(uplifting music)
My name's Ken Whiting.
I'm a world-champion white-water-paddler,
and I've lead trips and taught kayaking around the world.
As an athlete and explorer,
my lifelong passion's been to challenge myself,
meet interesting new people, discover beautiful places,
and share these experiences with others.
This is the story of these adventures.
This is Paddle Tales.
Hey everyone, I'm Ken Whiting,
and this is the second episode of Paddle Tales,
a series that takes you to amazing places in the world,
while going on incredible paddling adventures along the way.
In this episode, we're going to go to one of the hidden gems
of Québec, in the southwestern edge of the province.
With more than 20,000 lakes and rivers
and endless pristine wilderness,
the region is an outdoor-lover's paradise.
And it just so happens that it's only a four hour drive
from my home in Ontario.
In this episode of Paddle Tales,
we're exploring Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
(calm music)
The Abitibi-Témiscamingue region is located
on the southwestern edge of Québec,
and it stands out because of its magnificent landscapes,
lush forest, and a population that is bubbling
with hospitality and creativity
that's a result of the mix of French, English,
and Native cultures that reside here.
We arrive in the small town of Laniel
to find a festival in full swing.
Now, as much as I want to believe
they're celebrating our arrival,
the event is marking something of actual importance:
the opening of Opémican National Park,
which is Québec's newest park,
and from everything I've heard,
it's an honor well-deserved.
The passion displayed by the people who live here
for the near boundless outdoors that is found
literally at their doorstep is contagious.
I find myself swept up with the desire
to explore the area and learn firsthand
what makes this place so special.
And so I meet up with Ambroise Lycke, from Sépaq,
who has offered to show me the Inuksuk Trail,
one of the many recently completed hiking trails
that are found in the park.
(soft, calming music)
So what are the activities that you guys
are gonna be focusing on in the park?
- So trails like what we have here,
walking around, nice cliff,
nice point of view around the lake,
and things like that.
Canoe camping.
- And what I noticed looking at the map is
I mean you've got everything from
stuff on Lake Témiscamingue,
you've got Kipawa River,
you've got islands in Lake Kipawa,
you've got such varied types of terrain
and types of experiences.
- And just for the forest, for example,
we are in between the boreal forest
and the forêt à feuilles,
- [Together] Deciduous.
- There we go.
Have you ever smelled a white pine like this?
It's not bad, huh?
- It's a huge tree.
It keeps going up and up and up.
- We're starting to see the trees coming back.
- Pretty cool.
As I learned more about the plan for Opémican National Park,
we reached the end of the trail
and are greeted by an Inuksuk,
a symbol that's used by the Inuit
to identify sacred places.
As the foliage opens up to reveal
a breathtaking panoramic view of Lake Témiscamingue,
its placement seems perfectly fitting.
Looking down at the sparkling waters
and the surrounding wilderness
only feeds my desire to explore more
of the Opémican National Park.
Having seen the land from above,
I'm ready to see it from water level
and so I quickly assemble my TRAK Kayak
on the banks of Lake Kipawa.
(peaceful music)
(exhales)
How cool is that that you can have a 16 foot kayak
in the back of a pickup and within 15 minutes
it's good to go?
(peaceful music)
I meet up with France Lemire,
who has spent the last two years
surveying the territory.
Her unique knowledge of the area
will help us navigate the innumerable islands on the lake.
So you've explored a lot of this park?
- Yeah.
- So what's your favorite part?
- Here it's, I really love that place
because I really love to tour around the little islands.
We come here often, every year,
install our campsite
and
we have so many great evening
campfire, under the stars.
No lights pollution at all,
so it's magic.
Okay, this is my favorite spot.
I put my camp there.
- (chuckles) Oh yeah?
Well this is kinda one of those places
where you're like, oh that's an awesome campspot,
oh that's an even better one,
oh I'd love to camp there (chuckles).
Pretty much you could throw a rock in any direction
and it's an epic camp spot.
- Did you see this little island with one tree?
- Yeah.
- With the pine tree.
This is so neat.
- [Ken] (laughing) I love it already.
- Oh yeah?
(laughing) Beautiful, we're so lucky.
- Oh, that's cool.
- You see all those pines?
Like trying to live in those cliffs?
- Yeah.
- They find a way.
- Holding on for dear life.
- Yeah, holding on, wow.
(peaceful music)
- There are lots of reasons why I love paddling so much.
You can get into places that are otherwise inaccessible.
You can discover unique perspectives of the land.
And the direct connection you have with the water
through your boat and your paddle
is a very intimate connection.
(peaceful music)
Whatever aspect of an environment
captures your imagination,
whatever little piece of your surroundings
you want to experience in greater detail,
it's all just a few paddle strokes away.
