Granted there is some flat water to paddle. But, it’s not like the upper Otter Creek with the largest logjam east of the Mississippi River, I tried to explain to Burn. “Come on man”, I protested, “I’m taking you where few boaters have traveled. “
There isn’t even a fishermen trail, there are no campsites, or old fire rings. Can’t paddle here in the spring because the road is seasonal, and when the spring thaw goes out the road is impassable due to mud. By the time the road is passable the bugs are out in force, black flies, mosquitos, deer flies, noseeums. They can make the paddle into the whitewater seem much longer than it is.
How long is this long flat-water approach? I don’t know and I really don’t mind the paddle. One hot summer day we searched for a short cut. Dennis, Rio and I hiked in from the road where it was closest to the creek. After bushwacking around for most of the day, without map or compass or water, we staggered through the swamp that separates creek from road. Rio kept cool by wallowing through the mud, Dennis and Mike kept cool by… well, wallowing in the mud.
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| Looking back upstream at Real Drop #3 |
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