Kayaking the (a)Mazon River

My kayaking skills were limited to lakes and canals until this past weekend. I've never taken on currents and swift moving water, so the adventure scheduled for Sunday was welcomed with great anticipation. The Mazon River is not much more than a creek, because of its shallow depths and narrow banks in most places. There were 4 of us explorers who have never routed this river section, so what was around every bend would be a surprise. We didn't even know if the river was deep enough, although the recent rains should keep us from getting our feet wet, at least, so we thought... Anyway, we lugged our vessels to our starting position and shoved off...



The day was a perfect 70-something degree day, with light winds & low humidity, making the sky ever-so-blue with big poofy clouds.



As we rode the slow current, leaning back with our feet up and relaxed, we soaked in the suns rays, and mother natures beauty all around us.



It wasn't slow and lazy all the way though. In many parts, the water would turn swift, and the excitement began. Now I'm not saying that these rapids were world class, not even close, but they were tricky. The rocks, or should I say boulders, were difficult obstacles hidden under the water everywhere. Sometimes, we would drop 4 feet or so, within the rapids before it smoothed out. There were a few times I did get marooned on top, pushing on the rocks to set myself free. And once, I did need assistance from fellow kayaker Rob, who rescued me from atop of a particularly tight spot. The photo below depicts a gentler section, but one that did hang me up. It was tough to choose a route thru the obstacles, and sometimes your choices went wrong.



We found a great spot to stop for lunch, and this is where I found the Gar Minnow.



It was the best day I ever had kayaking, and the plan for this weekend is to put back in, and continue down the Mazon River from exactly where we left off. I can't wait!