Day 10 to 12

Gear Talk #2-My Clothing Kits

Dressing properly for this trip was essential. I endured heavy rain, snow, wind, early season warmth, and spring frost. My body temp fluctuated constantly based on how hard I had to paddle, if I was portaging, or while I was stopped to eat. Proper layers were the key to keeping me as comfortable as possible.

Right before launching each morning I’d put on a long-sleeved lightweight base-layer, swim trunks, and light or mid-weight long johns. I’d finish with a pair of heavy cushioned hiking socks. I kept two sets of this combo in a stuff sack and rotated them, doing my best to start dry each morning but that was a luxury. Most days this kit would be at best a little damp. Next came the outerwear. First on was a pair of Kokotat paddling pants with booties covered by a pair of neoprene Muckluks. On top I’d wear a fleece layer and splash top as dictated by the weather. On a good day I needed neither, on a bad day, I’d have to wear both. To keep my hands warm I wore neoprene pogies, then top it all off with either a winter hat or my Tilly hat for sun/rain protection. Several times a day I applied a product called Sportwax to the back of my hands to keep the skin from cracking. This was critical! I switched my outerwear kit to a drysuit once I started paddling Lake Michigan.

After landing and setting up my tarp and tent I’d pull out my “night” clothing bag. Changing into warm, dry clothes was a highlight of each day. I wore mid-weight top and bottom baselayers and a thick fleece top most of the time. I’d then cover them with Marmot Precip rainwear for warmth and to stay dry. My camp shoes were a pair of Salomon GTX trail shoes which went over the top of thick Smartwool socks. Winter gloves and hats completed the look, and were worn more often than not.

With limited re-supply/laundry options, there were several times where both my day and night kits got a bit ripe. The mornings I had to put on wet, smelly clothes were tough but once underway I was generally comfortable and learned to ignore that smell.

April 26th

Day 10 (48 miles in 9 hours)

To Lowell or Bust

Anna came & picked up Rusty @ Webber around 8:30am She brought us coffee as well! After they left, I finished packing up and got on to a much fuller river around 9:30am. I didn’t much care for either the Wager dam portage (right side, straight down) or Lyons (right side down some STEEP stairs) but am now down to one more portage. Was in some hard rain in the early afternoon but had the wind at my back. Made Lowell (fairgrounds) around 3:30 and was greeted by Mike and Ann Mulder, former kayak students who have been tracking me & spreading the word. In Ada I was meet by Toni, the kids, & Ben and Gabe Smith who had a well-timed bag of cookies and some cheese sticks. I decided then to go home that night and use the stop as my second resupply. But I needed to knock off a few more miles so I headed to Knapp. While awaiting my shuttle Wayne Norlin and Jim Winter-Troutwine woke me from a small nap. It’s pretty nice that I’m getting these visitors! Told some stories & took some pics as Toni and Madison loaded up my gear. Then Wayne & Jim did me a huge honor and loaded my kayak. Big Thanks! Might see these guys in the morning.

At home I was met by Gma D, Pat & Craig, both dogs & the family. I really just wanted a hot shower so the visit was short but it was fun filling in Dad’s questions. With all this technology folks know a good deal about what’s going on out there.

Steak for dinner, and Salad! Then a couple hours on the computer checking out Jim’s blog & fixing our site, then off to bed.

Today’s challenge was staying interested in the paddling. With such a wide open river there was nothing to concentrate on-no current, navigating, storms to watch, etc..

Cool thing today-Anna bringing coffee and the Mulders in Lowell.

The horrible thunderstorms, the crushing sound of water through the dam and those crazy sirens made for one loud night of camping. We woke up to sunshine and then Anna arrived with those two cups of heavenly coffee (I brewed my own in a press every morning but for whatever reason, hers was so much better). Rough night but the day was looking pretty good.

Saying good-bye to Rusty sucked and once the McBrides left it was back to paddling alone. The stretch from Webber Dam to Ada had 3 dams I’d go around today. The first two were challenging (Lyons has since been removed) but once through Ionia there would be only one more portage in Grand Rapids!

    

After the sunny start to the day, I endured some heavy showers heading towards Lowell. Note the flooded banks. On the right, my approaching the Mulders in Lowell. They took some nice pics of me from shore.

