About PaddlingExperience adventures on the water with like-minded paddlers. Paddlers of all levels are welcome. This is a sea kayak and recreational kayak friendly club, however, due to safety concerns, inflatable kayaks are not permitted. For more information regarding the recreational kayak program, please read The Halton Outdoor Rec Kayaking Program.pdf From the first- time paddler to the more experienced paddler, the Club offers opportunities to learn and to practise throughout the season. The Club begins the season with a focus on safety, offering a variety of introductory and refresher safety and rescue options for both sea kayak and recreational kayak paddlers. When offered, Paddle Canada Instructors provide the courses to help paddlers learn and improve at any skill level for both sea kayak and recreational kayak paddlers. Then we go have some fun on the water. We offer paddles for both sea kayaks and recreational kayaks throughout the season. We travel for our day trips to interior lakes and rivers such as the Grand River, Rockwood, Welland Canal, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Weekend and extended trips take paddlers to such locations as Franklin Islands, Whales Back, Benjamin Islands, Lake Superior and North Channel to name a few. Some of our day and weekend trips utilize the resources of outfitters who provide rental kayaks and equipment so you don't always need to own a kayak to get involved. Any surplus funds which may be generated from the running of our paddling trips or events, will go towards the Sports Development Fund to improve our club paddling, for example, the purchase of VHF radios for trips. We also have workshops where we learn from each other. Workshop topics may include water safety guidelines, paddle strokes, rescues, backcountry trip packing, navigation and much more. Don't paddle alone. Share your paddle in the safe and friendly group environment the Club provides. Paddling is Magic, Come join us
Lessons and Practice OpportunitiesThe Halton Outdoor Club welcomes all levels of paddling for both sea and recreational kayaking; we really like helping beginners. Our goal is to make it easy for a new paddler to get started. We offer practice opportunities in both the pool (April) and lake (June) with all the equipment included, depending on our arrangement with our chosen paddling company. In addition, we offer dryland and water opportunities (May-June) to share and to practise with other club members. Whatever your level of experience, we are happy to have you join us. Check the events calendar for more details and to register. Kinds of TripsDay TripsThroughout the paddling season, we offer day trips that are within 2 hours drive time of the Halton Region. Every outing has a volunteer trip leader and a detailed paddling plan. Check the events calendar for the schedule and to register.Car Camping TripsWe offer weekend car camping trips through-out Ontario during the season. We book a campsite on an inland lake, paddle for the weekend and enjoy each other’s company. Check the events calendar for the schedule and to register. Backcountry Camping TripsWe offer backcountry paddling trips throughout the season. This is usually on open water, waves and wind conditions are considered. Paddle up to 20 kms per day based on conditions. Certified Outfitters may be used to guides. Check the events calendar for more details and to register.Guided TripsThe Halton Outdoor Club will sometimes offer guided trips by a certified outfitter for paddles which are more of a challenge with our highest trip rating, Grade D, Comfortable Intermediate. They typically have a longer duration and take place in the backcountry or coastal areas. Please check the events calendar for more details and to register. SafetyThe Importance of SafetySafety is the overarching principle of The Halton Outdoor Club Paddling. It is our priority. HOC provides several trip formats based the skill level of the participants involved, always keeping safety in mind. Pre Launch Shoreline Safety Meeting - NEW for 2024!Before we launch, we will conduct a safety meeting to go over safety and safety procedures. This is done on the shoreline with all our equipment and kayaks in place, ready to launch, before we get in our kayaks. We will go over the required skills, the anticipated trip conditions, the individual role as a participant, and our collective role as a group. In the event that the conditions exceed the skill level of the participants, the volunteer trip leader has the final call to cancel the trip for some or all of the paddlers, before or on the day of the paddle. HOC Pre Launch Shoreline Safety Meeting(2024-02-29).pdf Required Equipment
Additional Safety Considerations
Suggested Practices for Participants
Paddling CommitteeAs part of the Halton Outdoor Club (HOC) paddling community, we formed a Paddling Committee consisting of volunteers who want to make an impactful contribution to the HOC.
