We put-in at Chase Bridge, after a shuttle from Tom at Paddle Brave.The marsh marigolds weren't blooming yet, but the river was high & fast, full of friendly fly fishermen (Trout Season Opener was last Sat). Everyone was out enjoying this gorgeous, warm & sunny spring afternoon! The river is no longer a wide boulevard, thanks to lots of downed trees lining the banks now, which made this stretch much more interesting, esp the 2 chutes.
Now that Ian has a Wenonah Argosy like Jack's, I had to give it a try, thinking it must paddle more like a performance canoe than my Sandpiper. So, I paddled it at the Castle, and decided it was more like a "bathtub". From that point on, the 3 of us spent the rest of the paddle besting the other with names for my flashy, cream-colored flashfire canoe, which won't be mentioned here. All I can say is that the overhanging branches along the river were renamed "shower rods"! In addition, Ian & Jack have been competing for the best boat seat installation, and decided that my cane seat should be lowered & replaced with a pink toilet seat, so I don't have to make any pit stops in the woods. After all the silliness & laughing, we loaded our boats at the Smith Bridge takeout, and headed to the Gates AuSable Lodge at Stephan Bridge for burgers & steaks. This was my favorite trip down the S Branch of the AuSable ever!!! And, instead of hiking the Mason Tract before the paddle, Ian & I joined George for a CCCC mtn bike ride on Hanson Hills's singletrack trail, which was a fast & fun traverse around the hills!
Report by Sara Cockrell, Trip Leader
GR-R-REAT afternoon with Jack, Michael, Sara, Bob, Ian, Marlene & Marv!