River Report Archive
Archive - River Reports
3/29/06 - The Suwannee River Song By Sarah Webb & Marcia Rimer
3/19/06 - Huron River Report - Dan Klinkhamer
3/12/06 - Way Down Upon the Suwannee River - Dan Klinkhamer
2/26/06 - Huron River Report - Dan Klinkhamer
2/20/06 - Euphrates River Report - Tim Sheldon
2/20/06 - GRAYLING TRAINING REPORT - BRAD GROSS
2/20/06 - Huron River Report - Dan Klinkhamer
2/14/06 - AuSable River Training Report - Jon Thompson
The Suwannee River Song
By Sarah Webb & Marcia Rimer(Tune of Mr. Sandman)
Please Mr. Riverman make us go fast, were sick and tired of them kickin our ass.
We try real hard to go nice and steady, Oh Mr. Riverman we are ready.Mr. Riverman their up’n the pace, we didn’t know this was a race.
We’re having fun, we came to paddle, but it sure’d be fun to be in the battle.Mr. Riverman the weeks almost done, but we sure had some fun.
Maybe next year, we will come back, and we won’t be at the back of the pack.Maybe next year we’ll battle with them, a year of racing we’ll have by then.
So goodbye friend, we’ll see you next year, it’s time to go and have a beer!
Huron River Reports - Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday March 18, 2006
34 degrees
Kensington Gage 3.0 feet
Paddling Time: 3 hours 18 minutesWere back from Florida and ready to paddle. Tad Hill and Bill Schmitz brought their C-1's and Mike Garon and Bill Dubois, and Al Widing Jr. and myself chose C-2's. It was not quite the same as paddling in Florida, the wind up here has a lot more bite to it. We would paddle to US23 before turning for home. With the water running at 3 feet a lot of shortcuts were available for those that wished to take the chance. Also on the river was a herd of rec paddlers. It looked like the group we see occasionally in the winter. They have started to fill Kent Lake. This means that the water depth below the dam can be anything. Luckily, with so much water coming down from above, there is plenty even shortly after the dam is raised.
Sunday March 19, 2006
39 degrees
Kensington Gage 3.1 feet
Paddling Time: 3 hours 24 minutesThere were five C-1 today. Bill Schmitz, Tad Hill, Al Widing Jr., Doug Heady and myself. Also along for the ride was the C-2's of Tom Cannon and Lynne Witte, and Nick Walton and Bob Mitchell. We have been doing a little more tree dodging lately. The high water and wind has caused a few more trees to fall. The worst of the obstructions we were able to clear a small hole in while Al Jr. was recovering from a season ending snorkel. We would eventually make it all the way down to US23 before turning and heading for home. All in all a nice way to end the winter paddling season.
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A nice warm day in January.
A week later, paddling at 8 degrees.
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I've sent a note to Nancy Anderson (aka paddle mom) inquiring about the Hugh Heward. If they are having it this year I will let you know. This is an excellent 55 real miles paddle on the Grand River about a month before the General Clinton.***************
Next weekend is the Klondike up in Oscoda, check out the MCRA web site for info. There will be no more weekly reports as the winter season is over, but I will inform you of special activities as necessary. The weekend after the Klondike (Saturday April 1 and Sunday April 2) we will be making Chain of Lakes runs. We plan on launching on the Huron River just north of Silver Lake Road at 10:00am. Cars being used for shuttling boats should meet down at Bandemere and be loaded and ready to roll by 9:30am. These runs usually take about 5 hours paddling time.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer
Way Down Upon the Suwannee River - Dan Klinkhamer
Way Down Upon the Suwannee River - A day by day account of the annual week long Florida training camp organized by Bruce Barton
This year there were at least 14 C-2's most days, and some others who were doing similar but shorter paddles. There was also a C-1 or two on a few occasions, and Matt Streib in his kayak on at least one day. Many of the paddlers switched partners every day. Tom Trudgeon took care of setting up the teams and kept them quite competitive. If you needed a partner all you had to do is let Tom know and later that evening he would let you know who you were paddling with. Although I seldom mention it in the day to day accounts, assume that we paddled hard every day. As fast as I can go is as fast as I was going a lot during this week. The times reflect paddling times and were taken off GPS units that shut down when the boats were stopped for lunch. Although a number of people tipped during the week I only chose to mention the more spectacular ones, leaving out ones like when Pete Mead was looking over the side of the boat at Blue Spring to see if he could see some fish. The weather is not worth mentioning either, it was in the lower 70's and sunny every day. When shuttles were required we loaded as many canoes as possible on our vehicles and when we returned to the campground Bill Schmitz used his van as a bus transporting as many drivers as necessary back to fetch there cars.
