Traverse Area Paddle Club

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Trip Reports

October 9 Pine River, Walker to Dobson

Published on 10/9/2018

It was a perfect Indian Summer day, with highs in the mid-70s. We had a little bit of rain, which stopped almost immediately after Gerald put on his rain jacket, and I had switched from a sunhat to a rainhat. Our group of six was perfect: Gerald & Susan, Jocelyn, Marlene and John & me. Marv was there to help with the shuttle, and he even brought our drivers up to the parking lot at the end of the trip, allowing them to avoid the climb of 126 stairs.

During our first stretch from Walker to Lincoln, we encountered two dicey spots which required some pretty careful maneuvering. One person did a nice pirouette on a submerged log, while another got kind of stuck with water pouring in on either side of her splash deck. I was pretty impressed that there was no capsize, but just a wet butt! Two pumps were used to empty the cockpit, and we were on our way.

We bypassed Lincoln, and moseyed on to Elm Flats, where we all sat down at the picnic table for a leisurely lunch. Funny how we had brought hot tea in a thermos this past Sunday, but today we were glad to have lots of cold drinks with ice!

Along the way, we picked up a few pieces of trash, but the best find was by John, who retrieved a really nice new PFD from a log jam. Though Jocelyn transported it for us, we got to take it home, clean it up and will probably use it next season.

The fall colors continued to dazzle us on the last section from Elm Flats to Dobson. We landed at 2:36 PM. There were no other paddlers on the river on this stunning day, though we did see a foursome about to launch (in the rain) as we were driving away.

Thanks to all for your expertise and friendship. Lois

Photos by John & Jocelyn

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