​Stupid paddling decisions?

[Guest]

Probably the stupidest tripping decision I have made was to paddle out of Kinzua to Willow Bay with a fierce south wind blowing. The wind didn’t seem that bad camped back in the Hopewell cove, but once I was out in it there was no turning back and no putting ashore on the jagged steep shale banks.

I looked behind me once at the height of the following waves, nearly crapped myself and elected to stay within easy swimming distance of the east shore. In my mind I was prepared, maybe committed, to abandoning the canoe and gear to wash up somewhere across the NY line in the Seneca Nation while I hiked the shale banks back to my truck.

I would put that #1 or #2 in my list of dumbass paddling decisions. The other; electing to run my local trout stream in the deluge aftermath of a tropical storm. That stream usually runs around 2.8 feet on the gauges. It hit 12+ and overwashed some road bridges not long after we had passed.

OK, I have done some dumbassed things in a canoe. I expect we all have.

Alan asked, and I’ll confess the particulars of that tropical storm trip.

So how much clearance did you have under the bridges when you went through?

Alan, we put on near dawn in the morning. Launched in a passing (hummm, now near stalled stationary) tropical storm deluge. IIRC the gauge was already at something like 6 feet when we launched. I did not suspect that it would continue to pound rain all day. The river rose continually, but we had sufficient headroom under the bridges. Other idiots who put on later in the day did not manage to squeak through, and two paddlers in one later party capsize washed under what was their take out bridge. S&R found them safe a few miles downstream. S&R was busy that day.

BTW, my favorite “lost” story on that river is the two wet lost-boat morons who spent a night huddled in a corn field. A corn field for Christ’s sake; just follow the rows away from the river and, look, there’s a road. These are not Iowa endless cornfields. Their interview statement that “We still had beer” may have told the full story.

When I looked at the gauge later that day the river steadily rose 6-7-8 and suddenly spiked to 12 feet just as we were taking out.

In perfect hindsight retrospect running the entire stretch to our take out vehicle was effing stupid. That is a narrowish river that has occasional strainers, and the familiar eddies were nonexistent. It remains the fastest I have ever paddled 11 miles.

My companion dumped in the first two miles, piled into an overhanging sweeper on a sharp corner, fortunately in one of the few areas where recovery was possible. I had dang near dumped there in the lead and was waiting with a throw rope. He was a spritely fellow, and before I could throw the bag he was out and desperately pulling his canoe ashore.

My most vivid memory of the trip is that his recovery eddy was adjacent to a wee creek that dribbles down a rocky hillside. That tiny creek was an impressive mist-in-the-air thundering cascade, first decent paddleable by a ballsy ELF boater.

The bottom half of that river is somewhat flatter, straighter and wider, and that stretch, while still a fast flush, was cake compared to the upper end. In terms of sheer risk that was, and I hope remains will be, the stupidest thing I have done in a boat. And it has ample competition; running the Holtwood tailrace with three people in a 15 foot Grumman comes to mind. Stupid teenagers.

Dodging lightening strikes on a night paddle by repeatedly tucking back in the cypress swamp. Stupid adults.

Let’s hear it. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has made bad paddling decisions.

 

[Alan Gage]

Sorry, no dumbass canoe stories from me. Unfortunately I haven't lived (I hope) them yet. I got a relatively late start in my canoeing life compared to many. But this brought to mind, while not quite canoeing related, one of the dumbest things I've ever heard in my life:

and two paddlers in one later party capsize washed under what was their take out bridge.

I was at a get together with people I didn't know and a few of us were standing around talking (ok, they were talking and I was quietly wondering to myself how much longer I had to stick around) when this guy tells a story about what he and his buddies did during the flood of '93. Places were hit a lot harder than us during that summer but it was still a big deal around here and the highest water most of us will probably ever see locally. Spirit Lake and East Okoboji are joined by a spillway that normally only flows during spring, and sometimes not even then during multiple dry years. The spillway flows under a road bridge (think residential street) and the water was high enough that the road was flooded so no clearance under the bridge. These guys thought it would be fun to jump in the water and let the current wash them under the bridge to pop up on the other side. The guy who was relating the story to us was the guinea pig.

He said he jumped in, was sucked under the bridge, and that everything was going fine until he hit a fence (presumably to keep rough fish from traveling up the spillway to spawn in spring). He couldn't get through the fence so he start kicking at it until it gave way and he was pushed the rest of the way under the bridge and up to fresh air on the other side.