So in my mind, there really isn't a better way
to explore our natural world
than with the agility of a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard.
(peaceful music)
And I'm certainly not alone in that feeling.
Within a few kilometers of where we paddled,
hundreds of like-minded paddlers have descended
on the Kipawa River
for the annual Kipawa River Festival.
Today, the gathering is focusing on Hollywood Rapid,
a spectacular and pushy class four section of river,
that's more than enough to challenge
even the best paddlers.
(upbeat music)
Although making down the rapid
in one piece is enough for most,
the Hollywood Challenge sees racers duel
head-to-head down the rapid.
The winners move on to the next round,
until one person is crowned the champion,
a title that some will go to any lengths to achieve.
While the race itself is definitely
for the most experienced paddlers,
the festival is for any white water enthusiast
who wants to enjoy the beauty of this unique river.
(cheering)
(applause and cheering)
Although the competitor in me wishes I was out there racing,
the realist in me is more interested in exploring
than getting my butt kicked
by some younger and stronger paddlers.
(upbeat folksy music)
And so I hookup with Cédric De Marneffe,
the organizer of the Kipawa River Festival.
We make plans to paddle the main section of river,
whose rugged beauty he has fought to protect.
Exactly, we'll meet you here.
So the Friends of the Kipawa River,
I've heard about it for it seems like forever,
it's been around a long time.
- Yeah, yeah, it's for 32 years it exists.
The focus of the Kipawa Friends
firstly was we needed to protect the river
from hydroprotension,
but the main point now,
because the hydro project left,
is really to organize the festival.
We want to announce our sort of visibility of this river
to make it more protected for potential
future development
so the visibility look is very important.
- Well speaking of rapids, sounds like we got one.
First one coming right up.
What do we have here?
- So the first rapids is Buttonhook,
the class four rapids with big waves.
So we start center
and we paddle to the right
to reach a eddy
so that we don't put into the hole.
- Perfect.
I'll follow you.
- Alright.
(laughter)
(folksy music)
- For almost 20 years I've wanted to run the Kipawa River,
and so dropping into the first rapid
is exciting for a variety of reasons.
The water is big, powerful, and pushy,
the kind of whitewater that really forces you to work
with the incredible power of Mother Nature
because working against it will get you nowhere.
I honestly think that this is one of the best lessons
that the river has taught me over the years
because the go-with-the-flow idea is something
that can be applied for the betterment of everyday life.
(water rushing)
(chuckles)
How cool is that?
That's a big wave train.
There's almost nothing cooler than coming off
on a big wave like that.
You drop into the trough and all you see
is a big black face in front of you
and then you burst off the top
and the rapid appears before you again.
It's the coolest feeling.
(water rushing)
You don't get to do that every day.
-Yeah, it's a dependance now to do
the really huge stuff.
- Yeah.
Over 30 years of whitewater paddling
my motivations have changed,
but one of the reasons I've always loved hitting the river
is because it's such a good way to spend quality time
with friends and family and to meet interesting people
who share similar values.
And so even though the whitewater of the Kipawa River
lived up to the high expectations that I had for it,
what I'll remember most is how it brought together
such a passionate group of people
and how lucky I feel for being a part of it.
As we approach the end of our river journey,
we encounter an epic finale
to our Abitibi-Témiscamingue adventure:
the Grand Chute of the Kipawa.
(peaceful piano music)
(water rushing)
It's difficult to explain the ferocious beauty of this place
and no words can really describe the feeling
of standing at the edge of such raw power.
The savage violence of which the water
thunders through the chute is a sight and sound to behold.
(water rushing)
But it also leaves me longing for more.
Even though I've had an amazing time here,
I've learning that Abitibi-Témiscamingue
is a huge playground for outdoor activities
and a few days simply isn't enough to do it justice.
I've barely scratched the surface here.
There's so much more to explore.
(peaceful music)
Well that brings this episode of Paddle Tales to an end.
Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed it.
Please give this video a big thumbs up
and if you haven't already,
subscribe to PaddleTV so you get notified
when the next episode releases.
Otherwise, stay tuned for a sneak peek
at the next Paddle Tales adventure.
(peaceful music)
(uplifting music)
Next time on Paddle Tales we visit Bas-Saint-Laurent,
a region of Québec that features
the beautiful Saint Lawrence River coastline
along with stunning interior freshwater rivers and lakes.
Despite some heavy winds, we'll explore the rugged shoreline
of Bic National Park by sea kayak
and discover Lake Témiscouata National Park by canoe.
Lac Saint-Laurent is truly an outdoor-lover's playground
with world-class adventure travel opportunities.
You won't want to miss it.