Channel Surfing

I found a couple hours before work to get out on the Fox River this morning. I dropped in at Lyons Park in Fox River Grove and headed into the wind.. south. I have paddled this section a few times, but like many trips, I found some new places to explore. This trip became all about the channels that branch off this section of the river.

I found the first channel right past the first cove on the East side of the river. It seemed like it was more from flooding, but it was deep enough to paddle so I went for it. I got about 100 feet into it and it narrowed pretty quick. I was hoping there was going to be enough room to turn around cause the current was moving quick and I wasn't looking forward to riding it backwards!

I was able to get the canoe in pretty far before I was stopped by a downed tree. Luckily, there was a opening that was about 20 feet wide to flip the 16 foot canoe around in. I had to pivot it on a dime to get it pointing back through the small gaps to get out. I thought that I was going in when I cut on gap too close and brushed a sunk stump...but all was well.

Right around the corner from that channel was a slightly larger one that was moving just as fast. This one went through a few backyards before it came to a little waterfall. I was able to spin the canoe again just before the quick ride back out to the river. It was an exciting little ride!

The best little channel ride in this section of the Fox is hard to find. I noticed it on my way back. It is on the West side of the river, just South of Lyons Park. It is a small mouth to the river, but it is there.

This channel is lined with seawall and it feels more like a walking path than a waterway. The homes that are on this section are all placed up steep banks and it adds to the depth of the channel.

I was expecting to come to a dead end as I rounded each turn. I was surprised to see that the channel kept going.

The channel really tapered down around the last turn and I was expecting a shallow, algae covered pond. As I came around that turn I heard rushing water. I was so happy to see a very cool waterfall at the back of the channel. It was such a great way to end this trip and I felt that I had discovered a real treasure. Although there were houses on either side of the fall and I am sure other paddlers had been back here, I still felt that I had just discovered new territory. I love exploring these little channels; you never know what is around the next little bend.

Want to see more pictures from this and other trips on the Fox?
Here you go!

Paddle Till The Current Says "No"

After the storms passed Sunday afternoon, I hit the Fox River. I dropped in North of the Dundee dam and paddled upstream towards the Algonquin dam. There is a park north of West Dundee called Fox River Shores that has great parking and an easy put in area.

This was my first time paddling this section of the Fox. My original plan was to launch North and float downstream first. Boy, was I glad that I went the other way. At the first turn, the river narrowed and the current picked up pretty quick. I almost stopped there...until I saw the first memory of the trip. There was a tree full of Turkey Vultures. There were about 5 of them in a tree and they took turns diving into the tall grass at the shore. I assume they had a tasty treat laying in there.

After the first turn and a heavy paddle session, I came across a doe hanging out by the shoreline. She was just as interested in me as I was in her.

The current was very strong for this trip and it took me about 2 hours to go 2 miles. Luckily, the river was high and there were some flooded sections I could duck into for a break. These little hideouts offered a nice break from the current and were very interesting in themselves. One had a waterfall, one had a heavy canopy, and another had an old car that had been forgotten for decades.

The scenery on this section of the Fox is fantastic. I think this may be the only area that has a hill that could maybe be considered a "Illinois Mountain". Sure, it isn't a Rocky or a Himalaya, but it is bigger than the sled hill in the neighborhood, so I think it gain's Mountain status.

The last little hideout gave me a chance for a self portrait. At this point, I also got a call from the wife allowing me to gain an extra hour of paddling before I had to head back. I thought this was GREAT because I was very close to reaching the Algonquin dam and that extra hour gave me enough time to give it a good try. The river had other plans for me. I drifted back out into the current and started paddling north again. I paddled a little harder. Then a little harder. Then I gave it all that I had. I was still at the mouth of the little cove that I had just left. The current told me "no" so it was time to crack a beer and spin the canoe around. On the way back, I saw another deer and a snapping turtle that could have cracked the canoe in half if he wanted to. It was a great trip and I can't wait to challenge the current again!

Lake Atwood Through the GoPro

After The Paddle in The Park, I attacked Lake Atwood. I don't think it knew what was coming when I started walking the boat down to the shore. I launched at the far west corner of the lake. There is a great little cove there that always stays calm. It is also filled with fish.

There was a threat of rain all day at the Paddle Event and the chance of rain grew as the day went on. As I stood at the booth, I watched the attendees paddle across the lake and their wakes were the only ripples out there. I could not wait to get out there. As hours went by, I became more excited and hopeful that the rain would hold off. When I was all done with the event, the sun was out and the lake was calm..... it was time to paddle!!

The only camera I had with me was my GoPro. I decided to mount it to a spare paddle so I could get it under the lake. Atwood is so clear, you can stick your paddle straight down and still see the far tip of it. The clear, spring fed water of this lake make it what it is. Usually, you paddle out and watch the scenery as it goes by. On Atwood, you spend your time slowly paddling around looking DOWN into the water. My GoPro spent most of it's time underwater. It was worth it. I made some friends under the water......

I love this lake. It is close to home, usually calm, and never very crowded. It is a great lake to paddle on, hike around and fish in. If you are in the area and want to get wet real quick, stop out at The Hollows and head to the back!

Paddle In The Park

I was out at the Paddle in The Park event at The Hollows in Cary, Il. The event is hosted by the Mchenry County Conservation District. The Hollows is the home to Lake Atwood. I love this hidden lake and was very excited to be a part of the event. The hard thing was standing in the booth all day and staring out at the smooth water.

There were a bunch of vendors and clubs out at the event. The cool thing about it was that there were kayaks and canoes for the public to try out and handle. It was a great venue to test all the types of boats that are out there.

There were trailers of boats at the park. There was also a Voyager canoe and if you haven't seen one of them in person, they are a sight!

