We love the Mad! It was another hot weekend for a PaCO paddling trip, but the small group who attended had a great time.
Mary and Eric were on their way to Birchbark Canoe Livery, our camping location, when a text from Ruth popped up...she saw them drive by in their truck outfitted with two canoes from the window of her lunch spot. We arrived at the livery about 10 minutes apart, and Eric made his way through the creek in his truck so we could set up camp. Temps were near 90 and the humidity was brutal, but after being rejuvenated by a nap, we decided to do a short evening paddle. We put in at the Rt. 296 ODNR launch and paddled just past the livery to Rt. 36 for a nice, shady, 3-mile paddle.
Laura arrived Friday morning and got set up. We decided to hang out in the shade and have an early community dinner so we could do another evening paddle. Mary and Ruth did a run into Urbana for water and came back with ice cream..nothing like a delicious root beer float on a stifling hot summer day. We put together a nice meal of hot dogs and chili, corn, and cucumber salad. We left to paddle around 5:45. We put in at Lippincott Rd. and paddled 6 miles down to the livery. It was a beautiful, uneventful paddle. Eric and Mary decided to paddle over the old tractor bridge, which seemed more like a low head damn (having been told by the livery "people do it all the time,") a decision they regretted - they stayed upright but their boats earned a few more battle scars. After watching them, Laura, Ruth and Joanne decided to do the very short portage instead. When we returned, the campground was filling up and we suspected it had the makings of a noisy night...by 1:00 in the morning, it was clear we were right!
Lance arrived Saturday around 11 and after a quick lunch, we did the same 6-mile paddle. The group decided not to do the longer paddle that would have taken us through the infamous "S" curve, in part to be protective of our boats. Lance was game, but he was ok with hanging with the rest of us instead. Despite the crowded river, it was a great paddle. We all decided to portage instead of challenge the low head damn, and Lance decided to take a swim once he got to the other side. (It's always nice to go in the water on purpose.) We got back to camp, chilled a bit, and started putting together our potluck - once again, we decided to eat early so those who felt like paddling again would have time. The potluck was great...grilled chicken thighs, sauteed veggie mix (courtesy of Ruth's uncle's farm), beans and corn, cucumber salad, pasta salad and fresh blackberry cobbler (from Lance's garden) for dessert. Mary, Eric, Joanne and Lance decided to burn some calories by doing the 3-mile paddle once more, so off they went. At the put-in, Eric was getting in his boat and telling Lance a story at the same time. Let's just say it's always a good idea to stay focused getting in your boat...as Eric, who got very wet when he went in will tell you! ?? It was otherwise an uneventful paddle, with the crowds from earlier in the day all but gone. On the way back from the shuttle, Eric decided he earned some ice cream, and brought some for the rest of us. Lance took off about 45 minutes later and we relaxed before turning in for the night. Just like the two nights before, it was way too hot for a fire. Finally, a special mention to Joanne, who is such a huge help to everyone on the river - she's ready to assist no matter what.
Everyone had responsibilities to get home for on Sunday. Laura was first to leave, then Joanne, then Ruth. Mary and Eric were the last to break camp, in their truck by 11:30. We had beautiful paddles, great food and conversation, and a lot of fun, despite the hot temperatures. It was the first time paddling the Mad for everyone but Lance, and we all agreed we'd go back again in a heartbeat. The cool, clear water, quick river, and beautiful scenery made for some perfect paddling.
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