Thirteen paddlers combed the waters of the Pine River from Walker Bridge (we actually launched from the Miltners' home) to Elm Flats in search of any unnatural items. Our flotilla consisted of ten kayaks (Roseanne, Bill, Tracie, Karen, Marlene, Barb & Mike, Steve, Judy & Fred) and two canoes (Lois & John, Bob). The tandem canoe and the shuttle were graciously provided for free by the Pine River Paddlesports Center.
The river was surprisingly clean and we had to work hard to collect not much trash. There was one logjam filled with unopened Bud Light. Marlene managed to paddle away with a substantial share of the loot. Lois and John also dug a kayak paddle out of another logjam further downstream; the paddle got donated to the kind folks at PRPC. Those were the big finds of the day.
Lois also learned a good lesson: don't try to uncap a 2-Liter bottle of Coke unless you first hold it under water. Roseanne and Bill also learned to always print out the driving directions to the access before you leave home.
The weather was cool at the start, but it was a bright sunny day. This stretch of river is very beautiful, with just a couple of residences along its banks – a real joy to paddle! We lunched at the Lincoln Bridge access. And we were loaded up and on the road home by about 4 PM.
Written by Barb