Saturday March 4, 2006
3 hours 15 minutes
Bill Dubois and I arrived in the morning at Suwannee River State Park and unlike most of the others that had arrived, were able to set up our camp early since our site was vacant. We then went out to explore the area, first paddling up to Lime Spring which is located in the state park at the end of interesting half mile creek. Then we headed over to the Withlacoochee River which enters the Suwannee River also at the park. Around noon a group of Saturday morning arrivers got together and headed up the Withlacoochee to a little beyond the first bridge. Throughout this paddle it was a series of attack and counter attack. Little did I know at the time that this would be the theme for the entire week.Sunday March 5, 2006
5 hours 30 minutes
Got a good look at the Suwannee River today. We paddled upstream for three and a half hours then turned for home. She's a big deep river with interesting limestone formations lining the banks and white Florida sand beaches on most of the inside bends. The current seems stronger than the surface of the water would have you believe. Bill Dubois and I would end up chasing the main group for the first hour or so since they had left a little before 9:00 which was the designated leaving time. It did not take us long to learn that being late with this group was anything less that five minutes early.Monday March 6, 2006
6 hours
Shuttled the canoes up to White Springs on the Suwannee. This was the longest day highlighted by the lunch stop at Suwannee Springs. Bill and I had a good day, cashing in on some of our winter paddling hours to keep the boat moving later in the day. There was a lot of really tired puppies that evening around the campground.Tuesday March 7, 2006
3 hours 30 minutes
Shuttled the canoes to the Alapaha River near the town of Jennings, barley south of the Georgia state line. The Alapaha flows into the Suwannee about a hour above the campground, so once again we were able to finish at the campground. The Alapaha was a smaller river, about the width of the AuSable at McMasters, but deep and fast. All went well until we were blocked by a couple of blow down trees. Bill and I got our communications mixed up and ended up crossways to the trees, eventually, boat and paddlers getting pulled under. After Bruce and Tim towed me close enough to shore to touch bottom, which was about 5 feet from shore, we were able to empty our boat and retrieve the junk that the others had gathered up for us. This was a river to be respected. Today's lunch stop was one of the many sand beaches along the inside bends. Later, back at the campground a bird would fly into Bill Dubois open tent a leave a deposit on his sleeping bag before he was able to chase it out.Wednesday March 8, 2006
6 hours
Started and ended at Ichetucknee Springs State Park, about and hours drive from the campground. The group first went about two miles down the Ichetucknee River to its confluence with the Santa Fe River. For about the next two hours the boats were paddled flat out to the turn around at Ginnie Springs. Tim and Andy Triebold were real fast today and if it weren't for the long straight aways I may have lost sight of them. Just behind them followed Matt Rimer and Bruce Barton who had a little gap on Jeff Kolka and Jim Harwood. Bill and I managed to get on Jeff and Jimmy tail wave and would mark it up as another one of our better efforts. After a lunch break and a little moving around of people we were off again. The group, as it often did while starting out, formed a bunch of about six boats at the front. I was in the front pack expecting to be joined by the others, since none of the big hammers were present yet. We would paddle all the way back to the Ichetucknee River and still none had caught us, in fact, when I looked back I saw no one in sight. So here is the story as told by Tom Cannon since I did not witness it myself. Tom and Jon Thompson were motoring along the river on the inside of a bend, and there was a rope hanging from a tree. Not a uncommon sight on the river, as it is used for swimming. They would just brush past the rope as they had many earlier in the day and push on up to the front pack. This rope was a tad different though, it had a loop on the end, a loop just big enough to fit around the bow of a C-2. Now remember we are going downstream, and remember I said the current is decievingly fast, and remember they are leaning on the paddles a little to catch the front of the group. Once the boat got hooked, the nose flew up in the air and the boat went from about 10 mph to 0 in about 15 feet. Needless to say the back went down and it was all over for them, and those who were around them then stopped to aid in the recovery process. We all paddled back to the state park where we jettisoned all our food supplies before continuing to ascend the Ichetucknee River. You are not allowed to carry any food in this section of river. About 4 miles upstream is the source of the Ichetucknee River, Ichetucknee Spring. This crystal clear spring made a fine swimming hole for a bunch of stinky paddlers, which was extra nice since we would stop that night at the Golden Corral in Live Oak for dinner before returning to the campground and showers.Thursday March 9, 2006
3 hours 23 minutes
Up the Suwannee and the Alapaha Rivers and return to the campground. This was one of our shorter days which after the long day on Wednesday worked out well. I do not remember much of the day since Bill and I laid back a little and just enjoyed the trip. The Alapaha did manage to claim another two paddles though as Al Limburg and Jeff Kolka miscued while ascending and took a swim. Later that evening Bill and I participated in one of Tim Triebolds now famous beer runs. Basically you paddle a bit upstream and drift down. A good time was had by all who attended. At one point Tad Hill who was showing off his outrigger paddle, let Tim have a look and found himself floating downstream in a C-1 without a paddle. Tad could have used a little longer arms as he was barely able to reach the water with his paws.Friday March 10, 2006
5 hours 15 minutes
We shuttled the canoes about 8 miles the other side of the Florida/Georgia state line to the put in on the Withlacoochee River. This was suppose to be a three and a half hour paddle since we needed to get Barb Bradley back in time to catch her flight out of Jacksonville. Only one problem, these were Bruce hours. A Bruce hour is about 90 minutes or so long. We figured we were in for an adventure when we drove, and drove, and drove and crossed into Georgia, and drove some more. Bill Schmitz thought he knew where we were going, he said "yah, were starting at the little canoe guy up at the state line on the county map". Tim then informed him "Oh no, were starting at the next bridge up, that should be about 8 more miles". This trip I thought was the most scenic. Many limestone structures lined the river and and occasional rapid added excitement to the trip. The largest of the rapids left our boat with about 8 inches of water in it and would have Sara Webb and Marsh Rimer swimming. We continued down this river to Blue Spring where we ate lunch and some chose to swim. It was from here that I picked up Jim Harwood as my steersman. Once on the river we started paddling hard in an effort to catch the group that left earlier. Although they were out of sight and about a half mile down the river we were able to slowly reel them in. I now know why Jimmy is such a good marathon paddler. He has two effort levels, hard and harder. That night back at the campground I heard a rustling alongside my tent. I smacked the side of the tent and hit something tossing it back onto the leaves. It then scurried off. Figured it might have been a raccoon.Saturday March 11, 2006
50 minutes
This morning Bill, who gets up long before the sun, on his way to the rest rooms, heard a sound in the leaves next to where he was walking. He had a flashlight with him hand shined it in the direction on the noise. The culprit was a armadillo. Maybe that raccoon I smacked that night was a armadillo. Today we paddled upstream a bit and than did 10, one and a half minute on one minute off intervals. This short workout allowed us to get packed up and on the road at a reasonable time. I would end up pulling into my driveway after a little over 15 hours of driving a little after midnight.
Huron River Reports - Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday February 25, 2006
36 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.7 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 53 minutesPlenty of wind today. Doug Heady and Bill Schmitz paddled C-1's while Mike Garon and I paddled C-2. The C-2 was a lot easier to handle in the wind than the C-1's. Bill and Doug would often get blown sideways while the C-2, with its extra weight, was stuck to the river. Between me fighting a cold, and Mike having to get home we chose to paddle a little shorter and turned at Macabe Road. On the way back, Mike got to experience Valko Cut for the first time. We entered the cut even with Bill Schmitz and were able to exit still even with him.
Dan and Al in Valko Cut
Dan K and Al Jr. going through Valko Cut.
Sunday February 26, 2006
23 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.6 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 42 minutesBill Dubois and I paddled C-2 today while Bill Schmitz brought his C-1. Bill D had spent yesterday down at Bowling Green University watching Jake in the MAC conference indoor track meet. Jake won the 800 with a time of 1:52 and was also a member of one of Eastern's winning relay teams. It seemed that my cold was not bothering me as much today and I was able to paddle a little harder. Bill Schmitz should be thanking us for giving him such a good workout. We would once again turn at Macabe Road since we all had odds and ends to get ready before heading off to Florida. There is starting to be a little more activity by the river. One mink, one muskrat, lots of ducks and schools of fish.
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Bills Duck
You never know what you'll find in Bill Dubois boat.
