Manistee Hodenpyl to Red Bridge
Published on 5/8/2011
Karen, Steve, Diane, Fred, Judy, Linda and Tracie in kayaks and Dean and Bob in solo canoes gathered at Hodenpyl Dam for the trip down to Red Bridge. Although several people questioned Karen's choice of shorts and river sandals, with temperatures reaching into the 70's by the afternoon, this turned out to be the right choice! We enjoyed a lovely paddle with gorgeous weather - it seems that spring may have finally arrived in Northern Michigan! We saw several hikers as we paddled as well as some campsites. The DNR was out patrolling the river and requested to see everyone's PFD's. We all had them although Bob wondered what would happen if you didn't have one as well as whether the DNR officers carry weapons.
Near the end of the trip there was a fork in the river and due to the high water, it was not immediately obvious which way to go. The group opted for the right hand fork as Bob indicated he remembered going that way. Around the next bend we discovered that this was not the normal route however it was a very pretty detour. Everyone made it through the log jam at the end with some help from Fred who had taken the left fork along with Tracie. It would not be possible to take this route in lower water!
We finished all too soon for such a beautiful day and all agreed that it was another lovely day on the river! There were discussions of paddling plans for the summer so be on the lookout for some fun trips to show up on the calendar soon!