Neila & the Castmaster |
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At 10 am Sunday morning Niela and I rolled into the
registration area of Tomahawk Trails
to find the crew full of smiles and ready to get us going.
A last minute idea, we had called just last night to setup the trip.
The weather man called for highs in the 70's and some storms coming in later that afternoon. So instead of the Wolverine start, about a 5 1/2 hour trip we usually like,
we decided to put in at Rondo road which would give us about a
3 1/2 hour trip and get us back before the clouds came in.
So they loaded up the bus and we headed down to the start of our
journey. It's nice because they deliver you and your equipment
to the start, and your car is waiting for you at the end.
And after a long day on the water I like no hassle getting back home.
The nice stairway and landing makes for easy access to this
very scenic spot on the river. We chose to use one of the Old
Town Plastic Canoes for this trip. I was carrying cameras and
they were said to be more stable than the aluminum canoes I've
used in the past. They also had nice seats and stayed warmer
on the feet.
Now let me tell you I would not recommend this river for someone with little or no experience.
It's known for log jams, fallen trees, 180 degree corners, and yes some fast current.
It started out innocent enough, a wide straight flowing magic
carpet, the sun warming our spirits while the view overwhelmed the senses.
As Niela relaxed in the front it was easy for me to stay
in control through this section of the river. We both
knew however this would be the exception rather than the
rule on our trip today. Although it had been awhile since
we had paddled together this was not our first trip down
this road.
As we approached the end of the straight water we knew
around the next corner there could be a whole new set of
problems hidden just out of sight. A year had passed
since our last trip here and things tend to change
spring to spring, so we stayed on the inside, back
paddled a bit, then slowed in for a peek.
