Camp Hi Canoe Livery based in Hiram, Ohio does not allow camping for individuals but has graciously allowed the Ohio Historical Canoe Route Association the pleasure of using their land when paddling the Cuyahoga River for many years. The club thanks you for your generosity. Trip leaders Harold and Laurie arrived before noon and used plastic sleds to transport their gear from the parking lot to the grassy camping area. Tony did the same not long after and the 3 of them erected the clubs 10 x 20 canopy, not to block rain showers but as a sun blocker. The weekend weather promised to be great and the river level was perfect. When finished with their chores they went to Mantua Corners for lunch. In the meantime Jamie and Ruth separately arrived and set up their tents making the area look more like a campground.
After lunch Harold and Tony played games while other members slowly came in and got set up. Tom, Liz, Coleen, Rhonda, Steve, Chuck and his gal Karri, Brad and newest members Ron and Jilinda. Wil and Gloria also graced the camping gods with their presence making a group of 17 campers. The evening campfire had a melody of conversations as everyone visited and caught up on lost time while also cooking hotdogs. The evening was warm and clear and slowly people departed to their sleeping quarters.
Saturday morning was dewy, keeping sandaled feet damp. The day was overcast which kept the temperatures very comfortable but no chance for rain. Jonathan and his brother Charles joined for the day and Larry and Sophia came in also. They were renting a canoe from Camp Hi and only paddling a short stretch upstream back to camp. The rest were paddling from camp downstream 10miles and vehicles were soon shuttled to the Red Fox takeout just south of St Rt 303. At 9:45 am, 9 canoes, 4 kkkayaks and 17 paddlers, glided through the peaceful waters on their way to a relaxing day on the Upper Cuyahoga River. The wildlife must have been relaxing also as very few critters were active. Bird resident Liz saw or heard the following: great blue herons, spotted sandpiper, chickadee, phoebe, cardinal, kingfisher, grackle, red tail hawks and the ever present geese. Ron and Jilinda got baptized, but in their defense, there were a lot of trees in the river requiring quick turns at spots. Their canoe was more of a lake canoe not turning as quickly as needed in areas. The club pulled up on the exit at 2:15 pm taking 5.5 hours to paddle 10 miles including a lunch stop.
Back at camp everyone played, laughed and just relaxed enjoying the social interaction. Soon it was time for the potluck. There was so much food that they again discussed the topic of, "an eating club with a canoeing problem!" As darkness descended another evening campfire was lite and enjoyed by all.
Sunday was another beautiful summer morning. There was a community breakfast scheduled, (more food) and soon the air had a fragrant smell of biscuits, hash browns and mountain men breakfasts. Yogurt, donuts, bagels and more were available. After a short span of digestion the camp started coming down. No one was paddling so the last tent and member was on the way home before noon. Another wonderful weekend has passed and they hope to see everyone and more at next month's outing.
