The Sturgeon is one of the world's oldest fish species, and remained visually extinct as we paddled its initially mist-shrouded, almost mist-erious cedar-draped and sinuous length.
We started with my iPhone predicting "scattered showers" evolving to "isolated showers", all while sheltering under a tin-roofed picnic shelter that was drumming harder than "The Who" at full throttle.
As someone took their foot off the accelerator upstairs, we slid our boats into the water for a taste of the foggy, fastest flowing river in the L P (Lower Peninsula, just to keep those who live near Gitchee Gummi from feeling Superior)!
I'm new to the TAPC, so of course I should have been nervous, easily embarrassed and apprehensive, but I was made to feel right at home as the others disappeared into the mists.
"Let's go", I cried as the current gripped my small craft, and sucked it over the first moderate drop. Safe, but wetter, on the other side, and watching the greenery spin by I thought, "This is gonna be good!"
I had already had a good, quite intellectual, conversation with Fred on the way over, so this was a way to keep my muscles and reaction times on par with our conversation.
Written by Kim Gyr
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At our lunch break, we had a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" for our past president Marv, who turned 77 years young that day. The official paddle club choir made up in enthusiasm what we lacked in musical talent! Written by Lois
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Sturgeon Rescue by Fred Swartz
After lunch at Rondo, Jocelyn and I spotted some mother lodes of treasure. After filling two trash bags we put on some speed to catch up to the main group, but we were never to see them again until back at home.
As we canoed around a bend two young men stood forlornly, no boats in sight. They were in a difficult spot with a steep bank, swift current and a logjam immediately downstream. It was clearly unsafe to cross over to the low inside bank. They had capsized a bend or so upstream and only managed to get out just before the treacherous logjam, but their boats and paddles had continued downstream. It was cool and the water cold, and they weren't dressed for it -- shorts and one with a wet shirt and the other with none. The uncontrollable teeth chattering of one suggested serious hypothermia had set in or wasn't far off.
The first job was to get them to a safer location and Jocelyn's throw bag did the job. Jocelyn had a clever idea: instead of tediously restuffing the rope into the bag, why not put a weight in it, and what better than a one of the full beer cans she found! Of course, if the beer can throw is too accurate it may cause more harm than good. (see photos below).
Next we gave them our dry stuff bag clothes, shirts and a jacket. It didn't stop the teeth chattering, but it may have prevented the situation from deteriorating.
Now we had to go downstream to find the third member, their father, their boats, and paddles. Fortunately, we had canoes. I wasn't sure what would happen with a 200 lb weight in one end in a 13' solo canoe going down the Sturgeon, but soon found out. There were several inches of freeboard -- no problem :) I had my passenger sit in front, facing me, and Jocelyn had hers behind facing back (probably better handling). To avoid difficulties I backpaddled or drifted using draws. Even a 90 degree turn in the river went quite well considering what I expected.
We soon got to their dry father, two of the rental kayaks (no lines), and the three paddles. We put the sons in the boats and I gave the father a ride down to the third kayak which was pinned against a logjam. I was a little distraught thinking about how wet I might get, without the option of dry clothes, in unpinning their kayak. (see photo below).
This is where self-reliant thinking went wrong. The kayak was across from one of the few houses in that stretch. The owner came down to see why we were ignoring his No Trespassing signs but then made a suggestion which should have been obvious to me immediately -- call the outfitter and have them come to the house to pick them up. And let them deal with the pinned kayak.
We took off at full speed but we were clearly never going to get to the takeout at any reasonable time so Jocelyn phoned to say that they shouldn't wait for us, and readjusting the rides turned out to be relatively easy. Eventually we got to the takeout, where I learned that two canoes do fit on my shortened crossbars with zero inches to spare.
It was an interesting disaster with a good outcome -- and I learned several important things.