Taking a break from walking our kayaks down the Wisconsin River…

Paddling down the Lower Wisconsin River is one of the most popular trips in our area.  Walking down the river is another less popular option. Of course most people,  most sane people, run the Wisconsin in early summer. Earlier in the year the water is higher, the current is faster and the hot summer sun makes an occasional wade across a sand bar a joy.  I on the other hand, am simply horrid at doing things the way they’re normally done.  For good and bad, this personal defect usually sets me up for some unique experiences.  The reward is simply being right there in the moment which is often harder to achieve than one might think.

Loading kayaks in a moment of early morning sun

When we took off from the river bank near Sauk Prairie it was cold.  It had been cold all morning but the sun had come out while we carried gear to the water’s edge.  It stayed out just long enough to make us think we may get a much better day than had been forecast. Of course by the time I stepped into the cold water to drag my kayak off the shore, the sun was long gone and the wind was slapping my hood over my eyes.

brisk

The trip down the Wisconsin was simply an act of impulse.  It only became a reality because Mary had set her mind to it.  To this point, she had not paddled more than 12 miles in a day and rarely in bad weather.  She would also face for the first time the concept of packing and then paddling a heavily laden kayak.  Happily her new P&H Scorpio is rock stable and she was more than comfortable with it.  Knowing she was comfortable in the kayak was a real weight off my shoulders.  There remained some concern since she was supposed to be nursing a recent injury, and was feeling under the weather as well.  Still, she wanted to get out there.

Occasional hole in the clouds would let the sun blast through

At first glance down the river it seemed as if it would turn out quite well.  Yeah, it was dark, wet,  & windy but we were dressed for it, and the sun would blast through the heavy clouds just enough to keep our spirits up. Even the first few times we had to get out and walk the shallows was enjoyable.  It was only after the 4^th or 5^th time I found myself pealing my skirt off my cockpit combing that I started getting a bit miffed with the river.  I would have abandon the skirt if not for the occasional heavy downpours.

Mary makes a guess at the average depth of the Wisconsin river

I came to view the river in as series of challenges.  At each section you would look out onto the horizon and make a guess at where best to attack the next bit of river.  Bends were easy of course since the current always clears the outside corners.  It was the long open stretches that challenged us.  The center of the river was most often impassable and  would force you to choose a bank.  I found myself feeling like I was reading tea leaves trying to divine which direction to take. I would watch the water and try to see something in the current to make my  guesses better than a flip of the coin.  Often it seemed it was simply that.  Sometimes you’d pick the right side of the river and find a channel.  Sometimes not.

For all the struggle, cold and wet, we were repaid with close up moments with Bald Eagles, Canada Geese, and it seemed, a Heron every twenty feet along the way.  At one point we were buzzed by what looked to be a young Bald Eagle, only the size of a small plane. We watched it for some time but could not be sure what it was.

There were times when the river was constricted and the flow would increase from its average 1mph to a more lively 5mph. It was here where the waves would rise up as the wind pushed against the oncoming river.   Nothing spectacular mind you, just a bit of bounce which was nice on an otherwise placid river.

Pardon me sir, but I think your island is falling over.

Kayak Wisconsin

We took a short break on an island that seemed surrounded by the only deep water within miles. The small shoreline where we landed dropped off so quickly that we had to dismount carefully as not to end up going for a swim.  We almost camped right on the island but for the fact that a state park with hot showers was just a half hour away.

Approaching railway bridge

lots of contrasty clouds

Now we had to deal with a couple bridges.  The first, a railway bridge had a funky current where you had to ferry a bit and slide diagonally through the passable section. The next bridge was less than a half mile from the first and was under construction.  A new bridge was being built next to the old one.  The workers had dammed most of the river creating a bottleneck where the whole of the river must pass.  I would not have wanted to face this section in higher water myself, let alone with a less experienced paddler. Thankfully the low water meant we only faced a bit of riffling as we passed through.

More Walking The Wisconsin

squishy

In the falling light of the late afternoon we were lucky to see the Tower Hill boat landing sign on the far bank of the river.  The dark wood sign was  almost invisible set against a forested background.  We were once again forced to walk our kayaks through the shallows to cross to the other side of the river.  Once across we were able to get back into our kayaks and paddle them up the steam to the park’s boat landing which turned out to be a muddy bank made worse by the day’s hard rains. I jumped out of my boat and dragged the heavy kayak up to more solid ground. Then I went back and pulled Mary, kayak and all through the mud as well.  Exhausted, I had a seat on the deck. I simply sat and pondered the day for awhile as mary dug in her boat for a dry change of clothes.  As it grew darker under the heavy clouds I took stock of the day.  In about 5 hours we had traveled 17.25 miles.  Not bad really for all the portaging we had done and 2 short breaks.

The downside of being only a couple hours from home is that you can re-examine what you’ve gotten yourself into and consider a warm bed as a possibility. I couldn’t say either of us looked forward to 2 more days of schlepping kayaks down the river through the cold, wind & rain.  There comes a point where you simply have to ask yourself, “Is this enjoyable?”.  Enjoyable?  Well, it was a great “experience” to be sure.  But it was dangling on the edge of just becoming a slog.  We decided to save the moment while it was still enjoyable and simply take it home to share over a hot drink. We’ll come back at the next section, next summer like everyone else does.  I look forward to the experience!

Related Posts:

1. Upper Wisconsin Dells
2. Back to the Wisconsin
3. looking down possibilities
4. Scouting is good
5. Wisconsin Winter