[ion maiden]

Feel free to jump in and fill in anything I've left out--this was a big weekend!

This weekend was well worth braving the frigid temperatures and biting winds, because it was so good to see my dear friends again, and also because I saw some breathtaking sights I had never seen before in my life. At several points during the trip, I simply paused and floated, savoring the dreamlike atmosphere enveloping me.

The rivers are showing bits of ice in places, and I know that given a few more days of this unseasonably cold weather, they would begin to ice over again, which in April, of course, isn’t right. However, the ice made such incredible formations that I was actually glad it was so cold. At times, fallen trees were lying so that their smallest branches, the ones ¼ to 1/8” thick, would be just above the surface of the water. Icicles formed on their tips, but not like any icicles I have ever seen. These were shaped like some sort of Christmas ornaments, or perhaps the dangling crystal parts of a chandelier. They would sometimes form in rows of a dozen or more. I was awed by their beauty. I didn’t know ice could do that! These small visual treats were available for our enjoyment on all three bodies of water that I paddled this weekend.

On Friday, I joined Mark, Keith, Rick, and Paul and his young son for a trip on the Little Maquoketa, north of Dubuque. This river is a rare prize because it is so hard to catch at a proper level on a day when people can get free to paddle it. I had done it once before, but for everyone else, it was their maiden voyage. This is definitely not a river for novices, especially in 30-degree weather with 25-mph winds (although the river is sheltered from the wind most of the time). It is a tiny, extremely twisty little river with lots of riffles on it. The scenery is stunning. At this time of year, all the bluffs and gorgeous rock formations that are normally obscured by the leaves on the trees are instead in full view. I was so thrilled to finally get back on that river!

Friday night, Keith, Rick, and I went to the Bunkhouse at Eden Valley near Maquoketa and stayed there with Dick, Robin, and Carolyn. On Saturday, the six of us paddled Whitewater Creek (which isn’t whitewater—that’s just the name) and followed it into the North Fork of the Maquoketa River. The bluffs in those areas are maybe 400 feet high. We could see where all the water seeps out of the limestone; everything was frozen and the ice was a brilliant white. We oohed and aahed at the HUGE rows of icicles coming out of the bluffs. I also got to enjoy many more of the little chandelier-cicles. When we stopped at Searryl’s Cave (which we decided not to go into this time), I noticed that the icicles coming out of the rock around the entrance were mimicking the rock formations inside of caves! There were ribbons, flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. Many of the stalagmites (the ones that grow up from the bottom) were egg-shaped. I thought it was so appropriate on Easter weekend to admire such beautiful crystalline eggs! We paddled on for a total of 20 miles that day, and afterwards Keith headed home and the remaining five of us went to eat in Maquoketa and then headed back to the Bunkhouse and crashed.

Did I mention that the Bunkhouse is a hike-in cabin? The walk to the place is just fantastic. The wildflowers are blooming (although the freezing temps are getting to them) and the bluffs tower over the trail. I had brought my tent along and was actually going to hike well past the Bunkhouse and set up my tent in the remote primitive camping area. However, 15 degrees just didn’t sound that great, even if my beloved barred owls were going crazy outside.

On Sunday morning, Dick and Robin took off, and Rick, Carolyn, and I paddled Big Bear Creek, which is the creek that runs through Eden Valley. Chuck and Melisa drove up to assist us, watch us, take pictures, and just hang out. We scouted for a place to put in, found one, and went to the farmer’s house to ask permission to launch from his property. The old guy thought it was a great idea, and he and some of his family followed us on ATVs along the shore on the first part of the trip. They were all pretty tickled about the whole thing. The one little granddaughter now wants to paddle the creek someday. I was glad that we were spreading such goodwill and being gracious representatives of our sport. There are too many farmers who have had bad experiences with people trespassing and trashing their land, and as a result, they are understandably not very paddler-friendly. However, as I said, this farmer and his family thought the whole thing was really fun and exciting. So did we. I had been wanting to paddle that little creek since about 2001, and I could scarcely believe it was finally happening, and to have it happen with some of my pals from Ames made it even better! The creek had some beautiful scenery, more bluffs and icicles and riffles. I was just so excited, but at the same time, so deeply at peace on this Easter Sunday.

I just thank God for the good friends, incredible experiences, and astonishing beauty I enjoyed this weekend. I have now paddled 83.5 miles in 2007, and several of those trips have been among the best I’ve ever had. This bodes very well for the rest of the year…
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Tires...
Must...retrieve...tires...

[Riverman]

Great report KJ- as you stated, I was there on Friday for the Little Maq. This one was very high on my wish- actually, I've wanted to do it for years. It didn't disappoint! Absolutely beautiful little stream, and one of the tiniest I've ever done. There were a couple spots where the whole river funneled down to a chute maybe five feet wide, though it probably averaged maybe 30 feet or so. We had 3 portages- the rock dam at the Sundown Ski Area (mandatory), and a couple logjams, the second of which was really just a pull over a sandbar. The first portage was run by Keith & Rick in their whitewater kayaks, but the rest of us in our longer boats portaged. It involved a very sharp turn in front of a strainer, coming directly off a rapids. I felt like playing it safe, in light of the cold temperatures. We encountured 2 large cottenwoods that had fallen completely across the river, but these both could be paddled under. They might have been a problem in higher water.
There seems to be some sort of an inverse law that states that the less frequently a stream is paddleble, the better it is to paddle once it's finally runnable.
I'm curious whether or not anyone has ever run the North or Middle fork of this river- where the combined North and Middle fork meets the South (main) branch, the northern stream appears larger. It appeared to have enough water to have been run Friday. Maybe this could be combined with a trip downstream from Durango.
I've never done Bear Creek- not even exactly sure where it is, but it sounds interesting. I also hope to do Whitewater Canyon soon.
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A ship in a harbor is safe- but that's not what ships are for.

[Gutwrencher]

KJ....sounds awesome and thanks for the great report. One hell of a weekend!
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Paddle Plannage(next 20): Beaver Creek 8-4 (Polk County), Rathbun, Middle Raccoon (Coon Rapids), South Raccoon Overnighter (2nd week August)