So I went anyway... Canoe trip in the rain

Codger_64

Codger_64

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After a long dry spell, we are finally getting some rain. Almost daily now, some days more, some days less. I finally gave into the urge this morning and loaded the little Disco 119 onto the Impala and went to the river. Only a light mist was falling so what the heck.

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I paddled upstream under the bridge, making a few casts of the spinnerbait along the way. I didn't even make it to the first shoal when the lightning flashed and the bottom fell out of the sky. I beat a hasty retreat to the shelter of an overhanging tree to wait it out. Afterall, these summer showers don't last too long, right? Right?

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My rain jacket kept me dry for the most part, but the rain just kept getting harder and harder.

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When the lightning started getting closer and more frequent, I gave it up and paddled back to the shelter of the bridge where I sat and ate a lunch of crackers, cheese and summer sausage.

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Still the rain came. Thank goodness I brought my anchor as the current tried to pull me from under the bridge one way, and the wind pushed me the other way.

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The rain stopped after about thirty minutes and I beat a retreat to the car, not quite finished loading when the bottom fell out again. The trail/road down to the river was a creek. Luckily it was rock bottomed, not mud and the Impala climbed it without any problem. It rained constantly until I had finished the twenty-mile trip home. Then after a brief lull, has been raining ever since. I have over two inches in my rain gage just from today. And the USGS river gages are showing a significant rise in river levels. Dare I try a longer trip tomorrow in the 16-footer with Jake? Barring more lightning, I just might. I mean, what is the worst that could happen? I'd get wet?

Oh, and this was the first outing in the Discovery 119K. That explains why Jake wasn't with me today. That and I didn't want a wet dog on the Impala's seats. The little 119K canoe was MUCH more stable than the Dagger Tupelo, amazing since there is so little difference in their length. I was even able to stand in it and pee over the side, something I would never attempt in the Tupelo.
 
I miss being able to do these things...its hotter than hades here in Cali...and most of us here would give anything to see rain like that. Thanks for sharing...wish I lived closer...I'd love to go canoing...
 
I braved the heat and drought several times to go canoing in June and early July. But even the spring-fed rivers like the one I was on today, the Buffalo, had dropped so much that it was a chore to paddle through the long, slow pools then drag over the shallow gravel shoals. I am certainly not complaining about the rain. It is quite a relief from our recent spate of dry days with temps over 100 degrees. I am just an hour or so Southwest of Nashville. You are welcome to come float sometime. I can provide most everything but the plane ticket. :)

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Living on the coast in the Great Northwest I often canoe in the rain. Thankfully it rarely rains hard. Tennessee rain is awesome stuff.
Thanks for sharing Codger. It makes me want to get out on the river and play.
 
When the lightning started getting closer and more frequent, I gave it up and paddled back to the shelter of the bridge where I sat and ate a lunch of crackers, cheese and summer sausage.
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Glad to see the up-grade to the Mitchell. :thumbup:
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Thank goodness I brought my anchor as the current tried to pull me from under the bridge one way, and the wind pushed me the other way.
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I thought you was single again:D

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Lol! Yah, four years almost. I'll have to get some pics of my gear for you guys. Many years ago I discovered what is, for me, the most perfect canoe anchor for my rock and gravel bottomed rivers. A trunicated cone iron counterweight from the old balance scales we used to weigh cotton sacks in the fields when it was still picked by hand.

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I still occasionally find them around here in flea markets. They came in one-pound increments and I use a five-pounder clipped to a dock line. It doesn't get hung up on roots and rocks like a mushroom or fluke anchor and is fairly easy to retrieve in moving water. Similar weights were used elsewhere for feed scales and I have seen them used by the Amish around here to ground tie their buggy horses.

I'm loving that Mitchell paddle. I always carry a spare Mohawk or Carslile (kayak bungee paddle keepers installed under the gunnels), but so far, I haven't had to switch out. The laminated wood paddle is a lot tougher than I had expected. And pleasantly light. "Back in the day", we either used the Mohawk plastic and aluminum paddles or the one-piece Featherbrand wood paddles because that was all that was available. They were bad to split and splinter. For a second one, I am torn between getting another Mitchell Seneca just like this one or a very similar paddle by Bending Branches (Arrow) just to try it out.

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Mack, a warm rain I don't mind, not even the sloshing water in the bilge. But lightning makes me want to go home! And since I am nearly deaf, by the time I notice it, it is dangerously close. I do remember when I could hear the rain though. Yesterday, as hard as it was pouring down, I never heard it even beating on the hood of my rain jacket.
 
That is really kinda scary about the lightning. We don't get much of that at home. Our rain is colder too but generally not a hard rain.

Thanks for the tip on the anchor. I have been trying to figure out a good anchor and now I know what to get. That will work nicely.
 