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The next two weekend most of us will be down in Florida. We will return to paddle at Island Lake Saturday March 18 and Sunday March 19.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer
Euphrates River Report - Tim Sheldon
Hello All,
Well training here so far on the Euphrates River has been great, although an up armor canoe is a must along with your forty two pound IBA, (Individual Body Armor) being the bank runners here are not as friendly as the ones back home! Just kidding, Phil Trudgeon and my nephew Josh just made it here in Kuwait, it is good to see them and to share stories. They will be heading home within thirty days, I'm so jealous, I will be home hopefully in time for Paradise. I hope the season goes well for all, I can't wait to get my butt back in some Kevlar that actually floats. I'll be keeping an eye on the web site to keep track of all the great competition, look forward to racing you all next year.
Tim Sheldon
timsheldon@yahoo.com
Grayling Training Report - Brad Gross
SUNDAY FEB 19TH 11AM
TEMP 14 STRONG WIND
WATER WAS UP A BIT
PADDLING TIME 2HR 6MINCOLD BUT SUNNY, RIVER WAS BEAUTIFUL WITH ALL THE ICE AND FRESH SNOW.
JUST JON THOMPSON AND MYSELF TODAY IN C-1S. WE PLANNED TO GO FROM BURTONS TO I-75 BUT THAT WAS CUT SHORT AT CANOE CAMP WHERE THE RIVER WAS FROZE OVER. SO ALL WE COULD DO WAS A BUNCH OF LAPS, 10 OF THEM TO BE EXACT. THE RIVER WAS FROZE OUT FROM BOTH BANKS ABOUT 10 0R 15 FEET MAKING THE RIVER ONLY ABOUT 25FT WIDE. WITH THE RIVER BEING THAT NARROW THE WAVES COMING OFF THE BOATS ARE INCREASED SO THAT KEPT US ON OUR TOES. AS TIME PASSED THE BOATS KEPT GETTING HEAVIER AND HEAVIER FROM ICE BUILD UP AND BY THE END OF THE DAY WE WERE BOTH PRETTY TIPPY FROM THE WEIGHT. ALL AND ALL ANOTHER GOOD DAY OF PADDLING.
Huron River Reports - Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday February 18, 2006
8 degrees
Kensington Gage 3.5 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 32 minutesIt was cold but windy to start the day, but by the time we were done the temperature had shot up to 11 degrees. This is one of those days I call a paddle clanker because of the ice that builds up on your gloves and bangs against the paddle. Six people showed up today, Tad Hill and Bill Schmitz in C-1's and Mike Garon and Al Widing Jr. , and Bill Dubois and myself in C-2's. The high warm water kept the river open as far as Dead Deer, where we turned, and even there it still was not running ice so we could have gone even farther if we were stupider. Al had just returned from paddling seven days in Arizona with his dad. He said, "every day it was 85 degrees and we would paddle three, four hours" Welcome home Al.
Sunday February 19, 2006
17 degrees
Kensington Gage 3.5 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 27 minutesToday had Al Widing Jr. in his C-1, chasing the C-2's of Bill Schmitz and Tad Hill, and Bill Dubois and myself. We made it all the way to Dead Deer Cut but were unable to round Dead Deer Island due to ice. This was still a good run considering what the temperatures were the night before. There are lots of ducks on the river, hundreds of them are now hanging out below the dam. With only one more weekend in February, it won't be long before they can head north which I'm sure they are looking forward to, and so are we.
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Al jr Pic
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Only one more weekend before many of us will be heading down to Florida. Our plan while down there is to write up the day to day activities and publish them in the (Suwannee River) Huron River Report when we get back. Right now we have five, for sures, going down from our group, Bill Schmitz, Tad Hill, Al Widing Jr., Bill Dubois and myself. Last I heard they are expecting thirty to forty paddlers this year.***************
Next Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 at Island Lake. This is the routine every weekend until ice out on the lakes. Bring a beater paddle for the first 200 meters below the Dam.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer
AuSable River Training Report - Jon Thompson
Sunday, Feb. 12, 12 noon.
Temperature 29
Water depth 3.06 feet (at Parmalee)Snow falling the whole trip. Brad Gross, bow, with Sean Casey and Jason Hall, bow, with Josh Taylor, went from Burton's upstream to the mud flats before turning around. Total paddling time: 1 hour 15 minutes.
Saturday, Feb. 13, 10:30 a.m.
Temperature 19
Water depth 3.07 feet (at Parmalee)Sunshine helped warm us during the trip. Brad Gross, bow, with Tom Trudgeon and Jon Thompson, bow, with Josh Taylor, went from Penrod's in Grayling to Wakeley Landing. Brad and Tom switched spots at Burton's. Josh saw the bald eagle first about 15 minutes downstream of Stephan's Bridge. Total paddling time: 2 hour and 10 minutes.
Ice and wind conditions can change our start times. Please call Brad Gross 344-7683 or Jon Thompson 348-9359 if you're interested in going.
Huron River Reports - Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday February 11, 2006
30 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.6 feet
Paddling Time: 3 hours 16 minutesSome of our regular paddlers are out of town this weekend leaving only Bill Schmitz and his C-1 and Bill Dubois and myself in the C-2. Bill Schmitz would chase the C-2 to about 10 minutes shy of US23 before turning around. Bill and I would continue to US23. The next time we would see Bill Schmitz would be at the take out. Now that the lakes are freezing back over, the ducks have returned to the river. We saw lots of mallards today. There was also a insect hatch with many of them on the surface of the water even though it was snowing most of the day. All in all, it was not a bad day to paddle, at lease it was better than staying home and watching olympic figure skating on TV.
Sunday February 12, 2006
29 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.55 feet
Paddling Time: 3 hoursMike Garon and Bill Dubois brought their C-2 today and were chased by Nick Walton, Bill Schmitz and myself in our C-1's. We spent most of the day either paddling hard or cutting on blow downs. Nick would only go as far as Placeway before heading for home. He was finding the river quite challenging in his new C-1, able to keep good speed on the straights but fighting to make the turns. A little warmer water and a little more lean in the boat should solve that problem. Last weekend was not a good weekend for trees, a number of them toppled over due to the weight of the snow and ice. We cleared all the obstructions as far as Dead Deer and since we paddled down to US23 the day before, knew that there were no other problems downstream of there. The Sierra Club's annual winter paddle was today, which put an additional twenty or so boats on the river. They had picked a nice sunny day for their paddle and cookout. I once again took Valko Cut on the way upstream, and this time only lost about a boat length on the C-2. It keeps getting faster every time through. I finally finished putting together an Extreme paddle, used it all day and am quite pleased with the feel and hope it proves durable.