The paddling committee consists of 2 co-directors, Paul Leppik and Ed Brunato, who are backed up by a team of hard working, dedicated individuals to bring HOC a fantastic paddling program. They are Anne Marchildon, Bob Annis, Lise Sorensen, Gabriela Sebestyen, Katrina Blom, Ken Besser and Virginia Martin. We meet once a month for the purpose of coordinating and planning meaningful paddling experiences for our Halton Outdoor Club members. Contact the paddling directors if you wish to join us. To Contact The Paddling Co-DirectorsTo reach out to the paddling directors, please send and email to hocpaddling@gmail.com Trip Leading ResourcesItems To Bring With YouHOC Pre Launch Shoreline Safety Meeting(2024-02-29)(PDF) New for 2024 - This is a meeting to discuss safety prior to getting in our kayaks. We are in the process of finalizing the shoreline safety meeting. A finalized laminated copy will be given to our given to our voluntary trip leaders before the season begins, or you may refer to it by clicking on the above link. Suggested Practices for Volunteer Trip LeadersSuggested Practices for Paddling Volunteer Trip Leaders(2024-05-03)(PDF) Volunteer Trip Leader Development ProgramTransitioning from a participant to a volunteer trip leader doesn’t have to done alone. You will have the support of our caring and collegial paddling community. As a volunteer organization we rely on people who are willing to help out in all capacities, from organizing paddling excursions behind the scenes to volunteer trip leaders who lead them. Our goal is to grow as an organization and to continue our robust paddling program. Here are some resources to guide you along this journey. Please refer to the Trip Leading in the Member section of the club website. Paddling and Camping Resources |
Paddling and CampingDeveloping Kayak Skills, Paddle Canada Packing Lists for Canoe and Kayak CampingHOC Packing List for Kayak & Canoe Camping.pdf Recipes and Food Options for Paddling Excursions | Weather Related LinksNOAA -Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Environment Canada Weather Radar Environment Canada Marine Forecast Publication by Environment Canada Wind, weather & waves : a guide to marine weather in the Great Lakes region (Includes free PDF book) |
Tentative Paddling Planning CalendarDISCLAIMER: The sole purpose of this calendar is for planning and organizing paddling trips for the season. It is a tool which helps to avoid having mulitiple backcountry trips at the same time, or car camping, or day trips; although we may choose to run simultaneous backcountry, car camping and day trips on the same weekend, as they are different kinds of offerings. We are a volunteer organization and we rely on the kindness of individuals who put forth trips for our enjoyment. However, a volunteer(s) who proposes a trip, may not be able to follow through for any number of valid reasons. A paddling trip only becomes official when it is active on the club's Events Calendar. We have a cureated list of paddling lessons and trips listed below and on the Upcoming Paddling Events webpage for your convenience. Therefore, we ask that you use the official club Events Calendar for active and official trips to plan your leisure time with us. If you have a trip in mind and you wish to become a volunteer trip leader for said trip, be sure to contact our paddling co-directors.
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The HOC Trip Rating SystemHow we grade our trips for expected conditions and skills required:We endeavor to have everyone remain safe on our paddling excursions and to have participants make informed decisions regarding the suitability of such trips. Therefore, we have adopted a trip rating system based on the typical conditions that one may face on any trip and the skills needed to meet such conditions. It is the discretion of the volunteer trip leader to increase a trip grade depending on changing conditions on the day of the paddle. Special thanks goes to Jeff Arbing (O.S.K.C.) whose input and paddling experience was instrumental in its creation. HOC Paddling Trip Rating Tool(2024-02-29).pdf Grade A - Beginner |
HOC Paddling Launch and Parking Locations MapDISCLAIMER: We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the locations of the HOC Paddling Launch and Parking Locations Map Official Scheduled TripsUpcoming Paddling Events - List FormActive paddling events are listed below, on the club's Events Calendar, or on the Upcoming Paddling Events webpage, which you can bookmark for your convienience. By clicking on an event you will find all trip information and the opportunity to register for our paddling events! |
Day Trips
| Lessons, Workshops, Pool Sessions
| Car Camping
| Backcountry Camping
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