Since I could not canoe with the club on Saturday, I decided to camp solo on Thursday evening and canoe 16 miles on Friday. I arrived at the Coshocton Lake Park Campground around 6 pm and hurriedly set up camp. It gets dark earlier these fall days and I still had to fix supper. The campground was very busy, with expensive motor homes everywhere. Roscoe Village was having their annual Applebutter Stir'n Festival and with the great weather we have had this fall, every campsite was reserved. Thank goodness the tent sites are on a first come first serve status. I had supper of freezed dried beef stroganoff that I picked up at Wal-Mart last winter while on sale. It wasn't too bad, and to think I have two more packages at home. I lit a small personal fire, kicked back in the lawn chair and listened to the Cleveland Indians lose a playoff game. My little hand crank radio was having problems picking up the radio station, but if I held the radio in one hand and the antenna in the other and cocked my head just right, I could receive the game. Then the smoke would shift and I would have to move my chair to breath, then repeat the whole process, over and over and over, until I finally gave up in the 7th inning. I went to the tent knowing the Indians were going down.
I awoke in the early morning to the sound of raindrops on the tent. I rolled over and went back to sleep but was sure to be up at 7:00am to keep on schedule. I had breakfast and was at the camp office at eight to pay for the camping spot. Then I was off to the Mohawk Dam and the launching pad. Harold had already agreed to shuttle me back to my vehicle when he arrived, so leaving the car I started paddling at 8:54am. The rain had stopped by now but the sky was still overcast and the wind swirled around me. The water was low but not so low as to cause me to bottom out and the current was moving at a respectable pace. I averaged 2.8 MPH for the entire 16miles. I tried fishing but soon got bored after snagging and having to retie the line so often. Plus nothing wanted to bite except water soaked leaves. The leaves were at their peak fall colors and when the sun would peak out from behind the clouds for an instant, the woods just exploded with yellow, red and orange colors.
There are trailers and campers all up and down the shoreline of the Walhonding. Some are old and ragged while others have nice OSU paint jobs. Summer must really be a busy time around here. Where the St RT 60 Bridge crosses in the village of Warsaw there is a real nice public boat landing next to the fire station. It's 10 miles back to the campground from here. Six-mile dam is next and you have to portage around the left side for maybe 200 yards. Whispering Falls (740)824-3507 is the resort that owns the area and they will let you portage for free. If you want to park and launch there, they charge $2.00 per canoe. From the dam back to camp is 7.38 miles. I saw an eagle, 3 deer, squirrels and lots of migrating ducks. A couple of blue jays squawked at me passing through their territory.
I made it back to camp by 2:30 but Harold and Laurie had not arrived yet.
I tried to take a short nap but awoke to the cell phone ringing and Harold yelling,
"Where are you". He drove me back upstream and we stopped to acquire permission for
leaving vehicles at the dam in addition to buying some firewood. When we got back,
Laurie had their camp set up, so we started supper. I was cooking a leg of lamb and
Harold had baked potatoes and butternut squash. Yum, Yum!!
We had what we like to call "newbie's" come out for the weekend. Judy and her black lab Woody set up and I had to make fun of her as she had a "Kayak". I though it funny until later when Wil pulled in, with his kayak. We also had a couple; Mike and his wife Nancy join us. They were paddling a Northeast Outfitters canoe. It's always nice to share our sport with "newbie's" and of course, next trip, they will not be called "newbie's" anymore. Please come back next year folks. After dark, Ted and Connie arrived and we spent the evening talking, joking and playing L-R-C.
I have that talking Jack Ass that I say is Harold talking like a politician and of course, out it came. We got a few laughs on Harold's behalf, and then he reached over, took it and threw my ass in the fire. I had to rescue my hot, dirty ass from that fire but at least Harold got to laugh! Actually, I think Harold got the last laugh.
Since Tony was contracted to "Drive Miss Daisy" and missed the canoe trip on Sat, I thought I would add my 2 cents worth to a trip report for Sat, after Tony left, and Sun. I'm sure Tony probably will prepare one of his usual "stellar" reports for up through Sat morning. After Tony helped us finalize the shuttle (Thanks very much Tony, hope we didn't make you late for "Miss Daisy"), 3 canoes and 2 kayaks were off on what was termed a 6 mile trip, but turned out to be almost an 8 mile by Harold's GPS (I think). Actually a good length of a trip, I heard some say. Wil even sported a kayak today. However, we won't hold that against him, to long!
The water level was okay. I don't think anyone had to get out in the shallow areas. Even the "Newbie's" didn't get out. Yes, we actually had three newbie's Mike and Nancy in a canoe and Judy in a kayak. Sure hope we see all of them again! The weather was great and when we had wind it was behind our backs, believe it or not! Harold spotted a guy carving with a chainsaw on the bank and stopped to talk. Imagine that, Harold stopping to talk! Speaking of talking, I think Wil kept Judy company and made her feel like one of the group with some lengthy talking coming down the river. Just kidding Wil! It just seemed like a lot of talking was going on. But that's a real good thing!
We finished around 2:30, I think. After a quick lunch, Mike and Nancy departed (hurry back). The rest of us wanted to check out the Roscoe Village "Apple Butter Festival", so some of us walked, while others drove. It was packed! Some Jams and butter were purchased, as well as (I found out later) a couple of great surprise gifts for Ted's BIG upcoming birthday! Wil fashioned a canoe (of sorts) from a piece of clay they bummed from a pottery maker, and Harold talked (imagine that) a leather smith into a beautiful leather canoe (little flat piece of leather, shaped perfectly into a canoe). The leather canoe is now hanging in my Explorer and the clay canoe will be dried, painted and placed with my 50 some odd other canoes in my bedroom. A card and great brownies were provided for a little birthday celebration around the campfire.
Sat eve was our usual, plentiful, tasty pot-luck. If I remember correctly, there was "white chicken chili", a great Dutch oven "chicken pot pie", and a couple of bean salads and an apple crisp. Lots of food was left. Next was our usual comradery around the fire, some LRC and then it seemed an early to bed.
No canoeing was planned for Sun, and everyone slept in (Connie and I didn't wake up until 0900). Camp was slowly broken and all departed. See everyone at the Planning meeting with their long list of river trips for 2008!!!!!!! We're expecting/hoping Lance will plan a "snow mobile" or other type winter outing in Michigan for all of us to enjoy during the winter months.
View All Pictures of the Walhonding Trip