey George, thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed the video. We really enjoyed paddling the south shore of Lake Nipissing and lucky for us the lake was very calm, as the shallow waters of Lake Nipissing have a reputation for getting very rough. All the video from 4:38 to 7:40 was shot while paddling Lake Nipissing. The scenic island we camped on our second night was out on Lake Nipissing.
