It was a beautiful day on the Pine River, mostly sunny and warm. Lois & John were wise to postpone the trip. According to paddlers familiar with the Pine, it was deeper and faster than usual, and I noticed it was the color of strong iced tea. This was due to the rains we avoided by paddling today. We put in at Briar Patch which has no bathroom, but shuttled to the take out spot at Lincoln Bridge where there is a bathroom.
Paddlers in action today were Mary Lee Orr, Marlene and Marv Puska, Lois Goldstein, John Heiam, and Dawn Freels. All paddled kayaks, three Daggers, two Tampicos and a small Perception.
Because of the depth and darkness of the water many obstacles were hidden until I crunched over them. I’m sure the other more experienced paddlers were better able to read the river and avoid the stuff I ran into. There was one log that traversed the entire width of the river. John and I were able get over it with some effort. John, being our safety conscious guide, said we should wait until the others got over the log in case they got into trouble. Two ladies became hung up, but were then able to overcome the obstacle. That was our only drama, thank goodness. After the excitement we were rewarded by a view of about 17 common mergansers sitting on a log parallel to the bank as we paddled by.
Earlier we greeted one couple floating by in a tandem canoe as we stopped for lunch at a park launch site. The only other people we saw were at Silver Creek Campground. There was one family playing in the river with inflatable toys and just as we passed them, there was a wonderful looking rope swing hanging near the water’s edge. We also saw a busted canoe smashed against some rocks; guess they didn’t lean the right way.
I was able to learn some new techniques like ferrying and correct paddle placement from Lois and John which I appreciate very much. Thanks again you two. The river was wonderful and the company was even more wonderful. I really enjoyed getting to know the interesting people paddling with me. It was a great day on the river. Thanks to all!
Dawn Freels (Photo below)
