Impromptu Paddle 1.94

Got the call from Doug Tuesday night asking if I thought the river would be good on Wednesday after work.  Checked the gage and it was at 4.4!  Decided to load the boat and take it with me to work so I could meet after work.  After a posting to Face Book on the Clinton River MI Paddle Page, we picked up 2 more for sure's and a maybe for the run.  Ended up being Jarrett, Steve, Doug, Dale and I paddling.  We left a couple cars at Yates then ran up to A&L for our launch.  Water was kicking pretty nice with a muddy brown tint.  The level for pretty much the whole run ended up being around 1.94 feet on the Auburn Hills Gage.

Right off the get go we came around the corner after the Doctor's office lot and there was a jam!  Dale got out and made short work of it and we were on our way without a portage.

There were a lot of spots to show Doug some whitewater paddling techniques.  Had him trying eddy turns and peel outs, by the end of the run Doug actually surfed over by the old RR bridge after Yates falls. 

We ran into Thorton or Thorston?  He was paddling a Kevlar carbon fiber kayak/canoe.  I think it was an actual C1 race canoe with a skirt.  According to reliable sources and to quote them "he was flying down the river"!  We ran into Cher and Melissa who we met the week before.  It was decided this would be a weekly paddling event.  LOL!  Just kidding, but we have had a decent season this Spring.  I'm sure we'll see these two on the river from time to time, they seemed to be having a good time!

Other noteworthy events was watching Steve do a little swim across from Rock Island!  He did good though, his hat never got wet!  We also had a tense moment after Rochester heading into the "Scary Corridor" where Doug almost went under a tree, well he actually did but managed to keep upright!  Also along there on your way down towards Paint Creek where the old chemical tanks used to be, there was a dead tree with many branches hanging out from river right that got your attention.  I ran the falls, successfully!  I thought it was not so bad because the flow through the pillows after the drop seemed like it was primarily downstream, but then I paddled back up into it and could really feel it pulling me in, had to back paddle out!

Some quick pics posted here, maybe I'll update this sometime after getting a few more pictures and add the video of the falls run, stay tuned!

Woody Debris just after the Doctor's Office

 

Adjusted Woody Debris!

Looking back upstream at the 'Scary Corridor'  This is after Rochester about 1/4 mile, after you make the right/left turn with all the broken cement on the banks, down where St. James Paper Co. used to be on river left, before you get to Paint Creek, where there is an iron seawall on river right.

 

Steve's Swim

Dale

 

Doug running through Rochester Rapid!

 

Into the Vortex of Death (this is upstream looking into the corner, a Left Hand 90 degree turn)

Steve, Jarrett & Doug

Cher

Melissa

 

Running the dam at Yates.  DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS!

Do as I say, not as I do! 

When we run this we have safety people with ropes and boats ready and our gear is made for this kind of a run, but any low head dam is dangerous even with the "right" equipment!