2k Adventure Gear out of Richmond, IL had a fleet of kayaks lined up for paddling. They had a great spot to launch right in the cove of Atwood. It was a picturesque set up.

Flatwater Canoe and Kayak rentals also had a few kayaks out on the shore. I talked with the owner for a little while and heard his story from bad ass biker bar owner to kayak rental owner. It sounded like quite the change!

BK Boat n Sleds had their canoe carts and GoPro on display. They also carry a decent sit on top for teens and small adults.

Kayak Chicago had some paddle boards out for folks to try. I had not seen them in person before so it was cool to see how stable they were. I thought that it was going to be more difficult to paddle while standing on a surfboard, but it didn't look that bad.

After a great organic lunch from Duke Alehouse and Kitchen and packing up the booth, I was able to play! I have never been so happy to hit the water. It was like being a kid standing outside an ice cream shop all day and the owner comes out with a free cone.

No wind, no rain, and temps in the 60's. It was a great day for a paddling event AND an even better day for a paddle.

Nippersink Canoe Base Park

Another successful, peaceful paddle on Nippersink Creek. This time we dropped in at the newly renovated Nippersink Canoe Base. The put in is very nice and the park is great. I have never launched from this park before so I don't know how the water looks mid season, but I can already tell that the water level and the lily pads may be an issue in this area. We bottomed out on our way into the Nipper and lilies are already growing in the cove.

Once we got into the current of the creek, we fell into the picturesque landscape that lines the creek. The length of the creek that we paddled is part of the 355 acres Nippersink Park.

The section of the creek that runs through the park is heavily treed and there are a lot of fallen trees in the creek. Many more are hanging heavy over the creek. There are a lot of hairpin turns in this section too. The current was moving pretty quick, which slowed things down headed upstream, but was pretty fun on the way back.

Once you get out the North side of the park, it opens up into flat farm land. There is a huge farm that you can see once you come out of the woods. The bank of the creek gets really steep too. It feels like you are paddling through a really small canyon. The landscape takes you out of Illinois. I don't know where it takes you, but it isn't the flat plains of the Prairie State.

We made it about 1 & 1/2 miles upstream before we had to turn around. What took us an hour to paddle against the current only took us 30 minutes once we had the current on our side. The hairpins were fun on the way back. We had to really pick our paths and remember where the sandbars were.

There always seems to be one thing from each trip that stands out and is the memorable moment. This time it was a snake swimming across the creek. We spotted him just as we were getting back to the put in. We followed him a little and watched him disappear into the grassy shore. It was my daughter's favorite part of the trip.

Where Civilization Meets Nature

I hit the Nipper (Nippersink Creek) for the first time this season. I know the owner of Rustic Harbor, so I was able to drop the boat in there. It is located almost at the end of the creek where it meets the Fox River and Chain of Lakes.

I love hitting the creek. It feels like you are buried in some deep country creek and you are states away from where you started. This section of the creek has more homes than most of it. The trip started in the back of a neighborhood and we traveled upstream, away from the fox.

As you head upstream, you head further from civilization and closer to nature. The homes start thinning out and the birds and trees start taking over. I have only paddled this section once before, but this time I had a little more time to explore.

Just before we reached the rt 12 bridge and entered the nature section of our trip, we found a little gap in the bank. It was just wide enough for the canoe and we could see that it opened up into a little lake. We put some power behind our strokes and headed into the gap, not knowing how deep it was. We found out that it wasn't deep at all. It was deep enough though. Just enough for us to scoot over the mucky bottom and pop into a secluded lake.

Once we were back out on the Creek, we crossed under the rt 12 bridge, and as if to say good bye to the "civilization" portion of our trip, and Entemmans Doughnut semi truck passed over the bridge. It was pretty comical.

We paddled up under the railroad bridge and into the Canoe Base County Park. Here we saw 4 deer just off the bank. They did not hang out there long enough for a picture, so it was kind of a "you had to be there" moment. It was awesome.

The best part of paddling upstream is that you get to crack a beer and coast back. What took us an hour and a half to paddle upstream, only took us 45 minutes to float back.

We enjoyed every last minute of sunlight that day. We made it out on the water by 6.15 and got off the water at about 8.30. It felt like it was a full day on the water and I still wish we had more time. I love these short trips. They are a great way to end the day. They also give you just enough taste to crave the next one.

More Pictures From The Nipper

Big Wind, Tiny Lake

I snuck out onto Lilly Lake after work today. I was also able to bring my little co-paddler out with me to explore the back side of the lake. Today was one of those days when I was debating on going out. There was talk of storms coming through and the wind was pretty strong. I was afraid that I was just going out to go out. But, as always, it was worth going out.

We headed right to the channels on the back side of the lake. The algae and lily pads are starting to go. One of the channels was already covered over in algae. There was also a lot of downed trees back there. It was fun to weave in and out of them. It is creepy when the canoe bumps over one. That still spooks me for some reason....if though I know it is a log, I imagine it being some huge creature under the surface.

We got to see a Heron very close. He flew right up the channel at us. I think it may have been the closest that I have ever been to one.

The Heron was the coolest wildlife we saw on this trip. There was a lot of action under the water, but nothing popped up. We saw plenty of bubbles and ripples, but no actual animal.

The trip was a success and we dodged the rain. The wind was the factor on this one. With the big canoe, the wind catches it and spins it around very quickly. I have been paddling with a 7 foot kayak paddle. It comes in handy in the wind. I keep the wind to one side and use the full length of the paddle on one side of the boat. I grab the shaft with one hand and the 'dry' blade in the other. This allows me to use the full 7 feet and make a long swoop motion. This counteracts the pressure of the wind and keep the boat straight. It looks goofy as heck, but it works great.