Serene, Peaceful, Exhilarating, Exciting. Yes, these adjectives all describe the Sept. 15 paddle on the Upper Pine River from Briarpatch to Silver Creek Campground, north of Luther.
I am in the “adventurous beginner” category of kayak paddlers and this was one of my first club paddle trips, and my first experience on a small, twisty river.
The following members also participated: John Heiam and Lois Goldstein, Fred and Judy Swartz, Tracie Lord, Kati Flees, Anne Stevenson, Jocelyn Trepte, John Bull, Marv and Marlene Puska, Angie Willis, and this writer, Cyndi Gaudette.
Anne Stevenson and I rode with Kati Flees (a new friend) who was able to carry all 3 kayaks in her truck. It’s great to have friends with which to share the ride, the work, and the fun. Thanks to everyone for their part!
The first half of this river section had many submersed (and not so submersed) rocks and downed trees and logs. Morning shadows on the river reduced visibility and made it difficult to see these obstacles. The water was very clear however, and not too deep in most spots.
I am so grateful for Lois’ instructions since I am an inexperienced paddler! She led my dear friend Anne (whom I would say, is becoming quite proficient), down the river thru the “rock gardens” as if we were her “ducklings”.
Lois skillfully navigated around one particularly large rock that surprised us; Anne got around it only slightly less gracefully but quite well nonetheless. But I did exactly what I had been told not to do – lean away from it! I tipped over in hip-deep water. I quickly retrieved my kayak, but in this process I lost the gift of homemade trail mix given to me by Maxi Neugebauer (another member, not present). L
John was the “sweep” who made sure we all finished safely. He came to my rescue and helped me to re-group, bailed my kayak, and got me back on the river. Luckily, Anne had prepared me and I had a dry bag of extra clothes into which I changed in a private spot in the woods. Once back on the river, the following mantra went thru my head, “lean into the obstacle, lean into the obstacle, lean into the obstacle, …”.
We all stopped for lunch on a sunny slope at a downriver put-in site. We enjoyed great camaraderie, food and sunshine. There, I discovered that John Bull and Jocelyn had also hit a rock. John was ejected from their tandem canoe and went completely under water for lack of obtaining a secure footing. Jocelyn expertly kept the canoe upright and never got wet herself! She claims she had no responsibility for this incident. Does anyone believe her??
I learned how passionate these club members are about paddling and about preserving the natural beauty of Michigan’s rivers. Even to the point of being compulsive! Fred Swartz was in great emotional pain because he was unable to retrieve one submersed can. Next time, Fred!
I also discovered that paddling is a lifetime sport; a sport for all ages; from Kati the youngest, to Marv, perhaps the oldest paddler in the group. (undocumented) This sport keeps one young! Marv says he has none of the usual symptoms of old age. He plans to have one hip replaced in a couple weeks, however. But maybe he’s right – he has a very “young” wife, Marlene, who is also an excellent paddler.
The second half of the trip was not as challenging as the first. We were able to relax more and enjoy the serenity and early fall colors of the forest. There were no other people on the river to break this magical spell.
I appreciated Judy’s generosity in letting me try on her mukluks at the end of the trip for a size check. Sorry that my feet were wet and sandy from my spill, Judy!
I got to know Tracie and we had good discussions while paddling about hiking and backpacking gear! This was on a gentler, wider section of river.
Lastly, Angie and I thought we knew each other from some other previous phase of our lives. This is yet to be determined. I’m looking forward to paddling with her again in the future. We’ll figure it out!
To sum it up, this writer had a fabulous day of enjoying the outdoors, making new friends, and learning a ton on the upper Pine River! Thank you all!
By Cyndi Gaudette (pictured above); photos by John