Cool challenges we Marathon canoe, kayak and SUP racers do when there's no one holding a stopwatch and timing us.
Conquering the Grand
Brent Run
Paddle from Canoe Lake up to the town of Brent. It has long been considered that the official Brent Run route travels through the following major lakes and waterways:
Canoe Lake
The Joe Lakes
Burnt Island Lake
Otterslide Lake
Big Trout Lake
Longer Lake
Redpine Lake
Burntroot Lake
Perley Lake
Catfish Lake
Narrowbag Lake
Cedar Lake
The town of Brent lies on the North side of Cedar Lake and marks the half way / turnaround point of the trip. The Brent Store (and home of an Algonquin Outfitters post) will allow Brent Runners to refuel on supplies, assuming you make it there during their operating hours. The same route is followed to return to Canoe Lake.
The Meanest Link
“The Link” was dreamed up by Alex Hurley and Gordon Baker in the summer of 2004. The trip consists of four challenging canoe routes connecting the four Algonquin Outfitters stores serving Algonquin Park: Oxtongue Lake, Huntsville, Brent on Cedar Lake, and Lake Opeongo. Meanest’s love of canoe tripping and numerous feats of endurance on the trail were legendary, so Gord and Alex felt that a canoe route linking Algonquin Park and Algonquin Outfitters would be an appropriate way to honour him. Paddlers must follow a prescribed route between each location and follow a few traditions along the way. Each leg of the trip must be done as a single canoe trip, with the exception of the Huntsville/Brent leg, which due to the difficulty and time required, may be split into two sections. Ambitious paddlers with time on their hands can attempt the “Full Link” and do all four sections on one canoe trip totaling approximately 420km or 261miles .