With all the rain the river was rippin’ and I made great time. It poured on me several times today but I remember finding a great rhythm to my paddling and the miles flew by. The sun came out after lunch and that visit with the Mulders in Lowell was a great morale boost. A quick shot down to Ada and I had more company- Toni, Maddie, Jake and the neighbor boys with their delicious treats! I had been debating on whether to spend the night at home or camped on the river. Their short visit made me want to go home and I arranged for a pick-up at Knapp Street. There I got sneak attacked by Jim and Wayne, two more of my kayak students from Grand Rapids. (These surprise shoreline visits today boosted my belief I would actually finish this trip.) Jim and I arranged to paddle the stretch from Knapp to Riverside park together in the morning, my shuttle picked me up, and I was headed to what would be my last shower and a night in a bed (my bed!) of the trip.

    

Leaving Lowell, headed towards Ada This was the first picture where I could see how low in the water my boat due to the load. With my kid's and the neighbor boys at the flooded launch in Ada. Such a spirit lifting visit.

 

    

The pic on the left is of a massive tree trunk that was floating down the river. The flooding brought all kinds of debris into the water. Wayne, Jim and myself at the Knapp street launch. All the surprise visits today meant a lot to me. Thanks everyone!

 

April 27th

Day 11 (Did not record milage)

Third hardest leg (of trip) today

Got everyone out of the house and started packing for the final push. Set up 10:45 as the time to meet Jim for the day’s paddle. Mom came and shuttled me to the river (and did the dishes, thanks!)

By starting late we knew we’d be in for some weather, but I had no idea we’d spend the trip to Riverside Park (Jim’s take-out) in 2 foot waves (they were breaking out in the middle of the river). Winds were 25 mph sustained with 40 mph gusts and it was pretty much right in our face. Jim did a hell of a job & we knocked it off in 2.5 hours! The Grand Rapids Press had a photographer meet me @ Riverside for some pics, then it was off on my own and back into the wind. Beat myself up till Johnson Park (rain started shortly after reaching downtown GR) where Mom and Grandma were waiting. I wheeled across the street to a pavilion, visited w/Mom, then had some soup & coffee & read my book as I settled down from that punishment. After an hour the wind quit, the rain lightened, and I took my caffeinated body back onto a much friendlier river. Want to get as far as possible since there’s a nice weather window starting on the big lake tomorrow. Was moving pretty good, jamming to the new music, when I noticed a group of people jumping & waving on the riverbank. It was the Berridges (Rick, Amy, Emily, Maggie, and Maggie’s friend Lexie) They had thin mints! Visited for ½ an hour or so, Amy gave me an orange, and off I went. Got just downstream from Lake Michigan Drive and camped. Tough day but better forecasts for tomorrow!

Cool thing today-Saw a Sturgeon roll by the public museum

I recall my morning at home was a bit hectic as I was having issues updating an on-line log, uploading new music to the i-pods, and scrambling to re-supply for the last leg of the journey. Getting on the water at 10:30 was a bit of a mistake but I didn’t know it quite yet. Jim Winter-Troutwine has been developing a great set of skills in his sea kayak and was excited to join me for the morning paddle from Knapp to Riverside Park in Grand Rapids. This is a pretty stretch of river and under normal circumstances should have been about a 90 minute trip. Not Today! In all my time on all the rivers I’ve paddled, I’ve never experienced wind and waves (2 foot breakers in the middle of the river) on this level. Found out later that some of the gusts we paddled into were 40 mph. We hugged shore and powered through it, taking an extra hour to complete the trip. It took a lot of energy out of us but it was here I realized how strong I’ve gotten over the past 10 days.

   

My mom was a big help the past two days. Here she's helping unload as I prepared to start the final push. On the right is Jim getting ready to paddle with me to Riverside. We didn't know what lay ahead!

   

On the left is Jim powering his way through the violent headwind, just as the winds were kicking up. On the right is an angry Grand River behind 5/3 Ballpark. We had to stay real close to shore to avoid being blown back upriver!!

At Riverside, Wayne came to pick up Jim and I got the surprise visit from the newspaper reporter. They published a short story about our group the next day with pictures of myself and the intrepid 4,who were still one day behind me.

    

Jim and I after our morning beat down. Me leaving Riverside, heading back into the beast. Toby and the intrepid 4 in GR the next day showing the stark contrast in weather day to day.

After eating lunch I got back on the river for my first paddle through downtown GR. Again, this should have been a pretty quick trip, but the wind and eventually pelting rain slowed my progress considerably. There was absolute joy in launching below the downtown dam, as that was the last portage of the adventure. With the high water levels, I was also able to clear the 3 low-head dams that exist just below the big dam without getting out of my boat. (Note: This section of river can be very dangerous and is not recommended for recreational paddling at this time. Project Restore the Rapids is underway to have all the dams removed and return the river to its natural flow. Once that work is done, paddling through GR should be an amazing trip for anyone.)

