Father-daughter duo Matt and Bronwyn James share a passion for canoeing. They also love bacon. So when they decided to enter the Algonquin Outfitters Big East River X last year, a 40-kilometer paddling marathon, Bronwyn christened their team Bacon or Bust.
But getting to that point required some persistence.
Matt had done the Muskoka River X – the Big East River X’s longer cousin held in the fall – with a friend the previous year. “Bronwyn said, ‘I wanna do it, I wanna do it,’” says Matt, “but we barely finished. We did it in 22 hours.” They decided the Big East River X would be okay, but hit a snag when they discovered that 16 is the minimum age for racers. So they contacted race organizers Rob Horton and Mike Varieur.
Bronwyn has been paddling since she was eight or nine years old and now, at 13, has considerable experience with a canoe. “I told them, ‘she’s experienced, she knows what she’s doing and she’ll be with me, so what do you think?’” says Matt. They asked to see a resume of her experience just to be sure and eventually gave her the green light to enter.
Matt and Bronwyn with their Big East River X medals in 2015
“We convinced them to change the rules,” says Bronwyn proudly. Canoers between the ages of 13 and 16 can now participate if they can prove their ability to organizers.
They eagerly registered and lined up sponsors – Algonquin Outfitters, Baffin footwear, and Rashers, a bacon sandwich shop in Toronto.
And on race day, they were surprised to find that they’d won their category: the C2 co-ed recreational division. “I went up to ask Rob what our official time was because I was curious and he said, ‘Oh, you won your division.’ And we’re like, ‘how did that happen?’” laughs Matt.
This year, they entered the 9-kilometre recreational race with Bronwyn’s younger sister Isobel joining them. “We’ve added a little extra horsepower this year,” says Matt.
They finished third overall and first in a canoe with a time of 1:01:34.
Bronwyn, Isobel and Matt at the start of the Big East River X (left) and mid-race (photo at right by Randy Mitson, Algonquin Outfitters)
Clearly undaunted by long canoe trips, they each have multiple canoe trips planned for the summer – Matt six and Bronwyn five. One that they’re doing together is a five-night, 110-kilometre route through Algonquin Park, beginning at Lake Opeongo. “Bronwyn looked up the most difficult lake in the park to get to, which is Lavaque, and said I want to go to it,” says Matt.
“It has a five-kilometre portage,” adds Bronwyn. She’s up for the challenge.
Why do they do it?
“It’s a lot of work,” says Matt. “For me it’s that connection, a way to unplug. It’s getting back to doing what I did as a kid. I won’t say I’m always happy being in a canoe because that would be lying – it’s tough when you’re out in the rain and wind – but it’s all good. For me it can almost be a bit of a rehabilitation as well. It allows me to reconnect.”
And for Bronwyn? “It’s fun. And it’s fun for me to beat all the boys in my class.”
Follow Bronwyn and Matt on Facebook here and on Instagram at @baconorbustto.
For more information on canoe tripping in Algonquin Park, click here.
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