Dang it felt good!!!! Sun was out, daytime temps of 75-80, nighttime temp around 50. Water was cool and clear (for an Iowa river) and running a perfect flow. Every other time I/we have done the Skunk River it's been durring the summer and water has always been low and slow. Not this time, it was far from bank full but still had plenty of water and a good current. Some of the best water I've been on!
I took the cheap canoe, my buddy his 12' kayak. We loaded up the camping gear and hit the river around 3:00 in the afternoon. The Skunk River is 50-60' across and very curvy with many,many strainers. To make it 1 mile as the crow flies you go 3- 4 on the river. We saw tons of geese and ducks, some deer, goundhogs, hawks, eagles, herons, etc. Everything went real good until we came upon a log jam that stretched the entire river at about mile marker 8.
Portage time. We took the gear the long way around (maybe 300 yards on the outside of the horseshoe bend) the log jam on the first trip but Curt thought that it would be easier to take the boats the short way. Here's the problem, the shortway meant floating the boats up to the logjam, dragging them over a 3' log, put em back in the water to cross about 10 feet of water that was about 4 ft deep with a mud bottom, climb up a steep 5 ft. bank and then carry the boats about 100 yards back to the water. Curt did real well until it came time to try to climb up the 5' bank. He decides to stand in his yak, and try to pull himself up with some exposed roots. Worked well until the roots gave way and his yak slid out from under him :lol: Face first into the water and mud he went. Not only that but the water temp was around 50 and he had decided he didn't need any extra clothes. After about an 1 hour getting Curt cleaned up and putting his only dry clothes on, which consisted of his rainsuit we were back on the water.
It was getting about 7:00 and we were still about an hour away from the camp site I wanted but we decided with Curt having no clothes and dark coming on we'd have to grab a closer camp site. Curt found out that not only should he bring extra clothes but that blue jeans take forever to dry out over a fire. It was about midnite before they were dry enough to wear. Thank god the Febuary ice storms left us with plenty of firewood.
Next morning we put back in and after a mile or so we come to a new rock dam that the county has put in for fish habitat and some canoeing/kayaking fun. With the water flowing good, it had a nice shoot thru the center with a 2-3' wave at the end. I went thru first. The nose of my pirogue dove down below the top of the wave and deposited a couple inches of water in my boat. Very little water hit me but let me tell you this, a pirogue handles very very bad with water sloshing around in the bottom! Curt came thru next, his boat faired no better with the wave but because of his decked boat, the wave deposited all that water right in his lap. So much for dry clothes! :lol: .
Everything else went well, (OK, Curt did almost flip it when he got sucked into a strainer) we pulled the boats into the back of the truck as it started to sprinkle and home we headed. Total trip was about 17 miles.
BTW, for anyone interested, the hard chines and flat sides of a pirogue make eddy's very interesting. Note to self: Make sure I'm stern heavy/bow light next trip.
CB
I took the cheap canoe, my buddy his 12' kayak. We loaded up the camping gear and hit the river around 3:00 in the afternoon. The Skunk River is 50-60' across and very curvy with many,many strainers. To make it 1 mile as the crow flies you go 3- 4 on the river. We saw tons of geese and ducks, some deer, goundhogs, hawks, eagles, herons, etc. Everything went real good until we came upon a log jam that stretched the entire river at about mile marker 8.
Portage time. We took the gear the long way around (maybe 300 yards on the outside of the horseshoe bend) the log jam on the first trip but Curt thought that it would be easier to take the boats the short way. Here's the problem, the shortway meant floating the boats up to the logjam, dragging them over a 3' log, put em back in the water to cross about 10 feet of water that was about 4 ft deep with a mud bottom, climb up a steep 5 ft. bank and then carry the boats about 100 yards back to the water. Curt did real well until it came time to try to climb up the 5' bank. He decides to stand in his yak, and try to pull himself up with some exposed roots. Worked well until the roots gave way and his yak slid out from under him :lol: Face first into the water and mud he went. Not only that but the water temp was around 50 and he had decided he didn't need any extra clothes. After about an 1 hour getting Curt cleaned up and putting his only dry clothes on, which consisted of his rainsuit we were back on the water.
It was getting about 7:00 and we were still about an hour away from the camp site I wanted but we decided with Curt having no clothes and dark coming on we'd have to grab a closer camp site. Curt found out that not only should he bring extra clothes but that blue jeans take forever to dry out over a fire. It was about midnite before they were dry enough to wear. Thank god the Febuary ice storms left us with plenty of firewood.
Next morning we put back in and after a mile or so we come to a new rock dam that the county has put in for fish habitat and some canoeing/kayaking fun. With the water flowing good, it had a nice shoot thru the center with a 2-3' wave at the end. I went thru first. The nose of my pirogue dove down below the top of the wave and deposited a couple inches of water in my boat. Very little water hit me but let me tell you this, a pirogue handles very very bad with water sloshing around in the bottom! Curt came thru next, his boat faired no better with the wave but because of his decked boat, the wave deposited all that water right in his lap. So much for dry clothes! :lol: .
Everything else went well, (OK, Curt did almost flip it when he got sucked into a strainer) we pulled the boats into the back of the truck as it started to sprinkle and home we headed. Total trip was about 17 miles.
BTW, for anyone interested, the hard chines and flat sides of a pirogue make eddy's very interesting. Note to self: Make sure I'm stern heavy/bow light next trip.
CB