BRCS - Forks to Scheck's Cleanup
June 6, 2021
Trip report by Lois; photos by Jocelyn, Mike and Norm
Lois getting a can off the bottom
I was all set to do this trip by myself, since no-one had registered by 8 PM the night before. But by 8:30 that evening, I had 3 compatriots who were willing to join me, plus my hubby John willing to serve as shuttle bunny. He has a sore elbow and is limiting his paddling this month.
We spent over 3 hours on a stretch that normally takes half that amount of time, and totally combed the river bottom and sides. Norm and I took a very leisurely pace, often helping each other by stabilizing each other's boats, or pointing out some old can or chip bag to the other one. I found an old moccasin that was filled with mud, while Norm proved once again that he was the King of cleanups. For me, one of the best parts of the trip was finally having the chance to catch up on conversation, since we hadn't been together on a river in over a year. I had missed him.
Meanwhile, we never saw Jocelyn and Mike until the takeout, and we were astonished that they found even more stuff than we did. They must have better eyes than us.
There were several other boats at the put-in when we were rigging our four solo canoes, but those people took off before we got going, and even with our slow pace, we never saw anyone else paddling downstream. It was a fairly hot day, and though I didn't go swimming, I had no trepidations about going into the water up to mid-thigh so I could stab a can hidden under some logs. It felt great, even though the water is still pretty chilly. In any case, early Sunday morning is a good time to be there!
We took out at the downstream end of Scheck's - so much easier than the official access which is not at all user friendly. After the obligatory photo session, we all headed for home and a well deserved rest. Quote of the day from Norm: "I had forgotten how gorgeous this river is; I've really missed it!" We are so lucky to live here, and to realize that our cleanup efforts over the past 20 years have truly made a difference.
Here is a link to Norm's pics:
http://www.brcleansweep.org/2021_0606_Forks_Small/
John (shuttle guy), Lois, Norm, Jocelyn, Mike
Mike
Jocelyn
Canada goose family
