April 1, 2007 - the streak hits 17, no foolin'

The recent rain increased the river to just under 6.0 feet on the Naperville gauge and although it was windy and rainy the river conditions were right to stretch the consecutive kayak-month streak to 17. Oh, yeah, it was also ideal for Kent to try out his new kayak on the river after only using it in the pool practicing Eskimo rolls. I do believe Kent realizes the Duper is only about 1.5 ft deep in most areas and I am pretty sure he will get a face full of river bottom if he attempts this new skill around here!

Inspired by the Saturday night showing of "Deliverance", we put in at Community Park in hopes of finding some adventure. As we ventured through the golf course we observed some crazy golfers out in the wind and the rain. They probably thought the same about us but we were already surrounded by water, what did we care if it was raining? Our first golf ball of the year splashed 40 yards in front of us and Kent experienced his first true riffles in his new kayak. We took out at Hidden Lake Trout farm without being blocked by the downed trees that had impaired our last trip down this stretch.

March 11, 2007 - Spring is coming!

Beautiful weather with temperatures in the 50's and blue sky gave hint of the coming spring. The recent snow melt engorged the river to a gauge height of 6.86, which meant only 1 thing......where was I going to go kayaking and with who(m?). Both Kent and I spent Saturday occupied in our respective houses tied to the dreaded "honey-do's" list. Sunday was the day for the float.

We put in at Hidden Lake with a takeout of Royce road. Kent did not disappoint as before we even started to float he had declared (as he always does) that he was too hot and he had to shed a layer. I am not sure if he does this for my entertainment or not but it cracks me up every time. Right away we knew that with these conditions a float down the Dupe was far superior to painting the walls (even white!). Our next pleasant surprise was the total elimination of the major river blockage right before the Arboretum that had always required a portage.

We had multiple sections of nice water action and the wildlife highlight was a huge beaver (Kent estimated 40 pounds), a large owl and our first heron sighting of the year. A couple of beverages, some chips and salsa at riverside capped off a delightful Sunday afternoon.

March 4, 2007...2 boats, 4 men and the streak hits 16

Taking advantage of the high water (over 6.0 ft on the Naperville gauge) and the bright sun, Pat, Dan, Kent and Mike (a Duper virgin) launched at Centennial Beach and took out at Knoch Knolls park. The temperature was in the 30's and the significant ice that choked the west branch a couple of weeks ago was not an issue. We did have to break through some recently formed ice get the trip started, though.

It was not long before talk of rubbing, looking for the "V" and the topic of how good a kisser Kent was indicated that Mike fit right in. The normal Einstein-type conversation that we so enjoy was not going to be scarified today! Hey, Mike, why is one side of the geese formation longer than the other? The mom can tell what by tasting what?

We had many enthusiastic fans along the river walk and the river had some nice action in a few spots, although we could see that it had been 2 feet higher just a few days ago (gauge was over 8 ft on Friday). Wildlife sightings were limited to ducks and geese but we did see some nice ice formations from branches down to the river.

As always boys, the time spent on the river with you guys is always enjoyable and entertaining.

Feb, 24th 2007 - the streak hits 15!

The temperature was about 28 degrees with a south wind in our face. The river gauge has been frozen on 6.3 feet the last few weeks but we figured with the recent snow melt there should be no issue and we should not get stuck . It is bad enough when you need to step into the river when it is warm. Dressed appropriately, Pat and I put in at Community park with a takeout destination of Royce Rd.

The air temperature was not a factor but we quickly discovered the river appeared to be very low and the prospect of getting stuck was a distinct possibility. Shortly after we passed Kent's work (and called him to let him know we were floating by...we missed you buddy!), our worst fear was realized. Just south of 63rd there we sat in the middle of a 6" deep river. Al tough I had speculated that with my additional insulation, I could out wait Pat and he would be the one to give-in and step into the frigid water, it was Kayakman Dan that plunged his feet into the icy water. A couple of tugs and a few wet steps later, we were back "floatin' down the Dupe".

The things you do for your little brother!!

My recently waterproofed boots and my Goretex socks worked quite well, not that I want to try that again. Other than getting stuck a few times, the trip was uneventful without any significant events.

Check out "My photos on Flickr" in the "Other sites to see" section to the right.

February 2007....a deep freeze

February has been an extremely cold month with temperatures dipping below zero. We are in the 2nd to last weekend in the month and my fear is our consecutive month kayaking streak will come to an end. Both Kent and Pat talked to me today about kayaking so I am not alone in the quest to keep the streak alive. The west branch appears to have many areas of frozen river, however, as you can see from the pictures taken today, the east branch seems to be flowing ice-free.

The forecast next week is for upper 30's and rain so we should be good to go. Although it will be pushing the steak to the end towards the end of a month, it won't be as bad as the miserable conditions Pat and I endured on the last Sunday in April 2006.

Hopefully I will have an entry next week summarizing how we kept the streak alive!!

My kayaking history

I have been a recreational kayaker for the last couple of years. I received my first single kayak as a Christmas gift from my wife. Although I had gone canoeing over the years, either renting them or using someone else's, I had learned to kayak at family camp in Wisconsin (Camp Edwards). I immediately knew that of the man-powered watercraft, kayaks were the way to go.

When I feel like I need to justify a kayak trip, I tease my wife that she was the one that opened my eyes to the wonderful world of kayaking! I also used that same logic to justify my purchase of my second kayak, a tandem. "Honey, now the three of us can all go together!" After all, kayaking by yourself can be dangerous and is not very social unless you know someone else with a kayak.

Although we had been taking trips on a regular basis, 12/26/2005 was the beginning of the "streak". Since then I have gone kayaking in 14 consecutive months 14 (as of 1/2007). For living in Northeast Illinois that's got to impress you, right? Pat and Kent have shared the most trips with me but Mark, Matt, Cole, Steven, Little Dan and Lisa have also been part of the fun at some point. Larry and Ben also got a taste of kayak-fever with a trip around Churchill Woods.