   

Above the downtown GR Dam and ready to portage and below the dam, ready to launch. I was definitely nervous going back onto the river here.

The river below GR river flattens, widens, and slows down for the remainder of it’s path to Lake Michigan. From here to Johnson Park in Grandville I took the weather on the nose and earned each paddle stroke. I reached Johnson Park around dinner time completely beat but my Mom and Grandma were on the bank waiting for me. Seeing my grandma smile as I pulled my boat out of the river and spend some time visiting really perked me up.

I’m pretty close to my Grandma. At that time she was 96 years old and living on her own on the West Side of GR, about 8 miles away. She’s still alive today at 107, is in good health and now resides in a home up in Suttons Bay. With her genes, maybe I’ll do another one of these trips in my 90’s!

I remember that visit seemed too short but it was cold and grandma wanted to go home. After they left, I recall enjoying a long leisurely dinner break during which the wind almost completely quit and the rain eased up. I returned to a much different river for the evening paddle. I again got into a really good rhythm and was making great time when I noticed some commotion on the opposite side of the river.

    

The river calmed down after dinner. This was just below Grandville. On the right are Amy, Emily and Rick Berridge. This was the most unexpected visit of the trip and made even more memorable by the Girl Scout cookies and the fresh orange!

Our good friends, Rick and Amy Berridege, along with their daughter and her friend, had timed a visit to a riverside park near their home to see me go by. Each of these surprise visits were amazing spirit lifters. I remember very well the package of thin mints and especially that fresh orange. Unknowingly, this was my last contact with people until I got boarded by the Coast Guard on day 15.

Found a rare dry, grassy spot along the river somewhere around Allendale to camp that night. It had started raining again and I knew the river was beginning to flood. I placed a stick at the waterline before climbing into bed and checked it several times that night. While the water did come up overnight thankfully it didn’t reach my camp. I remember sitting under my tarp thinking about how this would be my last night camping on the river. Tomorrow I’d be paddling on Lake Michigan!

   

April 28th

Day 12 ( 40 miles in 11.5 hours)

Made Lake Michigan!

Awoke to more rain and cooler temps. Hit the river @ 9:30 with a drizzle but blue skies ahead. Seemed like the lower river went on forever but finally crossed under US-31, the last N/S road before the lake. Seems like weeks ago I was going under I-275.

Big lake is kind today. Large 5-6 foot rollers from the north & a strong east breeze. I stayed within a ¼ mile of shore, as the east wind was kicking up waves & blowing the boat around if I got out farther.

Made it to 4 miles s. of Pigeon Creek & decided to land in the light, as the breakers were good size near shore. Cool thing today-The sunset

    

That was my final river campsite of the trip. I was surrounded by rising water but managed to stay dry one last night. The pic on the left is what the lower Grand looks like for miles. I wasn't a fan.

I recall that morning paddle through the lower Grand was a mental grind. The river is slow, there wasn’t much to look at that was interesting, and I so badly wanted to get to the lake. Paddling out of the channel and onto a rolling Lake Michigan felt like emerging from a shell. Clear water, fresh air, and a wide-open view sure felt great. I pulled up on the beach at the state park for lunch and laid all my gear out again to dry in the sun and the breeze before re-launching and heading south. The winds from the day before had created super big swells that were breaking near shore, but in the shelter of the pier I was able to launch, and I rode those swells with a smile on my face all the way to Pigeon Creek, where I stopped for dinner in the shelter of the pier.

   

   

I've reached the channel in Grand Haven! It was here I started thinking the wrist damage could be more serious than I thought. On the bottom was me drying out at the Grand Haven State Park and the Lake Michigan shoreline just south. I was so happy to be off the river! 

I paddled for a bit longer after dinner but the shore was now lined with homes and cottages, so I had a hard time finding a private spot to land. I picked a small dune in front of what I hoped was an empty cottage as I wanted to get off the lake and through that surf before dark. I watched the sunset over that wide-open vista then fell asleep to the sound of the crashing waves with a great sense of accomplishment of being off the river.

Shots of my first evening on the big lake. Stopped at Pigeon Creek channel for dinner, my first lakeshore campsite, watching the sunset, and a selfie for no particular reason.