Incidentally, these are usually called a scale "pea" and are made of cast iron with the eye either cast in or welded through. I've never had one break off or pull out. There may be a scale hook attached to the eye, but they are usually steel and can be bent open to remove them. I use a brass spring eye and brass rope clamp to attach the rope. I get these at either farmer's co-op stores or Tractor Supply (common for livestock lead ropes). Being cast iron, even the worst rust comes off with a wire wheel in my drill. Then I paint them red. It lasts for a season anyway. You may like one heavier or lighter than the one I use. 5# works for me, but they can be found down to 1# and 10# is the heaviest I have seen around here. I got the idea originally from my Granpa. He used cast iron sash weights to anchor his flatbottom.
 
I wish I had bought the smaller canoe instead of the 14 ft Old town Guide. I usually go by myself and if I need a bigger canoe I have access to them.
 
dipbait said:
I wish I had bought the smaller canoe instead of the 14 ft Old town Guide. I usually go by myself and if I need a bigger canoe I have access to them.
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It doesn't hurt to have a small fleet! :D I bought my two Old Towns used and have less in them combined than one new one costs. I have soloed the Guide 169 for quite some time, but there are times when one of the smaller ones is more suited. And also, if I invite friends, we can all go without having to borrow or rent. Renting ten times a year pays for a cheap canoe. I have a personal thing against borrowing though. If it is stolen or destroyed, I have bought one and still don't have one.

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Come to think of it, maybe I need just... one more?
 
For a second one, I am torn between getting another Mitchell Seneca just like this one or a very similar paddle by Bending Branches (Arrow) just to try it out.

Mitchell, hands down. Bending branches break. I don't usually like to say anything bad about a company, but I'd hate to see you spend good money and have it fail.
I've never seen or heard of a Mitchell break.
 
mewolf1 said:
Mitchell, hands down. Bending branches break. I don't usually like to say anything bad about a company, but I'd hate to see you spend good money and have it fail.
I've never seen or heard of a Mitchell break.
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That is the direction I am leaning. The BB paddle is $25 or so cheaper on the MSRP, but I have been impressed with the Mitchell so far. And no, I haven't babied it on the rocky shoals or fending off snags. I've also heard those pretty Whiskyjack paddles called "Whiskycracks". Beauty don't mean a thing if it can't take a swing.
 
Lots of rain in the last week. The rivers didn't hardly even look high after about 6" of rain over 3-days. I don't care much for being in a canoe in the rain. But then, who does?
 
Oh, the rain doesn't bother me so much. If it hadn't been for the lightning, I would have stayed and fished. That gray box in the picture is my dry box - an old aluminum navy radio test unit container. It holds all sorts of treasures like a rain jacket, a 10x10 rain fly, besides the snacks, first aid kit, plano tackle boxes and stringer, fishing regs and license, pliars, an Ulster camp utility knife, keys and wallet, toilet paper, a towel, paracord, a mini squeeze light, and on and on. I've been caught on the river in all sorts of weather and even a hard rain is not a big deal to me. As long as there is no lightning.

I'll spread out my gear and get a picture of it tomorrow if I have time. Hopefully I will have a full service schedule though.
 
Wow. I just realized that you were talking about the Buffalo River in Tennessee all these posts in the past, not Arkansas. Looks like the kind of river I need to spend a day or two on my kayak.

I have never been on the Buffalo in Tennessee. Looked it up, largest tributary to the Duck River and it is not empounded over its 125 mile length. I canoe the Elk River in TN from time to time. It is a nice family kind of river.

What part were you visiting this time?
 
This is a quick pic I took of my anchor today. I've been using these since I was a kid and they work well for me. The rope is just 5/8 braided dockline from Wally World. I guess this one is about 25' long or so, but I never really let it out that far.

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Rigging the rope:

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Looks like a fun trip. Great photos I really like the ones looking out of the canoe into the rain splattered water and the distance. I spent a lot of time on the river in the rain in my younger days. I really miss it some times in the summer and autumn...never really miss it in the winter though.
 
Mistwalker, as one might guess, I don't have a camera... just a cell phone to take photos with. Still the pictures are better than I used to make of river trips with a Kodak Instamatic 110 back in the day. I do envy the cameras and lenses some of you have though. Like most of you, I see things that catch my eye when out and about, but I just cannot capture the images. This rain was 2x as dense as it appears in those pictures, for instance.

I need to get a better rain jacket or suit. This one is 100% waterproof (rubberized nylon), but heavy and sweaty. And it doesn't compact well. It is a Dutch Harbor brand and typical of heavy duty rain gear found at local farmer's co-ops around here. It still beats the old woodland military poncho (I still have several) I used to use. They also work, but I worry about entrapment in them on the water should I capsize. I haven't done that in many years but I did learn to plan for it when rigging my canoes and selecting gear.
 
If I'm just hiking I just take a P&S, if I'm working I already have an SLR anyway and usually just finish running the battery down so I can charge it for the next day. I just picked up a D90 which is water sealed so I'll feel better about working in wet conditions. Most good rain gear is heavy and sweaty I think. I remember being out in the rain for hours on the river running traps, nets, and lines. In the summer and autumn it wasn't bad, in the winter it could suck pretty bad at times.

I think I am wanting to pick up a little canoe like your green one. How long is that one?
 
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