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What is it?
Bob's Kitchen is a group backcountry camping experience with an emphasis on music and whitewater paddling. Though there's a five-minute paddle to the campsite, we base camp for two nights on a large group campsite, and our gear doesn't go down the river. The whitewater canoeing part is optional and requires some skill. The evenings are full of delicious food, music and live karaoke-style singing around the fire. Wrap up the summer by escaping to the Madawaska Valley for a fun—but easy—backcountry adventure.
Whitewater?
This festival offers an optional whitewater canoeing experience. If you're not experienced with whitewater, there are limited spaces available with experienced paddlers. There are portage trails around anything that you don't want to run. If you're not interested in the whitewater part, that's ok! It's not all this festival has to offer.
What's the itinerary?
Whitewater paddling and camping
Friday
Drive to the Madawaska put-in on Friday morning or early afternoon. It's about a 4-hour drive from Toronto.
Paddle to the campsite. It's about 5 minutes with no whitewater.
Whitewater canoe practice: Those who wish to learn/run some whitewater will paddle back to the cars, load up, and drive (about 25 mins) to Palmer Rapids for whitewater paddling practice. There is room for everyone of all skill levels, and whether they plan to paddle or just watch. Note that those who must arrive late can meet us at Palmer without going to the site first.
Load up at around 6pm and drive back to the parking area near the campsite and paddle back to the site.
Return to the campsite and eat a big campfire-made supper.
End the evening with music and merriment around the fire.
Saturday
Note that novice spaces are limited for the Saturday and Sunday whitewater runs. These must be arranged in advance.
Eat a nice, big campfire-made breakfast to load up on energy.
Gear up and head down the river as early as we can.
Enjoy the many rapids the Madawaska offers. We will take our time to ensure that everyone learns the rapids.
Eat lunch on the river.
Enjoy more rapids.
Take out at Buck's Bay.
Load up and drive back to the launch area.
Most will paddle back to the site. A few drivers will reset the shuttle for Sunday.
Eat a fantastic campfire-made supper.
Finish up the evening with more music and merriment around the fire.
Sunday
Wake up a bit earlier to get a good start on the day.
Eat another big campfire-made breakfast to load up on energy.
Gear up and head down the river.
Have fun in the rapids.
Enjoy lunch on the river.
Take out at Buck's Bay.
Load up and drive back to the launch area.
Paddle back to the campsite
Start packing up.
Paddle back to the cars.
Load up and drive home.
Some may have supper together in Peterborough on the way home.
Camping only
Friday
Drive to the Madawaska put-in on Friday morning or early afternoon. It's about a 4-hour drive from Toronto.
Paddle to the campsite. It's about 5 minutes with no whitewater. If your car is arriving without a canoe, we'll make the appropriate arrangements to pick you up or leave a canoe for you.
Watch the whitewater canoe practice (or join?). You can choose to join in or just watch for our practice time. There is also the boring option of just staying back at the site. To get to Palmer, we will paddle back to the cars, load up the canoes, and drive (about 25 mins) to Palmer Rapids for whitewater paddling practice. Everyone is encouraged to come to Palmer whether they are canoeing or not.
Load up at around 6pm and drive back to the parking area near the campsite and paddle back to the site.
Set up your tent if you haven't already.
Eat a big campfire-made supper.
End the evening with music and merriment.
Saturday
Enjoy a big campfire-made breakfast with the whole group.
Say goodbye to the paddlers and enjoy your time on the site.
Play music with our resident musician, Dave Arcus.
Relax in a hammock.
Paddle around the flatwater upstream or down.
Go fishing.
Have lunch with your fellow chillers.
Continue to chill.
Enjoy a big campfire-made supper after the paddlers return.
End the evening with music and merriment.
Sunday
Enjoy a big campfire-made breakfast with the whole group.
Say goodbye to the paddlers and enjoy your time on the site.
Do the same kind of things you did the day before.
Pack up.
Paddle back to the cars when the paddlers return.
Load up and drive home.
Some may have supper together in Peterborough on the way home.
It's a music festival?
Ok, it's a slight exaggeration. There are no headliners, music tents or porta-potty lineups. But there is a strong commitment to having some fun (and often loud) singing around the campfire. We even produce a songbook ahead of time with chords and lyrics so we can join in karaoke style. Play an instrument? If it's portable, bring it along! (At your own risk of course, there still is a 5-minute paddle to the campsite).
Looks like fun, but I don't know how to paddle in whitewater.
If you're interested in learning whitewater paddling (and contingent on spaces available) we'll help introduce you to the sport and ease you into it. Before the festival, you'll need to do some pre-reading to make sure you have the basics you need to stay safe. There is a lot of "theory" to learn first so you'll know what we're talking about when we go over things on the river. You'll find everything you need to know on this site. Head over to our Split Rock Outdoors Whitewater Handbook and read the things. This will also give you an idea of what you could be getting yourself into.
