Post by esspeegee on Aug 19, 2011 4:29:04 GMT -5
Six boats put into the river at St. Croix around noon on Saturday and paddled down below the Canoose. Finished at noon on Monday.
Camped night #1 at the Canadian side of The Cape.
Camped night #2 at the Mouth of Canoose site.
Water levels were showing around 625 which was definitely "enough" for paddling ... though routes through the rock gardens were limited. No problems getting through Little Falls or Canoose Ledges at this level. My cousin, Rob, impressed us all by threading his loaded boat down the American side of Little Falls ... found a smooth route on the far right edge.
One of our paddlers (Eric) actually whipped out a guitar and played some tunes as we drifted through the slow waters around "Works Island". Kinda surreal.
Battled a wicked head wind all the way up the Loon Bay flathingyer ... one of those winds that pushed you backward if you weren't giving it all you had to go forward.
The roar of the Canoose Ledges and all that white rolling stuff put the fear into some of our team so we spent quite a while scouting the best route (and enjoying a beverage). We all took turns running our routes while the rest watched from the comforts of the grassy shore. It was a hoot.
I was expecting the river to return to "flat water" below Canoose and was pleasantly surprised with the paddling. Very nice part of the river.
We will never (stress that: never) start a St. Croix trip on a Saturday morning again. While it did fit our schedules perfectly ... it put us in the mix and on the river with huge gangs of youngsters on day 1 and waves of tubes on day 2. The youngsters on day 1 were frustrating (too drunk, dropping cans, discarding gear) and worrisome. One gang actually thought it was wise to leave two teens stranded about 3 km above little falls without a boat and only a couple hours of sunlight.
Mostly ... we all felt bad that our romantic image of the St. Croix had been eroded. Before this weekend, we had all felt that the river was only travelled by river-drivers in plaid shirts and adventurous modern explorers. Maybe after a couple years of "thursday departures" ... we'll feel that way again.
All in all ... it was an amazing trip.
Camped night #1 at the Canadian side of The Cape.
Camped night #2 at the Mouth of Canoose site.
Water levels were showing around 625 which was definitely "enough" for paddling ... though routes through the rock gardens were limited. No problems getting through Little Falls or Canoose Ledges at this level. My cousin, Rob, impressed us all by threading his loaded boat down the American side of Little Falls ... found a smooth route on the far right edge.
One of our paddlers (Eric) actually whipped out a guitar and played some tunes as we drifted through the slow waters around "Works Island". Kinda surreal.
Battled a wicked head wind all the way up the Loon Bay flathingyer ... one of those winds that pushed you backward if you weren't giving it all you had to go forward.
The roar of the Canoose Ledges and all that white rolling stuff put the fear into some of our team so we spent quite a while scouting the best route (and enjoying a beverage). We all took turns running our routes while the rest watched from the comforts of the grassy shore. It was a hoot.
I was expecting the river to return to "flat water" below Canoose and was pleasantly surprised with the paddling. Very nice part of the river.
We will never (stress that: never) start a St. Croix trip on a Saturday morning again. While it did fit our schedules perfectly ... it put us in the mix and on the river with huge gangs of youngsters on day 1 and waves of tubes on day 2. The youngsters on day 1 were frustrating (too drunk, dropping cans, discarding gear) and worrisome. One gang actually thought it was wise to leave two teens stranded about 3 km above little falls without a boat and only a couple hours of sunlight.
Mostly ... we all felt bad that our romantic image of the St. Croix had been eroded. Before this weekend, we had all felt that the river was only travelled by river-drivers in plaid shirts and adventurous modern explorers. Maybe after a couple years of "thursday departures" ... we'll feel that way again.
All in all ... it was an amazing trip.