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Group Picture
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Next Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 at Island Lake. This is the routine every weekend until ice out on the lakes. Bring a beater paddle for the first 200 meters below the Dam.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer
Grayling Training Report - Brad Gross
saturday feb 4th 10 am
temp 34 steady snow, perfect!!
3hr 15min3 c-2 today, tom trudgeon and jon thompson, jerry killingbeck and joe kimsel and mitch mcmillan and myself. peat mead joined us in a c-1
well, the tree by the east branch was finally cut making it passable, still not good although jerry thought there was enough room to pass there.
great day to paddle. Water was about normal until the southbranch and then it was up a bit. jerry was all fired up today, wanted to go hard from the start so the pace was pretty good for january. we all practiced riding some, did some sprints in the shallows passing each other for awhile. pete got a head start on us and wanted to see how long he could fend us off, we caught him at the pull over. i know this because i seen him running across it!! that gave him enough to stay ahead until just before stephans. stopped at stephans for some warm clothes for pete. mitch and i wanted to see how fast we could go from stephans to wakeley again, today we did it in 15 min!! didnt start the watch until tim harts house. man we keep getting faster and faster!! next week will wait until about 12 min to go before we start it, im sure by spring will have it down to 10 min.(just have to figure out where to start the watch) mitch changed shoes at wakeley and at townline i gave pete some relief from the c-1. another good day on the river.
sunday feb 5th
temp 20
40 mile an hour winds, perfect!!
about an hour (its all we could take)
what a crap day!! it was all but cancelled if it weren't for jason hall. we planned on another 5 people going but they obviously have some sense. jason just got a new boat and wanted to paddle it and i drew the short straw. we got in at burtons and headed up, would paddle forward some and the wind would blow us back. made it to rayburns and decided that was enough so we headed back. considering the weather it wasnt that bad.next week we will be paddling both days, give jon or myself a call if you want to join us.
brad 989-846-0336
jon 989-348-9359
Huron River Reports - Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday February 4, 2006
35 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.8 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 44 minutesIt was warm out but a nice steady rain would help keep us from overheating today. Bill Schmitz, Tad Hill and Tim Feldkamp paddled C-1's while Bill Dubois and Mike Garon, and Al Widing Jr. and myself paddled C-2. Since Bill Dubois and I arrived a little early we decided that we would see how far up Kent Lake we could get before 12 o'clock. We were able to get almost to the I-96 bridge before running into ice. By the time we got back to the parking lot most of the other paddlers had arrived and Tad was just pulling in. Al and I decided to head out with a saw and meet the others when they got to the first blow down. This worked out well as we were just finishing up when the group arrived. We would eventually make the turn for home after passing through Dead Deer Cut. By the time we were about half way back most of us thought it might have been a good idea to turn a little sooner because by then we were really soaked and starting to get cold.
Sunday February 5, 2006
29 degrees
Kensington Gage 3.0 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 34 minutesWind and snow to start the day. Only one paddler showed up for the start, me, but I did not mind since I was in the mood to paddle by myself anyway. I would meet Tad Hill just upstream from River Bend and from there we paddled down to Dead Deer. On the way back after leaving Placeway Swamp we met up with Bill schmitz and Al Widing Jr. who had paddled up in Fenton earlier in the day to check out a potential race course. On the way back I lead Bill Schmitz through Valko Cut while Tad and Al kept to the river. It would take us until Kensington Road before we were able to catch back up. Even though this was the first winter like day in awhile, it really did not feel all that bad. I will be happy if all of February is like today. Well not quite all like today, this morning I received news that my nephew was killed in Iraq when his tank ran over a land mine.
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Next Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 at Island Lake. This is the routine every weekend until ice out on the lakes. Bring a beater paddle for the first 200 meters below the Dam.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer
AuSable River Training Report - Jon Thompson
Sunday, Jan. 30, 8:30 a.m.
Temperature 37
Water depth 3.30 feet (at Parmalee)Steady rain the whole trip. The river was up quite a bit from yesterday. Two C-2s went today, Mitch McMillan, bow, with Todd VanDeVen, and Jon Thompson, bow, with Brad Gross. Brad and Jon won the downstream time-trial from Townline to Connor's Flats in 25:06, and Todd and Mitch won the upstream time-trial in 38:16. We switched canoes and went back down and up for a short distance. Total paddling time: 1 hour 15 minutes.
Todd VanDeVen showed he has his paddling priorities straight. On the way to Townline, his truck slid on ice and got stuck in the snow. He called Mitch to pick him up, and they both paddled before shoveling the truck out of the ditch.
Saturday, Jan. 29, 10 a.m.
Temperature 31
Water depth 2.97 feet (at Parmalee)Sunshine quickly increased temperature to 38 by the end of the trip. One C-2 went today, Jon Thompson, bow, with Todd VanDeVen. We went downstream from Townline to Connor's Flats and back. Total paddling time: 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Weather conditions can change our start times. Please call Brad Gross 344-7683 or Jon Thompson 348-9359 if you're interested in going.
Huron River Reports - Dan Klinkhamer
Note: Huron River Winter Training - The winter training paddles meet at the Kent Lake Beach parking lot at Island Lake Recreation Area. Exit I-96 at Kensington Road. Go south on Kensington Road for about a quarter mile. Turn left after crossing the river into Island Lake Recreation Area. After going through the guard shack, keep going straight (do not turn right). The paddlers park in the Kent Lake Beach parking lot at the far left side and put in below the dam. Meet at 12:00 on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday January 28, 2006
46 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.6 feet
Paddling Time: 3 hours 32 minutesIt don't get any better than today. I was able to paddle most of the day in a T-shirt, and it's January. We had four C-2's make the workout today, Mike Garon and Bill Dubois, Ray and Tom Trudgeon, Martin Spees and Jim, and Al Widing Jr. and myself. Also along for the ride was Bill Schmitz in his C-1. As the water drops, a couple of new trees that toppled over are now starting to get in the way. Although there still are no portages we will have to nibble away at them a little as the water drops. Our second snorkel of the year went to Martin and Jim as they negotiated the log field above Placeway Swamp. They turned there to head for home before cold set in. The remainder of the group would continue down to US23 before turning for home. While going through Placeway Swamp, Al and I we taking off a layer of clothes when Al got this brilliant idea. Bill could get of picture of us paddling shirtless for Al to show his dad next month what it is like staying, and paddling, in Michigan in winter. The sun was out so strong at the time that Al continued shirtless for the next ten minutes until it went behind a cloud. On the way back, Bill double dog dared Al and I go through Valko Cut so he could get a picture, we had no choice. While beating our way through I somehow got a cattail rapped around my paddle and it exploded covering the whole front of the boat in fuzzies. Shortly afterwards Mike and Bill attacked us and as we attempted to counter Al started hacking from the fuzzies he was sucking in. Think Mike and Bill would have mercy on us, ya right.
