Ok, so I know I haven’t posted in a couple weeks. Holidays are getting into full swing. I apologize and here is an account of a late November kayak/bike trip I took. As always, map is to the right and pictures are below.
I marveled at the strength of 3/8 inch thick ice as I backpaddled, took four full paddle forward strokes and slammed into the sheet of ice covering the surface of Little Muskingum near the junction of Hills Bridge Rd and County Road 9. I was on a multi-sport day trip that began 2.5 miles upstream from my current location at Lang Farm Campground in Wayne National Forest. On this frigid Saturday afternoon, I had put in at the campground with the intentions of kayaking downstream several miles to a location at which I had stashed my mountain bike. I would then ride my bike back to the campground, pick up the car, and retrieve my kayak. The kayaking was proving more difficult than I would have imagined however. I didn’t plan on there being ice on ¾ of the creek already this year. I suppose that was to be expected however as the temperatures were hovering in the mid to upper 20’s that day.
This wasn’t my first voyage down this particular stretch of stream. I had performed this trip many times before, exploring side streams and backroads that I normally would not have had the chance to examine. Little Muskingum has a plethora of off shoots that, in the wetter months, are easily navigable via kayak. I have a 9.5 foot boat, so navigating the tight turns and fallen logs is a relatively easy task and can lead to some very interesting discoveries. I have found submerged cars, small islands, stumbled upon deer herds getting a drink, and startled beavers building dams in my adventures in the backwater of Little Muskingum. I have also seen numbers of Wood Ducks, Mallards, and Otters swimming and eating along the banks of the river. The amount of wildlife that can be photographed is amazing, as you can slip right up to the animals without making a noise.
I thought about all of my warm weather excursions and laughed as I stared at the half mile expanse of solid ice that lay before me. I was under the old wooden tunnel that crosses the water right after the junction of State Route 26 and County Road 9. I had already broken through several patches of ice to get this far and was unfortunately to the point of no return. Going back was going to be just as difficult as progressing forward, or at least that is what I was telling myself. So I backed up once again, took my full paddle strokes, slammed into the ice and came to another grinding, disappointing halt. Finally, facing the fact that this method wasn’t working, I looked around for an escape route. Spying a log extending from the shore partway into the water on the right hand side of the creek, I began a new plan of attack: break my way to the log and portage around the ice to the riffles I could see just off in the distance. Using my paddle, momentum, and some dumb luck, I broke through the ice all the way over to the log. I then was able to scramble out of the boat, up the log, and onto the bank. I hoisted my boat onto my shoulders and began hiking along the creekbank. Now to find a place to put in…
You would think that Little Muskingum would offer a variety of areas in which to put a boat in, however I have found there are exceedingly few suitable areas for a lone boater to enter the water. I have three or four main “put in” spots that I use on a fairly regular basis. They are spread out enough that I can vary my trip lengths from a short and interesting 3 mile venture to a seemingly long 8 mile trip. I have also had the misfortune of overestimating my speed and returning to the Levy in Marietta via the Ohio River in complete darkness after a creek jaunt gone awry. One problem that kayakers will find with Little Muskingum is the increasingly steep and muddy stream banks. Thanks to the locks and dams systems implemented on the Ohio, our backcountry creeks ebb and flow according to the water level at “the end of the line” and can be several feet deep one day and inches the next. This makes safely putting a kayak in the water from the bank difficult. I have tried a variety of methods from sitting in the kayak and sliding down the bank into the water (exciting, but not recommended for inexperienced boaters) to crawling out on logs and gingerly climbing into the boat, praying the log doesn’t dislodge when I am halfway in. The best put in areas are at the Lang Farm Campground and the low water bridge past the Hills Bridge Road and County Road 9 junction. Connecting these two landing areas provides a nice afternoon paddle that normally takes less than an hour if you hustle and as much as two hours if you just float downstream.
Having portaged around the ice and put in at the riffles, I was in the water for approximately another mile before being faced with the same predicament again: ice everywhere. This time I didn’t waste energy on trying to break through. Instead I made my way to shore, gathered my gear, and took a hike with a boat on my back. I walked through farm country the rest of the way to where my bike was stashed, locked up the boat, and rode back to the campground to get the car. While my voyage had not turned out perfectly as planned, it was still a great day and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Ohio Valley has a lot of great outdoor opportunities to offer which are not widely publicized. I have kayaked in the morning, mountain biked in the afternoon, and rock climbed in the twilight all within half an hour of town. If you live in the Ohio Valley or are passing through, I encourage you to take advantage of the natural wonders that abound and define this area. Enjoy!
