Me and My Kayak on the Clinton River

Maybe it was Huck Finn, maybe it was just the adventurous spirit of youth, but I have always loved the idea of being on a river. 

As a child, I used to daydream about building a raft or getting an inflatable boat and shoving off down a river to explore. 

As I grew older I would go canoeing down the Au Sable river in Mio with my dad and later with friends.  When we moved to Rochester four years ago, I discovered that the Clinton River flowed just south of town and I was determined to get on it.

Have kayak, will travel

About a year and a half ago, my dad and his longtime girlfriend split up and he no longer had a place to store the kayak she gave him. I had an idea where he could keep it as long as I could use it.  He brought it over and I was making my plans on where and when I would put in on the river. 

For my birthday my then fiance gave me a roof carrier set, life vest and a waterproof container to support my need for adventure.  The next day I set out for the river.  I put it in on Ryan Road across from Coyote Joe's bar on the Clinton River.  Realizing no one would be there to pick me up downstream, I paddled against the current, learning the feel of my new craft. 

Kayaks sit low to the water and are pretty easy to steer.  The one dangerous tendency is to lean when you steer, which will cause you to tip over.  After playing around in the current for a bit, I took it out and proceeded to Stoney Creek Metro Park to splash around in the lake.

A wedding? No worries

My next trip would be down the Clinton into Rochester.  Since I didn't know too many people in town yet, I didn't have anyone to pick me up, I decided to be self-sufficient.  I made a make-shift dolly I could strap to the back of the kayak so I could wheel it home from the junction of the Clinton and Paint Creek back to the condo.  Next I drove to River Crest at the corner of Avon and Livernois and took the kayak off the roof.  I was unsure of where to put it in so I decided that directly behind the banquet hall would be a great spot. 

As I dragged the kayak through the grass, I realized that a wedding was beginning on the back patio and it was too late to turn back so I went down the 8-foot drop and put in the river.  The water level was fairly low so there were many spots I had to get out and drag the kayak  but the views were beautiful. 

You don't see many houses, just tall trees and tall hills. The river is so winding that it took an hour to get to the junction of Paint Creek. I only encountered a few downed trees and didn't see any other people on the river. I walked the kayak home and rode my bike down the trail all of five minutes to pick up my car.

A scary ride

At church, I met a local guy named Karl.  He is first generation German American and came from a big family of lots of boys.  He is also a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan from the Army.  I overheard him talking about kayaking and I knew we had to talk. 

A few weeks later we took the same route from Rivercrest and his wife picked us up.  The next week it rained two days straight and the water was moving.  We put in under the long Main Street bridge and were quickly moving down the river.  Around a few bends we encountered a tree running straight across the river about a foot off the water.  Karl went left to go over it and I hesitated and hit it head on.  Very quickly I was sideways, then I was upside down and in the river.  The rule is to keep your feet up in a fast river so you don't get a foot snagged and drown.  In a panic I was trying to get my footing, hold onto the kayak and find my paddle.  I grabbed a root, then grabbed again and came up with my paddle, all the while bouncing off rocks. 

Once I knew I had everything I made my way to the shore where Karl soon caught up to me.  I'm not going to lie — I was scared. 

With some effort, I flipped the kayak and drained the water. 

"Maybe we are a little over our heads" I said to Karl. 

"You may be right" he agreed. 

We set out again and were greeted by another tree, but this one we could go over.  We continued down the fast, windy river all the way down to Yates, where we got out before the waterfall and put back in below it and continued around to Yates where we got out. 

The next day we took the same route and the water was down several feet.  This time we went all the way down to Coyote Joe's, the second half from Yates being more tame but still beautiful.

It's like up north — only local

I hope I don't scare anyone from going down the river, but at certain water levels, it is no place for beginners.  Local governments from Rochester Hills to Utica are at work to make the river more accessible by adding kayak/canoe launches in Rochester and Utica.  There are some local companies who rent out canoes and kayaks for people to take from as far as Auburn Hills to Utica. 

You can easily spend a whole day on the river without having to drive up north and still feel like you are far away thanks to the parks the river runs through.  I didn't get out much this past summer due to much wedding planning, but I am looking forward to getting back out again next spring, although there are people on the river year round.