Sunday January 29, 2006
47 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.7 feet
Paddling Time: 3 hours 24 minutesLots of rain overnight and into the morning. By the time we started our workout the rain had stopped but would return occasionally during the next few hours. Al Widing Jr. and myself paddled the C-2 and were escorted by the C-1's of Bill Schmitz, Bruce Barton and Bill Dubois. The day consisted of hard sections with time to regroup about every 15 minutes. We would end up going all the way to US23 before turning which surprised all of us since the weather report was bad for the day and we figured we would only get in a couple of hours. The Bills were feeling Saturdays workout, by the end of the day Bill Dubois developed sever abdominal cramping. With about 30 minutes left before getting back to the parking lot we chose to put him in the back of the C-2 while Al jumped in the C-1. This worked out well and we were able to hold a fairly respectable pace the rest of the way. I always joke that I owe Bill because he paddled me in from Foote Dam one year when I was cramping up.
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I know you are all interested to know how my underwater carp picture turned out. The following picture was taken from the front seat of the C-2 by sticking my hand underwater and pointing the camera in the general direction of the fish. I was surprised to see that the fish actually was in the picture.Carp Picture
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The long range weather forecast remains favorable for keeping the river free of ice. Be prepared to go long (usually US23 this time of year) if it is halfway nice out. Al and I will be paddling C-2 next Saturday and Sunday, and Bill and Mike will also have the C-2 out on Saturday.
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Looks like Holly may be added to the MCRA race schedule. The organizers are ready to go. The race course still needs to be defined but looks like it will start in Holly and end in Fenton. They are meeting this Monday to try to work out the details. The date they are shooting for would be the same Saturday as the old Holly race. (The weekend before Memorial Day)
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Next Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 at Island Lake. This is the routine every weekend until ice out on the lakes. Bring a beater paddle for the first 200 meters below the Dam.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer
GRAYLING TRAINING REPORT - BRAD GROSS
SUNDAY 22ND 1:30PM
35 DEGREES AND BRIGHT SUN, PERFECT!
PADDLING TIME 2 HOURS 28 MINUTSMITCH AND I MET AT PENRODS AND WERE GOING TO TOWNLINE. JON WAS SUPPOSED TO GO WITH US BUT HAD A BASKETBALL GAME HE COULD NOT MISS SO HE WENT EARLIER. JUMPED IN AND GOT TO THE DOWNED TREES JUST BEFORE THE EAST BRANCH AND BECAUSE OF ALL THE SNOW THE TREE WAS TOO LOW FOR THE BOAT AND PADDLER TO GO UNDER. THERE IS NO GOOD PLACE TO GET OUT SO WE SENT THE BOAT UNDER AND WE CLIMBED OVER. (THAT WAS INTRESTING) A COUPLE BENDS DOWN WE CAME TO A TREE THAT THE DAY BEFORE MITCH SEEN SOME FISHING LINE HANGING OFF IT AND INTO THE WATER THAT HE WANTED TO TAKE DOWN. SO HE PULLS OVER, GRABS THE LINE AND STARTS PULLING. TURNS OUT THERE WAS A 14 INCH TROUT ON THE END OF IT. IF MITCH HAD ANY SKILLS HE WOULD HAVE LANDED IT BUT HE GOT OFF AT THE LAST SECOND. DOWN BY MOOSE CUT WE CAME ACROSS A BIG MUSKRAT WE HAVE BEEN SEEING OFTEN SO WE DECIDED TO NAME HIM MOOSE. HE SEEMS TO BE USED TO US BECAUSE WE PADDLED WITHIN 2 OR 3 FEET BEFORE HE TOOK OFF. JUST ABOVE BURTONS WE CAME ACROSS TED KOLKA, HIS BOY ADAM, (I THINK THATS HIS NAME) AND A THIRD GUY WE DIDNT KNOW ALL IN C-1S HEADING UP STREAM. BETWEEN BURTON AND STEPHANS WE CAME ACROSS 2 OR 3 FISHERMEN THAT WERE SURPRISED TO SEE US. WE DECIDED TO SEE HOW FAST WE COULD GO FROM STEPHANS TO WAKELEYS SO WE HIT IT PRETTY HARD. WE COVERED IT IN 24 MINUTES!!!! (DIDN'T START THE WATCH UNTIL SPIT ACCESS) DOES THAT STILL COUNT? ANYWAY ANOTHER GOOD DAY ON THE RIVER.
NEXT SATURDAY WE ARE MEETING AT HEADQUARTERS AT 10AM IF ANYBODY WANTS TO JOIN US.
YOU CAN CALL JON THOMPSON (348-9359) OR MYSELF FOR MORE INFO (989-846-0336)SATURDAY 21ST 10AM
27 DEGREES
PADDLING TIME 2 HOURS 16 MINUTES
WRITTEN BY BRAD GROSS (REMEMBER THIS IS A TRAINING REPORT NOT A GRAMMAR LESSON)BEAUTIFUL DAY, 8 FRESH INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, BRAND NEW SNOWMOBILE IN THE GARAGE AND WE GO PADDLING?? I MUST BE CRAZY!!
3 C-2S TODAY, ELLEN THOMPSON AND CHERYL LUCY, MITCH MICMILLEN AND JOSH TAYLOR AND JON THOMPSON AND MYSELF.
WE PUT IN AT BURTONS AT 10AM AND PLANNED ON PADDLING TO THE EAST BRANCH. WATER WAS ABOUT NORMAL. JOSH AND MITCH PUT IN FIRST FOLLOWED BY JON AND I WITH ELLEN AND CHERYL IN HOT PURSUIT, JON AND I WENT BACK AND FORTH WITH MITCH AND JOSH FOR A WHILE UNTIL JUST BEFORE I-75 WHERE JOSH WANTED TO TAKE SOME PICS. (THOSE ARE TO FOLLOW) AFTER 10 MINUTES OF TRYING TO GET THE CAMERA TO WORK WE FINALLY GOT THE PICS SO WE CONTINUED ON. BEFORE WE MADE IT TO I-75 I BROKE 2 PADDLES, OUCH!! JON LET ME USE ELLENS NEW LAVASSEUR SO THE REST OF THE DAY I WAS PRETTY CAREFUL. WE TURNED NOT FAR PAST I-75 (SHALLOW WATER, LOTS OF ROCKS AND ELLENS NEW PADDLE... I WAS NOT GOING TO PUSH MY LUCK) WENT DOWN TO RAYBURNS WHERE WE SWITCHED AROUND SOME. MITCH AND I SWITCHED BOATS (MITCH WASNT PULLING HIS WEIGHT AND JOSH KICKED HIM OUT, HA HA) AND FINISHED ABOUT 12:15. A GREAT DAY OF PADDLING.
