David Shorthouse
banner
dshorthouse.bsky.social
David Shorthouse
@dshorthouse.bsky.social
father, husband, biodiversity informatician. Opinions mine and not those of my employer.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7618-5230
Solo paddling adventure last weekend in Algonquin Provincial Park in -4C weather was...adventurous. I flipped butt-over-teakettle, ironically fetching water for a late night tea. Many colourful words zinged Clamshell Lake. I later read this spot is 210ft deep, being the base of an old waterfall. 😬
October 27, 2025 at 4:34 PM
It snowed! At least I had the foresight to scrounge for a toque in the woollens bin before the trip — no doubt purchased when last visiting the folks at @gbif.org in Copenhagen before there was grey in my beard.
October 26, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Have some pancakes with maple syrup at sunrise in Algonquin Provincial Park. I’m sorry, I ate half.
October 13, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Preparing for a chilly Canadian Thanksgiving paddle with several 2km+ portages in Algonquin Provincial Park with a friend from my high school years. Might be the last one of the season. 🛶 💪 🦃 🥶
October 9, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Had a great little weekend meaningfully connecting with my eldest son. From the moment we pushed off in the canoe, we were in perfect rhythm, completing portages and camp chores without comment of these things, instead reserving words for his aspirations, his anxieties, and giving shape to his life.
October 7, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Stunning and other-worldly solo canoe trip circumnavigating Philip Edward Island on the NE shore of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada. Two nights and three days, not a cloud in the sky and what little wind there was, it was at my back.
October 1, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Departing on another paddling adventure to somewhere near here, the greatest concentration of freshwater islands in the world.
September 27, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Almost peed on one last summer! You hear 'em before you see 'em so take care as you plant your feet.
September 9, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Photo bomb!
September 3, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Back from a 4-day solo canoe trip to N. Algonquin. Beaver dams, lift overs, lining, oh my! Been so luck with the weather on my adventures this summer.
September 3, 2025 at 12:28 AM
A four-day solo paddle with multiple, lengthy portages starts tomorrow morning. It's been at least 20 years since the last time I was truly all alone, fending for myself. I am grateful for my family who understand that I have been quietly aching for this. #MyLittleRedCanoe
August 30, 2025 at 12:00 AM
What to do with scraps of uneaten dehydrated food from the last canoe trip? Plan another one!

Son and I couldn't complete this Algonquin trip in May; he had a rotten virus. Good on him to tap the mat. At that time we were deafened by spring peepers and an American Bittern youtu.be/bAxAEoAVmuc?...
August 27, 2025 at 3:53 AM
I was pleased to honour the effort put into lugging the ingredients and the real maple syrup! Plus, I can’t waste any opportunity to strut my Canadian bush fashion sense at sun-up while flipping flapjacks.
August 18, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Retrieving the dewy canoe while the boy sleeps.

Photo by @cabbageleek.bsky.social
August 17, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Last week’s canoe portage in Wabakimi was brought to us by the ladder, eh?! 🤔
August 13, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Wabakimi with @cabbageleek.bsky.social, James Macklin and my son, Thomas was next level. Trip report on 8 day adventure to come soon.
August 8, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Excellent hike up to the gorge on the Sleeping Giant east of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada today. Fires from Manitoba and Saskatchewan made for a challenging hike.
July 30, 2025 at 2:38 AM
The Wawa goose! You can’t drive across the Province of Ontario without paying homage.
July 28, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Happy Canada Day from Tom Thomson Lake this morning.
July 1, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Another excellent canoe trip in the books to Temagami’s Wolf Lake in Ontario, Canada.
June 2, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Canoe trip #1 of the year in the books with my son. Northern Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada a few weeks before the black flies and mosquitoes emerge. Felt really good to flex the portage & paddling muscles again.
May 5, 2025 at 3:59 AM
One step closer to paddling season. Thanks to Trailhead Paddle Shack in Ottawa for setting me up.
April 4, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Am planning for multi-day canoe trips this summer in Northern Ontario and am experimenting with a dehydrator for the first time. I turned zucchini into ancient coins! 😁
January 26, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Mush! Kids and I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience near Kiamika, Québec.
January 6, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Gearing up with creature comforts for more paddling adventures in Temagami and Wabakimi next summer.
December 5, 2024 at 10:47 PM