A trip by the numbers:
5 men (Jack, Glenn, John H, John W, Terry)
5 women (Jocelyn, Tracie, Sara, Camille and Lois)
5 solo canoes
5 kayaks
1 fifteen minute stop at the Mancelona True Value to get a replacement bolt for my kayak seat back strap attachment
1:40 to lunchtime at Deward
3 lumberjacks
2 exceptionally helpful guys hauling our boats through underbrush
1 person new to river kayaking
3 people who had never done this trip before
2 major beaver dams to skootch over
9 containers of Cutters or Deep Woods Off utilized
0 other paddlers on the river
100 percent sunshine
1 inflatable raft recovered
17 slits made with an official BRCS river knife, to extricate the water inside the raft tubes, so it could be transported to L&J's trash bin at home
24 stomps on the raft to actually make the water come out
1 official National River Cleanup bag, used to hold the raft, and a few other items we picked up
5 wildflower ensembles
15 mph breeze that kept the bugs at bay while we were on the water
76 degrees when we were done
100 percent good times!
1 trip report written by Lois
15 photos courtesy of Jocelyn
Blue flag iris, yellow lady slipper, Indian paintbrush, wild rose
The put-in is in disarray this year with huge pieces of an old dead tree which fell over the winter
Jack pulling his canoe over logs and brush at the end of the big portage
Tracie went on the other side of the river but still needed Glenn to pull her the final few feet
John squeezes through
Glenn guiding Sara under a fallen tree
Glenn, still at it, helps Lois through too
Sara photographing ducks and iris
Little mallards now paddling along on their own
Here is a photo of me which Glenn took. Next time here I'll be in Royalex rather than Kevlar, but we made it.
Glenn not only pushed & hauled people in boats over tight spots but also brought back an abandoned leaky raft.
As Lois stomped on it to get all the water out, surprise, water squirted out on her thru the many BRCS knife slits.