2005/2006 Huron River Report #8 - by Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday January 21, 2006
32 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.95 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 59 minutesEveryone expected a bad day but the snow ended early and the predicted wind had already decreased. Bill Schmitz, Tad Hill and Joe Roman paddled C-1's while Al Widing Jr. and myself chose a C-2. The water was up a little more opening up some of the old cut off routes. While going downstream I took Al through Valko Cut. Each time through we are able to go a little quicker since more of the cattails get cleared out. Today though, we lost a lot of time because the C-1's took a short cut across what is usually land avoiding the Huron River Access turn completely. We would see two other rec boats on the way down to our turn at Macabe Road. One was a couple of old guys in a Coleman Canoe who looked like they would have been better off waiting until the water was warmer and the other was a couple of small game hunters floating the river looking for squirrels in the trees. A couple of new trees fell in the last couple of days. So far they pose no problems but we may have to do a little cutting when the water drops.
Sunday January 22, 2006
33 degrees
Kensington Gage 3.0 feet
Paddling Time: 3 hours 9 minutesAnother nice day on the river. Three C-2's made the trip down to US23, the teams were Bill Schmitz and Tad Hill, Mike Garon and Bill Dubois, and Al Widing and myself. Also leaving the parking lot with us was a fellow from Germany who paddles a high performance kayak. He was fast enough that we did not have to wait around too long for him to catch up. He had enough by the time we reached Placeway and turned for home. We were able to keep a fairly fast pace with all three C-2's closely matched. Even with the slow start our overall time was good for the US23 distance. We were not alone on the river and would see a few groups of kayaks and one other canoe.
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Many people have asked me "what do you do when you tip over?" and I tell them the story about how we all carry a dry bag with a change of clothes in it and once out of the water, we change into the dry clothes. "Ah come on now, your pullin my leg", they say. "You strip down outside in the winter, in the snow, give me a break." Well I've attached proof that what I say is true, following is a picture of a C-1 paddler caught in the act.SpongeBob
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Ring up Bill Schmitz if you are interested in acquiring a Power Surge Extreme Paddle (whitewater layup)
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The long range weather forecast remains favorable for keeping the river free of ice. Be prepared to go long (usually US23 this time of year) if it is halfway nice out. Al and I will be paddling C-2 next Saturday and Sunday, and Bill and Mike will have the C-2 out on Sunday. Sunday will be the C-2 preferred day next week.
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The 2006 Quiet Water Symposium is scheduled for March 4 at the MSU Agriculture Pavilion in East Lansing. If you do any touring this is a good event to gather information for future trips. Want to know more, visit website www.quietwatersymposium.org .
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Next Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 at Island Lake. This is the routine every weekend until ice out on the lakes. Bring a beater paddle for the first 200 meters below the Dam.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer
2005/2006 Huron River Report #7 - by Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday January 14, 2006
26 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.5 feet
Paddling Time: 3 hours 3 minutesA little cool today with a lot of wind. Bill Schmitz and Joe Roman in C-1's would start up at the dam along with Al Widing Jr. and myself paddling a C-2. At River Bend we picked up Bill Dubois who had paddled up from US23. He wanted to get back a little early so he could attend a indoor track meet at Eastern where Jacob would be competing in the mile for the first time this year. At Dead Deer Joe turned for home, the rest of us continued on down to Macabe Road were Bill Schmitz and the C-2 turned to head back leaving Bill Dubois to paddle on back to his car. While passing back through Dead Deer we met up with Tad Hill who had put in at River Bend. The three boats would catch Joe at about the canoe camps and we would paddle together as far as Kensington Swamp where Tad turned to go back to River Bend. By now the sun was out and if it wasn't for the wind it would have been warm. Also on the river we would see two rec kayaks and a couple of fishermen.
Sunday January 15, 2006
26 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.55 feet
Paddling Time: 3 hours 23 minutesIt must have been over 40 degrees somewhere because we paddled down to US23 and I said we would if it was over 40. The ice cycles on the boat said that it never got above freezing. There was two C-1's today, Bill Schmitz and Doug Heady, and three C-2's, Mike Garon and Bill Dubois, Mitch McMillian and Brad Gross, and Al Widing Jr. and myself. Later, down the river a piece, we would pick up Tad Hill who put in at River Bend. Today we were able to maintain a fairly fast pace for this time of year. The C-1's must have thought they were in a washing machine, having to fight the wakes of the C-2's all day. On the way back from US23, just below Placeway, Mitch and Brad got caught up in some waves and tipped earning the first snorkel points of the season. With only a little over an hour to go before getting back to the cars, they decided to forgo changing cloths and jumped back in the boat, paddling hard in order to build up some heat. Overall, it wasn't a bad day....for the middle of January.
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The long range weather forecast remains favorable for keeping the river free of ice. Be prepared to go long (usually US23 this time of year) if it is halfway nice out. Al and I will be paddling C-2 next Saturday and Sunday, and Bill and Mike will have the C-2 out on Sunday. Sunday will be the C-2 preferred day next week.
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The 2006 Quiet Water Symposium is scheduled for March 4 at the MSU Agriculture Pavilion in East Lansing. If you do any touring this is a good event to gather information for future trips. Want to know more, visit website www.quietwatersymposium.org .
