Cara (Mrs. Canoebie) and I had a wonderful trip on the fourth. We drove up to north of Cadillac, Michigan arriving at Chippewa Landing, a livery we work with up there, great folks. If you ever want to paddle the Manistee, work with them. Regardless, we drove up Thursday afternoon arriving at the river about 6 PM.
After sharing greetings, we loaded our trusty craft with a cooler, clothes, shovel, hammocks, Gargoyle stove, books, lots of stuff to keep us busy and entertained if necessary. The weather forecast was for warmth and humidity. Oh, btw, the bugs were bad. First night late evening getting dive bombed on the river by deer flies is ugly.
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This is the Old Town tripper, 17'2", with 2" rocker, 6" freeboard at 1200 lbs.
ABS Royalex, weight approx. 72 lbs. Designed after the classic Prospector.
We camped at the bottom of a sand dune, a very pretty place to sit and watch the sunset, Set up our Claytors as dark drew nigh, built a fire, swatted some bugs and went to bed early. About 10 years ago we had a large male black bear come into our camp about midnight at this site. Had no idea we were there. I remember holding my mini mag light on him and thinking how big he was. A few bangs on a metal pan with a large spoon, he sounded like a bulldozer going through the woods, disappearing into the woods as noisily as he had arrived. So, I slept lightly that night.
The next morning we had a breakfast of bagels, steel cut oats, coffee, and yogurt. Great way to start the day. As we ate, we were serenaded by lots of coyotes. Funny how we are close to Hwy. 131 but we are in some of the wildest areas of Michigan. We got on the water early. It felt like it was going to get hot. Prior to departure I bathed in the river, (no soap) and because the last two nights had temps. in the 40's the water was very invigorating. The warmest the river ever got, even with ambient temps in the low 90's, was 64 degrees.
We had a great paddle from the Dune campsite to Twin Pines. A paddle of about 20 miles and takes about 5 hours to complete with a couple of breaks, some floating, some swimming, some eating, and all the stuff we do as we float down the river. Cara read to me part of the time as I paddled leisurely down the river.
I love to paddle solo, having complete control over the craft and getting into a rhythm of strokes and techniques that are so second nature you just realize you have covered a mile of river without thinking about how you were going to do it. I am so into the here and now, I just observe, float, and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of water, things in bloom, and yes, even the occasional fireworks reminding us of human presence.
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This is a shot into the woods from Twin Pines campsite. The Bracken ferns were peaking. We wear them on our heads looking like little fairies to keep the flies off. A little lore from a local.
The five hour paddle was uneventful in many ways, and the hot sun and cool water were enjoyed putting us to camp about 1 PM.
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After setting up our hammocks and getting situated a bit, we drank a couple of beers and retired to our hammocks for afternoon naps. Man, that is the best.
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Having the time to read books, nap, walk, just sit and watch the river provided stress relief like none other. We went to bed before dark, and I had one of those perfect hangs. I think we can all relate to this, you get one that just works so well that the sleep is deep and the comfort like none other. Fortunately, we stayed two nights.
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One of the real advantages of canoeing is the ability to haul weight. Thus had wings cooked over the open fire and then baked in our 10" Dutch Oven with lots of sauce until you can just suck the flesh off the bone into a sensation of sweet, sour and SPICEY!! They were so good. Camping in the same site two nights has its advantages.
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We saw a lot of damage from Gypsy moth caterpillars. The above tree is an oak that has been completely defoliated. We would see huge areas of defoliation and the actual caterpillars everywhere. There is a large black fly that lays eggs in them and is a natural predator. They were everywhere. Lots of dead worms, lots of damaged trees, and at every moment during the day, you had 5-15 flies on various parts of your body. And then there were the deer flies. Oh, btw, did I mention the bugs were bad.
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This is our last campsite Sunday night. We affectionately call it Blueberry Hill. Here is why. Oh, btw, here is where "I found my drill."
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We had left Twin Pines early because storms were in the forecast including the possibility of heavy rain. Most storms occur in the afternoon hours so we departed early, paddled a wonderful two hour, 10 mile stretch, arriving at Blueberry Hill before noon. Morning sun on my back, face and legs felt so good that day. Anticipated highs were in the low 90's for the day and it got there quickly.
After getting things set up and watching some tubers go by, Cara and I went down to the river and just sat on a sand bar with about 18 inches of water going over it and pulled out rocks we found in the sand. We found beautiful quartz, petoskey stones, and lots of stuff. It was so fun to rock hound like a kid again.
It continued to get hot and windy. The rain forecasted never happened. We listened to the weather radio and there was a "high fire warning." We decided we would not have a campfire that evening and broke out Gargoyle's Nimball stove and cooked brats on the lid of the Dutch Oven. The fire was contained and much safer and fuel consumption minimal. I love the stove.
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That night was really warm. Low was 73 degrees. I took my water bottle to bed with me and let water run over me and cool the hammock below. I fell into a sweet sleep in spite of the heat.
We awakened to a cloudy morning and had coffee on Gargoyle's stove again trying to keep fire to a minimum.
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We paddled out that day, an enjoyable three hour float and in this stretch of the river there are a lot of two track roads that come down to the river so we got to see lots of car campers. What a hoot to see the stuff people do on the holiday.
We got back to our car to discover a rear tire was flat. One of the liveries was kind enough to give us a compressed air tank and we made to it Manton and incredibly enough the local garage was open. They repaired our tire for $10 and we were on our way. The river gods were with us.
Five days with the three dubyas, woods, water and wife, made for a most enjoyable experience. Time to slow down my head and open my heart to my marriage, to my love of the woods and river, rejuvenating my soul in ways indescribable. Nature does repair, there I feel nothing will befall me. . . .
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I'm gonna remember to have my partner read to me as I float down the river next time, that's sounded like a very enjoyable thing to do.
Originally Posted by canoebie
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