I marveled at the strength of 3/8 inch thick ice as I backpaddled, took four full paddle forward strokes and slammed into the sheet of ice covering the surface of Little Muskingum near the junction of Hills Bridge Rd and County Road 9. I was on a multi-sport day trip that began 2.5 miles upstream from my current location at Lang Farm Campground in Wayne National Forest. On this frigid Saturday afternoon, I had put in at the campground with the intentions of kayaking downstream several miles to a location at which I had stashed my mountain bike. I would then ride my bike back to the campground, pick up the car, and retrieve my kayak. The kayaking was proving more difficult than I would have imagined however. I didn’t plan on there being ice on ¾ of the creek already this year. I suppose that was to be expected however as the temperatures were hovering in the mid to upper 20’s that day.
This wasn’t my first voyage down this particular stretch of stream. I had performed this trip many times before, exploring side streams and backroads that I normally would not have had the chance to examine. Little Muskingum has a plethora of off shoots that, in the wetter months, are easily navigable via kayak. I have a 9.5 foot boat, so navigating the tight turns and fallen logs is a relatively easy task and can lead to some very interesting discoveries. I have found submerged cars, small islands, stumbled upon deer herds getting a drink, and startled beavers building dams in my adventures in the backwater of Little Muskingum. I have also seen numbers of Wood Ducks, Mallards, and Otters swimming and eating along the banks of the river. The amount of wildlife that can be photographed is amazing, as you can slip right up to the animals without making a noise.
I thought about all of my warm weather excursions and laughed as I stared at the half mile expanse of solid ice that lay before me. I was under the old wooden tunnel that crosses the water right after the junction of State Route 26 and County Road 9. I had already broken through several patches of ice to get this far and was unfortunately to the point of no return. Going back was going to be just as difficult as progressing forward, or at least that is what I was telling myself. So I backed up once again, took my full paddle strokes, slammed into the ice and came to another grinding, disappointing halt. Finally, facing the fact that this method wasn’t working, I looked around for an escape route. Spying a log extending from the shore partway into the water on the right hand side of the creek, I began a new plan of attack: break my way to the log and portage around the ice to the riffles I could see just off in the distance. Using my paddle, momentum, and some dumb luck, I broke through the ice all the way over to the log. I then was able to scramble out of the boat, up the log, and onto the bank. I hoisted my boat onto my shoulders and began hiking along the creekbank. Now to find a place to put in…
You would think that Little Muskingum would offer a variety of areas in which to put a boat in, however I have found there are exceedingly few suitable areas for a lone boater to enter the water. I have three or four main “put in” spots that I use on a fairly regular basis. They are spread out enough that I can vary my trip lengths from a short and interesting 3 mile venture to a seemingly long 8 mile trip. I have also had the misfortune of overestimating my speed and returning to the Levy in Marietta via the Ohio River in complete darkness after a creek jaunt gone awry. One problem that kayakers will find with Little Muskingum is the increasingly steep and muddy stream banks. Thanks to the locks and dams systems implemented on the Ohio, our backcountry creeks ebb and flow according to the water level at “the end of the line” and can be several feet deep one day and inches the next. This makes safely putting a kayak in the water from the bank difficult. I have tried a variety of methods from sitting in the kayak and sliding down the bank into the water (exciting, but not recommended for inexperienced boaters) to crawling out on logs and gingerly climbing into the boat, praying the log doesn’t dislodge when I am halfway in. The best put in areas are at the Lang Farm Campground and the low water bridge past the Hills Bridge Road and County Road 9 junction. Connecting these two landing areas provides a nice afternoon paddle that normally takes less than an hour if you hustle and as much as two hours if you just float downstream.
Having portaged around the ice and put in at the riffles, I was in the water for approximately another mile before being faced with the same predicament again: ice everywhere. This time I didn’t waste energy on trying to break through. Instead I made my way to shore, gathered my gear, and took a hike with a boat on my back. I walked through farm country the rest of the way to where my bike was stashed, locked up the boat, and rode back to the campground to get the car. While my voyage had not turned out perfectly as planned, it was still a great day and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Ohio Valley has a lot of great outdoor opportunities to offer which are not widely publicized. I have kayaked in the morning, mountain biked in the afternoon, and rock climbed in the twilight all within half an hour of town. If you live in the Ohio Valley or are passing through, I encourage you to take advantage of the natural wonders that abound and define this area. Enjoy!
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