July 22 Sturgeon River
Lois Goldstein | Published on 7/22/2022
Highlights: Lois saved by Jacqui and Irene
Sara retrieving the lost orange paddle
Quote of the day: "Don't they have patrols on this river?"
No problems for the 3 newbies
Paul helping with every single boat
Sprayskirt issues, but all went well
Note from Sara:
My first Sturgeon paddle this season, shallow & slower so riffles flatter, but still a challenge to avoid the eddies, gravel bars & tight turns around the logjams. I led & Lois was sweep til lunch, but 3 Sturgeon virgins, Jacque, Irene & Paul, were doing well since they have lots of paddling experience, esp clean-ups, so no unplanned swims & only one assist needed when Lois got stuck on a log. There were only 4 guys on this section until we got to N White Rd where Big Bear drops off rafts & tubers, then many more. We rescued one raft of 3 generations, who lost 2 out of 3 paddles, but recovered the 2nd one. The 79 year old grandmother from Gaylord thought there should have been someone on the river checking on them, but they weren’t on a guided trip. I informed her that this is not a beginner river. It was a 80+F afternoon, but comfortable with a breeze & shade, esp the tunnel of cedar swamp. Still one of my favorite rivers but prefer when faster & more riffles, esp since a 1:45 hr drive! We paddled from Wolverine to Fisher Woods road-end, south of Indian River, which I’ve been paddling since mid-1990s.