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Next Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 at Island Lake. This is the routine every weekend until ice out on the lakes. Bring a beater paddle for the first 200 meters below the Dam.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer2005/2006 Huron River Report #6 - by Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday January 7, 2006
29 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.5 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 50 minutesRaining and gray skies, I must still be in Michigan. Al Widing Jr., Bill Schmitz and myself headed down to Dead Deer in our C-1's. On the way down I decided to take the old short cut through Valko Cut. This cut shortens the corner just above the Huron River Access Site. It got its name when Tim and Jacob took a chance and put a move on Bill Dubois and myself by going through the cut. When you can sneak through the weeds it is worth about two boat lengths. Over the summer the cattails have grown up in the channel, but it looked like there was only maybe 50 feet I'd have to bash through. Once I got in there I found the cattails to be real thick and more like 200 feet of bashing. Even then I missed the place I needed to come out at on the other end. Once I got back on the river, Bill and Al thought I looked like a duck blind with all the junk in the boat. Shortly before Dead Deer Tad Hill, who had put in at River Bend, joined us. On the way back we paddled close to the shore where the carp hang out. They're back. Hundreds of them. Mike Garon will be interested in this since he, last summer, found a new carp getter device. Hmmm sounds like a potential snorkel in the making.
Sunday January 8, 2006
33 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.35 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 53 minutesFinally a no kidding nice day. It started out at 33 degrees and we ended at 39. Can't complain about that in January. Bill Schmitz and Tad Hill paddled C-1's while Mike Garon and Bill Dubois, and Al Widing and myself chose C-2's. This weekend we had a little more water in the river which took away most of the sections we like to put the boats up on plane. Today we would make the turn at Macabe Road which is a little farther down than Dead Deer. Speaking of Dead Deer, the deer is back again. It will need to float downstream about a hundred yards before it gets in the cut but since they all seem to end up there I'm sure we will be seeing it in a couple of weeks. On the way back upstream I took some pictures of the carp with a underwater camera that Bill S had given me. I doubt they will turn out since I was unwilling to stick my head underwater to see through the view finder.
You just never know who will show up for the weekend workouts.
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With the long range weather predictions having no cold temps in store we decided that if it is above 40 degrees next weekend we will do some LSD (Long Slow Distance). This means, if you come and plan to do the whole workout figure on paddling to US23 and back (3.5+ hours).
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The 2006 Quiet Water Symposium is scheduled for March 4 at the MSU Agriculture Pavilion in East Lansing. If you do any touring this is a good event to gather information for future trips. Want to know more, visit website www.quietwatersymposium.org .
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Next Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 at Island Lake. This is the routine every weekend until ice out on the lakes. Bring a beater paddle for the first 200 meters below the Dam.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer2005/2006 Huron River Report #5 - by Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday December 31, 2005
33 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.1 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 36 minutesWet snow all day. Bill Dubois and Al Widing Jr. paddled C-2 while Bill Schmitz and myself chose C-1's. A few of us were not feeling all that perky today since we had paddled on Wednesday and Friday but after a while things got moving anyway. The water depth is nice now and should hold for tomorrow's New Years Day paddle. At 2.1 feet the river is easy to ascend with plenty of water up close to the banks. We would paddle down and through Dead Deer while Bill Schmitz, who is recovering from a back injury, turned back after passing through the cut. This gave him about a three minute head start on the way back and he would hold us off until just before entering the woods above Placeway. It was four soggy paddlers by the time we finished. This was the second time this week we got soaked. On Wednesday Doug Heady, Tim Feldkamp, Al Widing Jr. and myself got caught in a thunderstorm and had to paddle about an hour in driving rain.
Sunday January 1, 2006
34 degrees
Kensington Gage 2.1 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 44 minutesNew Years Day, cloudy but warm. Paddling C-1's today was Tim Feldkamp, Doug Heady and Bill Schmitz, C-2 paddlers were Mike Garon and Bill Dubois, and Al Widing Jr. and myself. Al and I left the put in last so we cranked it up a bit to catch up. Since the boat was up and going we just kind of held it there for awhile making it down to Kensington Road in under 9 minutes, the fastest this winter. Still, we are a long ways away from the times we will be turning in the spring when we get a few C-2 together. There is a group of kayakers who typically paddle on New Years Day out of Island Lake. They had unloaded their boats and were busy moving cars down to Placeway when we left. We would see them on the water on our way back. We would also run into a couple of other kayaks down by Dead Deer. This is the most traffic on the river this year. Everyone paddled the entire Dead Deer Loop which provided some good hours for the first entry in the 2006 log book. Hopefully this year will not be like last where after a nice January 1st, we would paddle the remainder of the winter in extremely cold temperatures.
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Most of us plan to be in C-1's next Saturday. There will be at least two C-2's out next Sunday.
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Next Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 at Island Lake. This is the routine every weekend until ice out on the lakes. Bring a beater paddle for the first 200 meters below the Dam.Take Care,
Dan KlinkhamerHuron River Report #4 - by Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday December 24, 2005
40 degrees
Kensington Gage 1.7 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 50 minutesThe best day yet on the river. Warm with light winds. Bill Schmitz and Bill Dubois brought their C-1's while I paddled C-2 with Al Widing Jr. The water level had dropped another inch since last week which made things quite interesting. There are now plenty of opportunities to get a boat up on plane, or plenty of opportunities to wallow through the shallows if you don't have enough poop in your arms. This was one of those days that paddling my fat old Bullet proved to be the right choice because that boat tends to jump right up without too much effort. We paddled down, and around Dead Deer Cut today. Al and I lead the way through the cut but only made it about half way through before running hard aground. Al had rubber boots on so he pushed the boat through the cut while I followed along on the bank. (Note to self, Dead Deer Cut can not be paddled when gage reads 1.7 feet) Not much activity on the river today, but seeing it was Christmas Eve I was not surprised. We would see no other boats and only one fisherman.
Monday December 26, 2005
32 degrees
Kensington Gage 1.9 feet
Paddling Time: 2 hours 38 minutesA gray day, but at least it was warm out. Bill Schmitz and Tim Feldkamp brought their C-1's while Bill Dubois and Mike Garon, and Al Widing Jr. and myself chose C-2's. We paddled down to Dead Deer and wondered, with the two additional inches of water, if we would be able to get through. Today we had no problem and figure about 1.85 inches on the gage is the minimum level for making it through. Tim Feldkamp turned for home at Placeway while Bill Schmitz figured he had seen enough of the C-2's about half way between Placeway and Dead Deer and turned to see if he could chase down Tim, leaving only the two C-2 to go around Dead Deer Island. On the way back we ran into Tom Mills at Placeway. He was paddling his Savage River touring C-1 and really did not feel like heading back with us so continued on down stream a ways. Meanwhile Bill Schmitz had pretty well given up on catching Tim when he came to Kensington Marsh. There, looking across a large oxbow was Tim. Now with renewed motivation he slowly reeled Tim in and finally made contact shortly before reaching the dam. Both C-1's were already strapped on the top of the cars when the C-2's arrived.
