http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/567721407KouRMx
Sunny afternoon, light winds, temps in the mid 60’s all made for a great day.
Come join us for a 7 mile paddle in northern Oakland County
along the Shiawassee River for some spectacular fall colors.
Date : Oct 5th, 2008 START = 1:00 PM
Launch : WaterWorks Park in Holly, MI
Finish : Strom Park in Fenton, MI
SHUTTLE service available
CANOE RENTAL is available thru Heavners Livery on site that day
- WaterWorks Park - 602 South Broad St, Holly, MI 48442-1674
It’s on Broad Street aka (Milford Road) in Holly
http://www.headwaterstrailsinc.org/images/ShiawasseeRiverMap.jpg
http://www.headwaterstrailsinc.org/images/SE_Michigan_ Inset_Map.jpg
There will be a short presentation in WaterWorks Park, 602 Broad Street in Holly, at 1:00 pm.
about the Top of the Shiawassee Heritage Water Trail.
Participants will start from there at 1:15 pm and be off the river by 5pm.
The route is seven scenic miles from Holly to Fenton, which takes from 2 to 4 hours
depending on paddling speed.
Heavner Canoe Rental is providing canoes and kayaks for rent on site at approximately $40 apiece.
People who want to rent should make an advance reservation by calling 248-685-2379
and find out the exact price at that time.
Headwaters Trails will be providing return transportation
from Strom Park in Fenton back to WaterWorks Park.
People who bring their own craft are asked to make a
$5 contribution to that service; for others, transport is included in the price of renting.
The river is high at this time and clear of obstacles, so passage over beaver dams
and around tight corners should be fairly easy.
The event will take place even if the day is cloudy,
so participants should dress for the weather.
In the event of thunderstorms, we will, of course, cancel as the
final mile across the open Fenton Millpond could be dangerous.
However, the crisp air and the sight of fall foliage along the way make
this one last treat before the winter season sets in.
Come join us for “Canoeing in Color.”
Headwaters Trails, Inc. is Hosting the event.
Sue Julian, President: 248-634-3513 : sjulian@provide.net
Doug Lanyk, Vice-President: 248-634-4551 : dslanyk@comcast.net
Background info
http://shiawassee-river.blogspot.com/
My how things change.
Jimmy and I Took a trip yesterday evening from
Holly’s Waterworks Park to Bush Park in Fenton.
My expectations were slightly low water and an easy paddle.
So much for my powers of precognition.
The water level at waterworks park was about 3 inches higher
than I would have thought. The recent rainfall that missed
my house must have hit somewhere else in the headwaters region.
It was a good start to the journey. The river was quiet
and the wildlife was repeatedly surprised by us quietly
gliding down the river. Numerous deer, fish, turtles,
and heron were motivated to seek further cover upon
being observed at close quarters.
There is a tree partially blocking the river just after
the 3 tubes. You can still paddle around on the the shallow side.
It’s small and will be easily removed, but beware if you try it,
it’s covered in poison ivy. The quiet paddle was just about
perfect until another downed tree just before Fish Lake Rd.
Last week Jimmy had to portage the tree. Last night we had enough
water to bump over it. Once again it was smooth sailing.
The next item of note was the water level in Haddon pond.
It was noticeably lower. The beaver created marsh following the
pond had lot’s of fresh bank showing and a bit of challenging
paddling to go around trees we are accustomed to going over.
The reason for the low water level was soon apparent.
The big beaver dam is gone! I don’t know if it had help
but the center of the old dam is now completely washed out.
No drop whatsoever. This has aesthetic ramifications.
The old dump that comes up to the river at that point
is now showing a whole lot of garbage.
Some new work near Scarbury’s Ford was noticed too.
The ford itself had low water and we had to bump our way across.
The last beaver dam before the Fenton Millpond has been beefed up.
It’s now bigger and badder than ever before.
It’s about a one foot drop that we skated over.
The millpond itself was a pungent mess. It is severely grown over.
It was a bit of work to get the boats across.
After dumping our first load of picked up garbage off at
Strom park we were rewarded for our work by finding a
blue grass band playing at the bandstand in Downtown Dibbleville.
As we portaged the dam, lot’s of curious people questioned us
about paddling on the river. It was a good opportunity for
educating more people about our efforts. Below the dam
we launched Jimmy in his canoe just before I did a seal launch
off of the rocks. It was fun when the the crowd listening to the
band brokeout in applause and cheers in the middle of a song.
From the Dam to Bush Park was a bigger challenge than the millpond.
The water had disapeared. It was very shallow for most of the rest
of the trip. Where we did the cleanup a couple of weeks ago it was
hard to tell we had been there.
The trees that were totally submerged when we cut those above are
now completely above the water. More garbage has been exposed too.
By this time it was getting dark and we were glad that my truck was
right there. A longer trip would have been less than fun.
Get outside.
Doug.
Michigan is known for it’s four seasons and thus a multitude of various outdoor sports. Wake surfing is one such sport. Grab a wake board and zoom behind your nearest ski boat for some wet and wacky outdoor fun. Silver Lake is one of the premier, all-sports lakes in Fenton, MI.
