This Kayak Float Report was previously posted on my Facebook Page.
Kayak Float Report: Eldon Russell Park, Upper Cuyahoga River. April 11, 2021 Part 1
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Does anybody want to know what it's like to swim in 61-degree water? You can ask me. The inevitable happened. The scenic upper section of the Cuyahoga River was high from last night's rain. Highest I've ever been on this part of the river. The current was going at a good rate but very manageable paddling going upstream. Met a couple in separate kayaks one with a puppy aboard. Said they were training the pup to get used to kayaking. They said they had recently been to Ladue Reservoir nearby and the pup enjoyed it. He seemed a bit skittish in the kayak with the shore so close. Still looked as though he was enjoying himself. Shout out to Francis Marie, the pup's caretaker.
Well, a quarter mile upriver I had to turn back as I forgot my Continuous Glucose Monitoring reader. I had this for several months and it made it possible for me to get off my diabetes insulin injections. Now with the reader in my dry bag. Phone in a waterproof pouch zipped and folded, GPS in a plastic bag I was set to go upriver as far as possible. Met another solo kayaker meandering upriver exploring the coves and inlets. Said he saw an eagle a while back. I moved on working my way thru fallen trees while fighting the current. Still not difficult. Until...
There was this one tree, not very big or bushy but average as far as trees that fell across this river yet high enough above the water for me to paddle under. It had this protruding branch that refused to move out of my way. Then in a split nanosecond, I was beyond my tipping point on the right side. An experienced paddler could have easily braced their paddle and righted back up. Instead, this paddler grabbed the branch and refused to let go. My thought was to pull on the branch to bring the kayak back under me. The current would not cooperate and I slipped out of the cockpit like a wet noodle into the water where I couldn’t touch the bottom. Happy to report the Onyx PFD did its job well. With one hand on my paddle and the other holding onto the kayak, I managed to swim the kayak closer to the shore and found my footing on the muddy bottom. I wedged the bow under another fallen branch, and using my bailer and sponge emptied the cockpit of its liquid content. The banks were much too high to get on land so standing on a submerged branch I hopped on the back and straddled the kayak while maintaining balance and climbed back in the cockpit. Whew! My first water entry! I had my spray skirt on but it wasn't secured to the coming. Good thing? I don't know. But probably was as I haven't practiced this maneuver before.
Was I cold? To be honest, I expected the worst. But once submerged I didn’t feel the cold the least bit. The water temp was 61 on my thermometer and the air temp was around 62. Here's what I was wearing. Neoprene water shoes, polyester socks, a quick dry pair of Kuhl hiking pants, my lycra padded bike shorts (I planned to bike after paddling to save time), a Merino wool T-shirt, and a polyester sweatshirt. The PFD and the kayak spray skirt along with my paddling gloves. Nothing with cotton. To my amazement, I was very comfortable in the water for the 10 minutes it took to bail the water out of the boat, and once inside the kayak I felt wet but not chilled. I continued upriver for a bit more but met more obstacles. I think I had enough excitement for the day. The downriver trip went quickly and this time I had my cell phone sealed securely in the waterproof pouch. Everything in the dry bag stayed dry but not the cauliflower chips in the bag. They were a little damp shall we say.
Chatted with several other kayakers who were paddling upstream and were wearing dry suits I might add. I had dry clothes in the car and changed as quickly as I could. Sure was glad to be out of my soggy situation. With the kayak safely tied up on top of the car I headed up to Headwaters Park a short distance away where I had reserved a campsite for the night
Got in a short bike ride and hiked a bit of the Buckeye Trail that runs through the park.
I built a small fire in the fireplace next to the Lean-too and set out all the wet clothes to dry. Fixed up a good dinner on my camp stove and I am content.
Tomorrow we'll see what East Branch Reservoir has in store for me. The water here is high. so if you are going out do be careful. And don't panic!
Part 1 of 2
Entrance to Eldon Russell Park
Nice sandy beach to launch.
The upper Cuyahoga River meanders between the wetland and forest.
About as wilderness as you get in this part of northeast Ohio
Enjoying the ride not knowing in a few minutes I was going to be swimming for my life.
The phone camera still works after the spill. Here I wedged my bow under the branch while I hopped on the back of the kayak and slid myself back in the boat.
The Asphalt path leads south and I only got as far as Middlefield
That’s how you get a date stamp on your photos!
Started sunny this morning and clouds were building up. Got to keep an eye on the weather.
One of the trailheads along the trail.
Headwaters Park campsite in one of the 3 Lean’to with a nice fireplace near the opening. I tacked a poly prop tarp to the south side of the Lean-to for a wind break.
I had Max the Wonder Dog along for this adventure. Max loves to check out my cooking.
The gloves dried but not the waterproof kayak shoes. Keeps the water out but once in the shoe refuses to leave.
If you enjoyed reading my adventure and would like to make a small contribution without subscribing I have included a Tip Jar with PayPal for your convenience.
Sailing Saga of the Sea Marie is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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Kayak Float Report: Eldon Russell Park, Upper Cuyahoga River, April 11, 2021, Part 1
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Trying out this New Thread feature on Substack.
