Saturday (day before yesterday), I went over to the river (the Olentangy) to check out the spot I picked for the first time out in the boat.
The water was adequate to float the boat, even at 75 CFS, though I wouldn't want to be paddling upstream in that -- you have to dig the paddle blade in deeper to get enough power, so you're more likely to bang it up on rocks (my paddle already has scars from my half-hour in Bernie's demo Burn). That means if the water's low like it was, I'll have to actually run a small section instead of working one area.I moved a couple rocks to clear out the narrow channel that most resembles a rapid (it's easy with the water helping!) and cut apart a raft that was stuck on the rocks and threatening to shift in such a way that it would block the channel. It was well-built - looked like it would have been a fun Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn-type ride - but it was clearly abandoned and thoroughly stuck, so it had to go.
The raft, partly disassembled
The knots were good, and the whole thing felt surprisingly solid. Whoever made this knew what they were doing.
. . . sometimes, I wish I still felt like hauling a bunch of logs together and building a raft. Then I remember that I have a whitewater kayak, which is much more fun for much less work. Labels: logistics, rivers, scouting, unexpected adventure |
