Sara, Babs, Greg, Paul, Brad, and I met at the Beitner put-in, and ran shuttle to the South YMCA, thanks to Shuttle King, Paul. With clear blue skies, temps near 70, and river conditions ideal, it was bound to be a great day on the river. Due to the recent rains, the Beitner USGS gauge was 288cfs, 4.93 ft.
For some in our group, it was a first-time run, and for others, it had been awhile, therefore, I ran lead, and Sara did a great job as sweep. Several downed trees required a bit of careful maneuvering to avoid, but everyone did very well by either following the lead or choosing their own line, and all came through unscathed. There was one capsize at the Lone Pine rapid, but that is always a tricky spot, and person, boat, blade, and gear were reunited downstream, with no injury or damage.
Further downstream, I had tried to communicate with a fisherman to determine when our group could paddle past him. This did not go according to plan at all, and the miscommunication caused quite a vocal retaliation from the fisherman (an understatement to be sure, sadly). Thankfully, the rest of the trip was uneventful.
We took a leisurely break at the Cass Road launch site, and once past the last set of rapids near the Conservation Center, we all relaxed and had a pleasant float down to the YMCA take out. Afterwards, some of the group met for dinner at Sparky's Diner.
Wildlife seen: muskrat, Mute Swan, a gaggle of geese with goslings in tow, Mallards, Kingfishers, and a huge Snapping Turtle!
Photos by Sara & Kathleen
Kathleen, Babs, & Greg
Sara and crew!
Paul, Sara, Brad, Babs, Greg
Sara, Paul, Greg, Babs, and Brad
Brad
Paul
Sara, Greg, and Babs
Brad & Paul
Kathleen, Paul, Babs & Greg
Greg, Babs, and Brad
No to be messed with!
Route Courtesy of Babs