This Kayak Float Report was previously posted on my Facebook Page.
Kayak Float Report: Eldon Russell Park, Upper Cuyahoga River. April 11, 2021 Part 1
(Note: If this post is truncated in an email, readers can click on "View entire message" and they'll be able to view the entire post in their email app.)
Does anybody want to know what it's like to swim in 61-degree water? You can ask me. The inevitable happened. The scenic upper section of the Cuyahoga River was high from last night's rain. Highest I've ever been on this part of the river. The current was going at a good rate but very manageable paddling going upstream. Met a couple in separate kayaks one with a puppy aboard. Said they were training the pup to get used to kayaking. They said they had recently been to Ladue Reservoir nearby and the pup enjoyed it. He seemed a bit skittish in the kayak with the shore so close. Still looked as though he was enjoying himself. Shout out to Francis Marie, the pup's caretaker.
Well, a quarter mile upriver I had to turn back as I forgot my Continuous Glucose Monitoring reader. I had this for several months and it made it possible for me to get off my diabetes insulin injections. Now with the reader in my dry bag. Phone in a waterproof pouch zipped and folded, GPS in a plastic bag I was set to go upriver as far as possible. Met another solo kayaker meandering upriver exploring the coves and inlets. Said he saw an eagle a while back. I moved on working my way thru fallen trees while fighting the current. Still not difficult. Until...
There was this one tree, not very big or bushy but average as far as trees that fell across this river yet high enough above the water for me to paddle under. It had this protruding branch that refused to move out of my way. Then in a split nanosecond, I was beyond my tipping point on the right side. An experienced paddler could have easily braced their paddle and righted back up. Instead, this paddler grabbed the branch and refused to let go. My thought was to pull on the branch to bring the kayak back under me. The current would not cooperate and I slipped out of the cockpit like a wet noodle into the water where I couldn’t touch the bottom. Happy to report the Onyx PFD did its job well. With one hand on my paddle and the other holding onto the kayak, I managed to swim the kayak closer to the shore and found my footing on the muddy bottom. I wedged the bow under another fallen branch, and using my bailer and sponge emptied the cockpit of its liquid content. The banks were much too high to get on land so standing on a submerged branch I hopped on the back and straddled the kayak while maintaining balance and climbed back in the cockpit. Whew! My first water entry! I had my spray skirt on but it wasn't secured to the coming. Good thing? I don't know. But probably was as I haven't practiced this maneuver before.
Was I cold? To be honest, I expected the worst. But once submerged I didn’t feel the cold the least bit. The water temp was 61 on my thermometer and the air temp was around 62. Here's what I was wearing. Neoprene water shoes, polyester socks, a quick dry pair of Kuhl hiking pants, my lycra padded bike shorts (I planned to bike after paddling to save time), a Merino wool T-shirt, and a polyester sweatshirt. The PFD and the kayak spray skirt along with my paddling gloves. Nothing with cotton. To my amazement, I was very comfortable in the water for the 10 minutes it took to bail the water out of the boat, and once inside the kayak I felt wet but not chilled. I continued upriver for a bit more but met more obstacles. I think I had enough excitement for the day. The downriver trip went quickly and this time I had my cell phone sealed securely in the waterproof pouch. Everything in the dry bag stayed dry but not the cauliflower chips in the bag. They were a little damp shall we say.
Chatted with several other kayakers who were paddling upstream and were wearing dry suits I might add. I had dry clothes in the car and changed as quickly as I could. Sure was glad to be out of my soggy situation. With the kayak safely tied up on top of the car I headed up to Headwaters Park a short distance away where I had reserved a campsite for the night
Got in a short bike ride and hiked a bit of the Buckeye Trail that runs through the park.
I built a small fire in the fireplace next to the Lean-too and set out all the wet clothes to dry. Fixed up a good dinner on my camp stove and I am content.
Tomorrow we'll see what East Branch Reservoir has in store for me. The water here is high. so if you are going out do be careful. And don't panic!
Part 1 of 2
Entrance to Eldon Russell Park
Nice sandy beach to launch.
The upper Cuyahoga River meanders between the wetland and forest.
About as wilderness as you get in this part of northeast Ohio
Enjoying the ride not knowing in a few minutes I was going to be swimming for my life.
The phone camera still works after the spill. Here I wedged my bow under the branch while I hopped on the back of the kayak and slid myself back in the boat.
The Asphalt path leads south and I only got as far as Middlefield
That’s how you get a date stamp on your photos!
Started sunny this morning and clouds were building up. Got to keep an eye on the weather.
One of the trailheads along the trail.
Headwaters Park campsite in one of the 3 Lean’to with a nice fireplace near the opening. I tacked a poly prop tarp to the south side of the Lean-to for a wind break.
I had Max the Wonder Dog along for this adventure. Max loves to check out my cooking.
The gloves dried but not the waterproof kayak shoes. Keeps the water out but once in the shoe refuses to leave.
Click here for Part 2 for the continuation and more photos.
If you enjoyed reading my adventure and would like to make a small contribution without subscribing I have included a Tip Jar with PayPal for your convenience.
Tip Jar for PayPal
Thank you!
Sailing Saga of the Sea Marie is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.