If my jaw wasn't already hanging low enough (he's telling the story like he's proud of it) now that the path was cleared of obstructions he and his buddies all jumped in a few more times to enjoy the thrill ride.

I can't imagine the terror of being pinned against a fence underneath a bridge. Nor can I imagine the relief of feeling the fence give way and being washed to safety and taking that first breath of air on the other side. I think if I went through that I crawl out of the water, sit in the shade beneath a tall tree until I quit shaking, and then walk off and join a monastery without saying a word to anyone. Well, maybe I wouldn't take it quite that far but I for dang sure wouldn't jump back in for seconds.

Alan

 

[pblanc]

There have been one or two rapids that in retrospect I probably should not have tried to run.

Taking a 16+ straight keeled, Kevlar, Mad River Traveler with no flotation down a tight, braided creek channel with a lot of brush (Little Sequatchie) during Spring high water was probably not a product of sound decision making.

And there was one memorable paddle down an "easy" Class II-III river in flood, by myself, where I took two of the three worst swims of my life.

Never lost a boat or paddle on those occasions, however.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I hope it's not something I do in ten days ....

 

[dave0]

I have a few stories but I'll have to share them later. Going paddling and hoping there's not another one coming my way!

 

[Muskrat]

Flood of 93 was my first canoeing memory. I was 7. We took the aluminum canoe down the flooded crick over the driveway bridge probably 15 ft high normally, now flooded, then out into pond one. Little break until running the overflow spillway down into the second pond and repeat into the next pasture and pond over. We did that run several times over.

I'm with Alan that my dumbest moment is surely yet to come.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I have a few stories but I'll have to share them later. Going paddling and hoping there's not another one coming my way!

Me too. I have some in the past but I would rather not jinx Gitchee Gumee. With the raucous weather on the Great Lakes this year, its wise to be careful.. So I loaded ten days of grub for a six day trip and extra books on Kindle and a charged battery pack

My Helinox Camp Chair however arrived today.. can't wait to test i.

 

[Guest]

Almost just made one. I was going to do the Osswagochie headwaters carry trip and changed to an upstream and back from inlet the day before. After carrying past the falls, I found the water level so low, that the beaver dams were holding no water. I had to climb up and back down both sides and some are high. I went up a ways, camped and came back downstream. It was almost as hard going down stream. The traverse would have been a brutal trip downstream the dam. Thank GOD I changed my mind!
Turtle

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I bought a sea kayak.

 

[Guest]

oh ya me too Glenn, I did own a kayak for 2 weeks once.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I bought a sea kayak.

One of my better decisions was to buy a mint used Monarch for the ocean.. Its been a blast. Kayaks became uncomfortable for me years ago but a sea canoe is perfect.. We have been out on the Maine Island Trail a lot.. its close to home..an 35 minutes to shore.. another hour to wilderness camping.Free.

One of my unbetter decisions happened when I stored my Exped Schnozzle somewhere. I can't find the darned thing. I no doubt packed it somewhere where it would be immune from mice overwinter
Have no idea where that is. Equipment ought to come with a GPS chip.

 

[dave0]

Oh Gawd Kim, that last sentence made me laugh, I'm in the same place with some gear. But back to the topic. We opted run a river during a healthy rain storm, this is an old story. River rose 17.5 feet in a matter of hours from almost bone dry, literally dragging your boat dry. Spent the night in a tree, lost our boats and a lot of gear. Let's just say it made for an interesting evening. I was happy to alive in the morning. Had to mention that Alan's story of the fence put chills up my spine. Holy Crap!


dougd

 

[yellowcanoe]

Yup . I couldn't find our little Leatherman.. Is it in bed with the Schnozzle? So having been given Amazon Prime as a present the new replacement will be here tomorrow ( yes Sunday!) After I ordered the replacement ( who can go on a 15 day trip without a multitool?) something that I have not seen turned up in a utensil bag that I havent used in a long time
A Leatherman Wave..the big un. Of course it was all plugged up with gook. It got a shampoo, a soap and water bath and now is in spa treatment of turpentine( it got sapped on and the knives won't deploy)
Meanwhile Leatherman Jr is on its way...

And Helinox Camp Chair is here. I am getting too old for Helinox Chair One.. ( I've rolled out of it to get and now look like I have fallen and can't get up)
So I have an xtra Chair One.

I did not know about the Helinox Sunset Chair. That might be the arrival that evicts hubbys Chair One

 

[Iskweo]

We have had some anxious moments crossing Wallace Lake in less than perfect conditions...ok, they were scary.... but really the only time I was worried was the spring trip when we were wearing parkas. We shouild have stayed put. Most of the time our bad judgement would simply get us a much needed bath.

