Ten of us participated in the July 2 paddle on the Betsie River from Grass Lake Dam to Thompsonville. We had four canoes and five kayaks. The weather was perfect: partly cloudy, partly sunny, not too warm and not too cold. Courtesy of the paddle club, a livery service helped with the shuttle, which was sure handy. We were on the river for over five hours, including a short stop for a picnic lunch. We weren’t drifting either, we paddled the whole way.
There were lots of trees in the river, which was very exciting for me, a beginner paddler on my first trip with the club. Several times I got stuck sideways against the debris, exactly where a kayaker doesn’t want to be! I always managed to get loose though, and only once had water start to come in the kayak.
In one place we all had to thread through a three-foot wide gap among the downed trees and at the same time bend underneath a log about two feet off the water. I couldn’t get lined up and Lois came to my rescue, wading out to the middle of the river up to her armpits to drag me through. Thank you, Lois! In another spot a large log was wedged right at water level. John Heiam and Bob Fitch worked to bodily pull most of us over the obstruction. So thanks to them too! Many people also worked at picking up trash. I was too busy trying to stay on course to even look for trash but maybe someday…
It was good to spend the day with a group of friendly people and hope to see you all again soon.
Kathy Flegel