The great thing about a canoe is that it doesn’t take much to transport one or to winterize. A roof rack and some muscle effort will get it ready for transport. The only other requirement is a calm day with some sun. Mary Lake was my most recent destination. You can see from one end of the lake to the other, so it isn’t very big, but it is a gate way to Huntsville’s connected lakes via the lift locks.
I was met with only another canoe on the entire lake, during my paddle. I had Port Sydney’s beach all to myself as well. During summer visits, the beach is typically packed and the waterfront littered with moored boats. The shoreline scenery shows off the rolling hills that I otherwise bicycle when circumnavigating the lake by road. The Muskoka River also empties Mary Lake to the south, with small rapids and a dam guarding the path. A few islands near the south end of the lake gave intermittent protection from a south breeze.
Two strong paddlers in a fast canoe could paddle the shoreline of the whole lake in a few hours or less. One of the fun features of this paddle was the home-made pizza slice from David’s General Store. I was told that fresh pizza is available every day, along with fresh bagels. It made the paddling effort all the more rewarding.
By Tim Du Vernet
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