I dont do big water or rapids.

Christy

 

[lowangle al]

I bought a sea kayak once and it shaped my paddling career. It was a ceder strip tandem at least 20' long and as skinny as a telephone pole. I took it to the local lake to try it out. There were two foam pads in each cockpit to use for seats, one for your butt and one your back. Being young and ignorant in the ways of skinny kayaks I thought it would be more comfortable sitting a little higher on both cusions. We flipped over before we could even take a stroke and my wife would never get back in. Luckily the guy I bought it from took it back.

 

[latremorej]

Getting a new canoe during the spring sale, being impatient, we went over to West Carthage on the Black River. Had to slide the canoe off of about a 7 foot ice shelf to access the water. When we got on the water we were dodging 60' wide ice shelves that were coming down stream. That boat launch is less than a quarter mile upstream from a dam. And we were wearing PFDs, blue jeans, and cotton hoodies. We did get pushed off shore by a large ice sheet and contemplated paddling over to the east side to take out but we made it past that flow and got the heck out. Ambient Temps that day were in the low 40s. Water was about 39. Yeah, stupid
Jason

 

[Guest]

Rotomolded sea kayaks were pretty newfangled and I saved up and bought one. An aquaterra chinook. I had a bit of experience in it that season, and was so looking forward to time with it on the coast of North Carolina, visiting relatives. It was late in the fall, as I recall. A tropical storm system arrived about the same time, in an attempt to damper my vacation. I don’t remember the name of the storm or even if it had a name, or why it was unexpected. All I knew was that I was going out in it, h*ll or high water.

The air temps were probably low 50s high 40s, but the hard wind and intermittent rain had a real chill to it, obviously. I had appropriate clothing, spare clothing, food , liquids. The water temps were relatively warm, and there were no big water crossing. The big thing I had going for me, I had grown up there in the summers. I knew the terrain, the flora and fauna, the normal hazards, and how to get around by whatever means necessary.

Still, it was stupid going out in it. My beloved grandma thought it was pretty stupid too, and told me about it, but one thing about grandma, she was game for most anything all her life, and knew I was hardheaded like she was. So, she took my youthful actions in stride.

All day, the easterly winds pushed the water in the inlets for a permanent high, higher, crazy high tide. The big expanses of marsh and tidal creeks became flooded over the tops of most of the marsh grass, allowing big waves to wash through. It was fun at first, mostly. I saw one other boat, a motor boat, out on leeward side of the barrier island, taking some shelter there, as I was.

At the end of the day, exhausted, I had to cross the intercoastal waterway, which had crazy strong currents and wind-opposed waves. I made it back through luck, determination, and adrenaline. You know the happy dance, fist pump, etc., done when one reaches the intended destination under hard circumstances. Yeah, I did that.

I did not have a roll. If I had gone over, I would have been carried some long distance to who knows where to the west, but on the mainland. I would have been far from the put in, but, assuming I was able to stay with the boat, I would have eventually been able to make my way to a house somewhere to make a pick-up call from. The easterly winds were in my favor in that regard. No cell phones back then.

Yeah, stupid and fun. I remember that day with great fondness. Too old for such planned foolishness these days.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

The first canoe trip I took with my wife about 20 years ago ranks high among the stupidest canoe related things I've done. The large scale road map I consulted in preparation for the trip didn't represent the rather meandering nature of our local flatland creek. The planned 2 hour maiden voyage of our Aerocraft tank turned into a 7 hour, 16 mile slog fest around uncounted log jams through knee deep muck. We didn't take water or anything else along. With dusk approaching, dehydrated, and at the end of our endurance we climbed up the bank resembling devonian amphibians climbing onto land. My wife knocked at the first door she encountered to inquire as to our whereabouts and was informed that we were about half way to our take out. The nice lady took my wife to our car and we will be eternally thankful for that.

 

[ShiftlessDriftless]

My friend and I took his tandem kayak out at the peak of spring thaw a few years ago, and I would not go out in those conditions again. The Black River (of Wisconsin) was way over flood stage but we decided we should run the lower section of it into Lake Onalaska. The floodplain was a three-mile wide sheet of moving water. The surrounding sound water rushing through the woods was eerie. We had to fight a lot of strong side currents in order to follow the “channel” and not be swept straight into the trees. Eventually, we found ourselves in a more open area, but submerged islands and obstacles had the water really roiling. There were no opportunities to rest. It was the only time I have thought “we need to keep paddling or we’ll die.”