Trap Rock River Misery Paddle Tour
This was one of worst Misery Paddle Tours so far. I say that after every trip, which means I haven't reached rock bottom yet. Just kidding! The first few miles of the Trap Rock River south of Gay-Mohawk Road posed an entirely new challenge: rocks. We were forced to hike our kayaks for roughly 2-3 miles between the floatable sections, making our goal of reaching Lake Linden 15 miles downstream impossible. Alder thickets were of normal treachery, while blow downs for the late stages of the trip were horrific. Ultimately we gave up after traveling ten miles in ten hours when food ran low and daylight waned.
In the summer of 2020, I returned to finish the job. Picking up where we left off in 2019, I brought seasoned Misery Paddle Tour veteran Kurt along for what we thought would be an easy five-mile slide into Lake Linden. Our hopes were dashed by constant blowdowns and the occasional fun rapid to keep us on our toes. Although it was considerably easier than the first ten miles, I wouldn't recommend floating the bottom stretch either. It took us nearly three hours to cover the distance, quite slow when you account for the current helping push us along. Check out the photos from 2019 and 2020 to judge for yourself if you would have survived/enjoyed the trip.
