Upper Huron River in January

This has not been a good year for winter paddling. It got cold early, and the recent Polar Vortex storm froze a lot of good winter paddling spots. We need to stay in shape for the Everglades Challenge in early March, but we have been making do with mostly indoor workouts. We heard about a good winter paddling spot from some Michigan Canoe Racing Association paddlers: Island Lake State Park. They usually do a five mile run down to Placeway bridge, then paddle back up to the start, all within the State Park.

We put in below the dam at Kent Lake Beach around noon. The forecast was for a high of 20 F, and a little snow. There was plenty of snow on the ground, and people were dragging their shanties out onto the snow-covered lake for ice fishing. We wondered if we should have brought our skis instead.

Sure enough, there was open water below the dam.  Not even any shelf-ice! One good thing about the snow is that we didn't have to carry the canoe; just drag it like a sled.

Starting out was difficult. Our fingers were pretty-well frozen after getting the canoe off the car and down to the water. We used shell mitts with hand warmers over our neoprene gloves. After a while, our fingers thawed.

It's a very pretty run through the State Park. There was no visible development. The river was flat with moderate current and a sandy bottom. In most places the water was only a few feet deep or less, so it's relatively safe for winter paddling. We carried a barrel full of spare clothes in case we fell in, which of course never happens. Knock on wood...

In the winter, water birds congregate in the few areas with open water. We saw a herons, kingfishers, ducks, coots, and swans. The kingfisher caught a fish right in front of us. On the lower Huron we usually see a few bald eagles, but we did not see any on this day.

There are two canoe-in campsites within the State Park. This got me thinking about possibilities for overnight trips on the upper Huron....

It was 5.4 miles to the Placeway bridge, where we turned around and headed back upriver.

After a few hours, we were back to the start: 10.8 miles overall, just under 3hrs paddling. I stayed warm for the most part, except for my toes, and the icicles hanging from my mustache. The canoe was a bit heavier when we put it on the car from the glaze of ice.