Where is it?
We're heading to the incredible Madawaska River, just south of Algonquin Park near a town called Quadeville. We start at a small parking lot near the Aumonds Bay put-in. It's a four-hour drive from Toronto. You can talk to us about arranging a carpool seat. There is free parking at the put-in.
Red line is the river. Blue line is the shuttle road back.
What can I expect?
Here, look at some photos.
But how much does it cost?
There is no festival fee! We just divide up costs afterwards. The last two years it was $100 each. Since there are no campsite fees, shuttle fees or canoe rentals, it's as cheap as it gets for a trip like this. If you go with a guided trip on the same river with a nearby outfitter, it would cost around $1000, so we think this is a pretty good deal.
Other occasionally asked questions
How big is this festival?
We may be slightly exaggerating the size. There were 15 awesome people last year. Maybe we'll get 16 this year!
What if I've never paddled whitewater before?
This trip is great for people new to whitewater, but there are limited spaces in canoes with experienced paddlers. Reach out to us to inquire if there are spaces available. If there are, the way to start is learning the theory and the terminology that's covered in the Handbook section of this site. The skills themselves need to be learned and practiced on actual whitewater of course.
Also, you don't have to run the whitewater at all to have a fabulous time. There's always a crew that prefer to hang out at the site with chiller vibes.
Can I bring my kids?
No. You cannot bring your crotch fruit. I'm sure they're great, but NO! If you found that offensive, this trip might not be a good match for you. 🤣 There's an exception for adult children.
What if I don't even want to do the whitewater but want in on the sweet camping and music fun?
Not a problem! Come join us for just the camping experience (other than the short paddle to the site) and stay back and chill while the whitewater paddlers are off on their adventure. No shame in that. You can even go for a nice flatwater paddle since the river around the site doesn't have a strong current.
What about food?
We do food communally so that we can all have some pretty amazing meals. Just be sure to talk to us ahead of time about any dietary restrictions. If you have too many special dietary needs and want to bring your own food, that's ok.
Bring your own booze. People generally share through a giant communal cooler which makes for lots of variety.
What about whitewater canoe gear?
Split Rock has a small gear library. Talk to us about what you need and we'll hook you up. If all the gear is spoken for, there are nearby outfitters
What about camping gear?
You're on your own for this. You'll need a tent and whatever you need to sleep in it. Feel free to bring as much as you want though since we won't be paddling with the gear down the river. See the list below for ideas on what to bring.
What if I can't sing?
We will give you more alcohol.
Wait, where do I poop?
If you're new to camping without a washroom building you can walk to, this will be a slight adjustment. There is a wooden box in the bush with a hole shaped like a toilet opening. You poop in there. :)
But this is the easiest possible introduction to "backcountry camping" since the size and weight of whatever you want to bring doesn't matter. Bring all your creature comforts as you would with car camping. There are also lots of people around to help you out and learn how to be a backcountry adventurer.
What should I bring?
At the site
Headlamp (Check your batteries)
Water bottle (Something with a loop like a nalgene).
Sleeping bag
Sleeping mat, like a Thermarest.
Pillow
Tent or place in a tent
Clothes for cold evenings
Shoes and warm socks
For running the river
Personal Flotation Device (PFD) (Also incorrectly known as a ‘life jacket’. First-come, first-served for our small collection of loaners.
Whitewater or multisport helmet (we have about 6 loaner helmets). A bike helmet will work in a pinch.
Whistle on your PFD.
Whitewater paddle (loaners available).
Smaller dry bag that is accessible on the river for pulling out a raincoat, snacks, etc. Loaners are available.
Second set of clothes in a dry bag in case you dump. (Everyone needs to be able to completely change into dry clothes on the river and carry on with the trip without being miserable in cold wet clothing.)
Sunglasses
Hat
Non-cotton paddling clothes (Avoid all cotton on cold water. I suggest checking out this blog about what to wear on a canoe trip. https://www.voyageurtripper.com/what-to-wear-canoeing/
Toe-protected shoes (i.e., some kind of shoes that are good for walking in water. Covered toes are safer. Avoid sandals that can be washed away in fast water.)
Raincoat
Extras
Decent rain pants
Neoprene gloves (We have a couple of loaners)
Neoprene socks
Camp chair
Musical instruments
Hammock
Praise for Bob's Kitchen
I'm in! What do I need to do?
That's fantastic—we're glad we could convince you! But, the trip is invite-only, so message Tim, Jacob or Stefan and let them know you're interested. 😀 If you're good to go, here are the next steps:
If you are new to whitewater and want to run it, you'll need to do the pre-reading.
Everyone running the whitewater needs to take the whitewater safety quiz.
Figure out what gear you need to borrow.
Read the serious stuff and sign up using the button below.
"Hey guys, it's actually 'Bill's Kitchen'!"
"Shut up, Justin. It will always be Bob's!" 🤣
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