This was our longest day paddle ever! These three photos show our starting point at Forks State Forest Campground. It's a beautiful starting point to the Boardman. The staircase was easy to navigate and the river was relatively shallow, quick and clear.
A view of the river...
Entering the former backwaters of the Brown Bridge Dam. The Brown Bridge Dam was scheduled for removal, and the temporary dam was intended to draw down the pond over twenty days. Something went awry, and the pond emptied in four to five hours instead. That happened in October 2012.
Huge sandy banks, long stretches of stumps, and a peculiar lack of tree cover. Our trip was June 2013 - just a year and a half after the event.
According to one official, the water held in the Brown Bridge Pond and Sabin Pond can heat up the water temperature by at 8 degrees. Warmer water, less oxygen, less trout. (The interview can be seen here.)
Found all over the newly exposed sand...old world swallowtails
The river has been moving faster because the impoundment is gone. Turns out there was supposed to be a sign on that train bridge crossing. Folks, that was no excuse. The blame lies squarely on our shoulders.
So we paddled on. And on. And on. We had the conversation about missing our takeout. We paddled right past two kayakers taking out Beitner Road Bridge. Of course there's no sign there either, but we gave a jaunty wave and the kayakers lifted a beer in our direction. And off we went down Beitner Rapids.
As the river pace quickened and the noise from the faster water could be heard, we dropped to kneeling position. Even as amateurs, we always tie in our lunch cooler & dry bag with extra clothing. It was exhilarating and definitely got our blood pumping. Keep in mind this is an Old Town canoe that's sixteen and a half feet long. Not exactly intended for this type of water.
According to my trusty paddler's bible (Canoeing Michigan Rivers, by Jerry Dennis & Craig Date) there is a foot bridge at the site of the old Keystone Dam. We pulled out after that particularly fast stretch of water, and looked up at this enormous hillside with a very long set of stairs. Hmmm...no footbridge (may have been destroyed after the Brown Bridge Dam failed)...and there's no way we're carrying an 85 pound canoe plus gear up that thing. So back into the water we go, through more fast water.
We ended our trip in the backwaters of Sabin Dam. Some areas were incredibly shallow (due to the sediment washed downstream), and as the front man I got to read the water patterns and push us into the best channels. It was so silty & soft, I had a bad feeling if we ran aground we wouldn't walk - we'd sink up to our knees. Waiting in Sabin Pond was a great surprise - a pair of loons with their two babies. I snapped a photo and took a short video (shaky, with a dirty lens). We spotted loons on the lakes at Rifle River Recreation Area years ago, but this was the first time I ever heard a loon's call.
After pulling the canoe up the embankment near Sabin Dam, we assessed what gear to leave behind and how far of a walk we were facing back to our intended take out point. One dry bag with some extra clothes and the car keys, two bottles of water and a 4.5 mile walk back to Shumsky Road access as our shadows were getting long. Somewhere along that long walk we realized the trusty dry bag had ripped - oh please oh please let those car keys be in there - they were. Just another heart pounding moment on this trip. Just when we were in sight of our car, a friendly neighbor pulled up next to us and asked if we needed any help. She told us the river had been running faster than years previous, which would account for some misjudgment on our part, and that the sign indicated the Shumsky Road takeout was not hung on the preceding bridge as in previous paddling seasons.
A few "duh" reminders:
- bring a river map and perhaps even a road map
- scout landmarks and other clues to your takeout point instead of relying on signage
- bring a little cash in case you need to bum a ride for a long walk
River notes:
The former Brown Bridge impoundment is wide open with no tree canopy, which could be brutal in the heat of summer.
It's flowing a little faster, so subtract time from what is published in the Michigan river bible.
Definitely would consider running Beitner Rapids again in the canoe, but definitely *not* at the end of an 8 hour day on the river.
Care to share your own story about the Boardman? Feel free to add a comment below. Thanks for reading!