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Thinking of coming out to paddle? We are now encouraging C-2 on Saturday, but bring the C-1 if you can not hook up with someone.
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This Wednesday and Friday, if you are one of the lucky ones to have the day off, swing on by Island Lake at 12:00.
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Mark your calendars, Sunday January 1, 2006, this has become our most highly attended winter paddling day. Start the year out right and make it on over to Island Lake. Even if you have had a rough night New Years Eve, 12:00 is not that early.
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Next Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 at Island Lake. This is the routine every weekend until ice out on the lakes. Bring a beater paddle for the first 200 meters below the Dam.Take Care,
Dan Klinkhamer
Huron River Report #3 - by Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday December 17, 2005; 22 degrees; Kensington Gage 1.85 feet; Paddling Time: 1 hour 53 minutesAnother cold day on the river. Three C-2 teams made the workout today. Bill Dubois and Mike Garon, Bill Schmitz and Al Widing Jr., Tad Hill and myself. Today was a short paddle, we all turned just after entering Placeway Swamp. Al Jr. and I I had Christmas family gatherings to attend and we were pushing it a little to get the time on the water. The three C-2 teams seemed fairly well matched through most of the day. On the way back Bill Schmitz started experiencing back pains which slowed their progress a bit. Hope he can recover in time for tomorrow's C-1 paddle. The ducks know hunting season is over, there were herds of them on them on the river. Also saw a couple of swans as we rounded a corner in the Kensington marsh area. They both took off, but one of them failed to get enough altitude to clear the river bank, plowing into a two foot snow drift. Then, with flying now out of the quiestion, it ran across the land to where the river curved back around. Now it had a runway to try again, this time it successfully flew off.
Sunday, December 18, 2005; 20 Degrees; Kensington Gage 1.8 feet; Paddling Time: 2 hours 43 minutes
Cold but windy, and winter does not start until Wednesday. Five C-1 paddled today, Bill Schmitz, Bill Dubois, Tad Hill, Al Widing Jr., and myself. We ran the usual unstructured workout where whenever someone gets perky and takes off, whoever feels like it tries to chase him down. This makes for a near continuous interval workout. We made it all the way down to the start of Dead Deer Cut, which was froze over, before turning and heading home. Two other rec kayakers were also on the river. Today we had three near snorkels. Tad, Bill S., and myself each hooked paddles but managed to make saves.
Next Saturday, 12:00 at Island Lake. Next Sunday is Christmas, so even though you want to come and paddle, I'm not going to be the one to give you the excuse, so stay home with the family .... but, Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) on Monday we will meet at 12:00 at Island Lake and burn off some of those Chrismas cookies.
Thinking of coming out to paddle? We are now encouraging C-2 on Saturday, but bring the C-1 if you cannot hook up with someone.
Huron River Report #2 - by Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday December 10, 2005; 19 degrees; Kensington Gage 2.1 feet; Paddling Time: 2 hours 46 minutesIt was cold but windy. Al Widing Jr., Bill DuBois and myself paddled C-1 today. For some reason it did not seem as cold as last week, I guess we are starting to get used to it. We paddled all the way to Dead Deer, but was stopped by ice there. Both Dead Deer Cut and the main river was froze solid. On the way back Bill stopped to pick up a decoy which was lodged in the ice. He says he'll put it by the chicken coop to keep them company. While paddling upstream, Bill says to me "I smell a cigarette", sure enough, when we rounded the corner, there was a duck hunter puffin' away. We did not see any other boats on the river today. I wonder why?
Sunday, December 11, 2005; 30 Degrees; Kensington Gage 1.95 feet; Paddling Time: 2 hours 44 minutes
Warm at last. What a difference 10 degrees makes. Lots of activity in the park today - duck hunters, fishermen, snowmobiles, mountain bikers, and canoeist. We had the C-2's of Bill Dubois and Mike Garon, and Al Widing Jr. and myself. We paddled at a fairly good clip on the way down to Dead Deer, only taking a short break while Mike and Bill retrieved Bill's paddle which he had thrown away. Dead Deer Cut had opened up overnight, and so had the main river, so we were able to make the loop through the cut. It is always nice to have something to go around at the turning point. On the way back we met up with Bill Schmitz who was a tad late getting started. Even though he complained about being sick, he still paddled strong, especially since he had the C-2 waves to contend with. As we passed through Kensington Road Swamp we came across three kayaks. They are people we kinda know, who we see quite often in the winter. After a quick "howdy do" we hammered the shallows on a large sweeping right hand turn. We would have slowed to chat awhile but you how it is when a shallow section is only 100 feet in front of you.
Huron River Report #1 - by Dan Klinkhamer
Saturday December 3, 2005; 23 Degrees; Kensington Gage 2.4 feet; Paddling Time: 2 hours 48 mintesIf it was not sunny out today, it would have felt really cold. At least that is what I said in the Huron River Report from last February, that I used as a template to start this year's edition. I didn not even have to change the temperature, only one problem, it wasn't sunny today. Hey come on now, it's supposed to be 40 degrees outside this time of year. Bill DuBois, Al Widing Jr., and myself were the only paddlers out today. It is always interesting the first time down the river seeing where the new obstacles are. A few trees moved around, but overall the river is in good shape. I was feeling a bit fat today, but since Little Al and Bill did not leave me in the dust, I guess they may be a tad out of shape too. It did feel good to get in a few hours. We would eventually get all the way to Dead Deer Cut before turning and heading for home. The only other people we would see on the river today was two duck hunters.
It is quite a sight up at the parking lot at Island Lake. They are in process of removing all the ash trees and in that area about 80% of the trees are being cut down. It is going to look a lot different when they are finished.
Sunday, December 4, 2005; 25 Degrees; Kensington Gage 2.3 feet; Paddling Time: 2 hours 36 minutes
Sunny but cold for this time of year. Bill Dubois paddled C-1 while Al Widing Jr. and I chose a C-2. We would take the tour down to Dead Deer and back again picking up Tad Hill in his C-1 at River Bend Access (Tad's got a bit of a problem making the early start time). Just after picking up Tad, he made an attempt to take the lead in this year's snorkel competition, but managed to save it after his paddle got tangled up in a submerged log and sucked under the wing. Bill would get the best workout today since he would spend most of the time fighting the C-2 back wash. We passed one duck hunter while going through the swamp on the way down, turned the corner and chased up a herd of ducks. I'm sure he was happy to see us. We would also chase up about 30 more down by Placeway. The only other thing on the river was one muskrat.
