Mighty Clinton River (MCR) !!: Upper MCR 2nd Annual Trip

This past Sunday we paddled on the 2nd Annual Upper MCR paddle trip. Once again our hosts Lori and Curt showed us a great time on a nice little section of the river. Lori organized meeting places and arranged shuttle so we'd all have our vehicles at the take out, thanks Lori! The route is described in the "where to paddle the Clinton river" tab, but basically from Elizabeth Rd (& Airport) down to Dodge Park No. 4 State Park on Cass lake.

We launched by 11:20am and with 1.32 on the Auburn Gage, the level wasn't too bad! The water was nice and clear and the weather was partly cloudy but quite comfortable without the blazing sun beating down on you.

About a half hour into our 3 hour paddle we all pulled over onto just about the only sand bar you might see on this section. Most of the bank is marsh grass right to the river and lots of private property anywhere else you might want to pull over, but you can just pack some snacks and beverage and do just fine, the depth is also quite low so you could always step out of your boat right in the river to cool off if you wanted to.

We did see a family launching at Cooley Lake Rd in their kayak and towing their kids in an inflatable raft, ran into them from time to time and it looked like they were having a good day. Our crossing of Cass Lake went as smooth as the water (was not choppy at all this year!) and when we arrived at Dodge Park No. 4 the picnic was already set up and dogs were on the grill! We all enjoyed some hot dogs and other picnic food along with our "beverages". Keep in mind this park is a "dry park" unless you rent the pavilion and although we kept it 'cool' the ranger girl came around in her golf cart and poured out a cooler full of beverages. Luckily we had some growlers in another cooler, but after a bit a DNR officer stopped by to remind us the park was "dry" and to stow our beverages in the car for future use. He was cool about it so we pretty much packed it up and were out of there soon after that, it was about time to go anyways so we all had a great day on the river!