Big Manistee in January

It's hard to stay off the water all winter. At the Christmas party, there was talk of a January canoe trip, so we put a weekend on the calendar. It all sounds like a good idea while sitting on the couch, but there are complications: mainly snow, ice, and icy-cold water. 

Optimism

The forecast was mild for January: highs in the 30's and lows not much below 30. Many of the smaller rivers were frozen from a cold spell a few weeks prior, but we were optimistic that the big Manistee would be open. 

The first challenge was getting to the river. The access points were not plowed, and there was a foot of snow everywhere. We left one car at Baxter Bridge, and drove the boats to Sharon Road Bridge to put in. The river appeared to be fast and open everywhere we could see, so we figured 45 miles would be no problem with two nights on the river.

 We didn't want to risk getting the truck stuck, so we dragged the boats down the final slope to the river.

 Sloping ice shelves can make access tricky, but this launch was perfect.

It was exciting to be on the river! I was happy that we decided to go for the extra ten miles and make it 45, although a little voice in my head said, "you may regret that later".

We chased a bald eagle down the river. It was beautiful swooping over the frozen forest. Pileated woodpeckers and flocks of chickadees were out enjoying the mild weather.

Cold hard reality

The river gradually flattened out and slowed down as we paddled away from Sharon toward Highway 66 Bridge. We ran into the first ice jam after about 8 miles. It was a short one, and we were able to push our way through.

A few bends later, we ran into a more substantial ice jam. An entire bend of the river was frozen solid; there would be no pushing through this one.

It was nearly 5 pm, so we decided to make camp. The morning would bring a new day and fresh minds to reconsider the plan. A nice cedar grove in the State Forest provided a cozy camp.

We roasted venison over the fire and chewed on it like cave people.

Things that go bump in the night

When we were in Kansas City debating whether to paddle the swollen Missouri River after the MR340 was cancelled, veteran Watertriber Whitecaps warned us of "thangs that go bump in the night".

Popping, banging, sliding, and splashing noises from the ice jam woke us several times during the night. The imagination tends to run wild in a half-dreaming state of mind. Slabs of ice rising from the water, dripping and splashing, sounded like creatures crawling out of the water. In our minds, slabs of ice ran down the river and piled up on the frozen bend. The concept even came to mind of a flood caused by rising water above the ice jam. We were at least three feet above the river level, so a flood seemed unlikely. Our original plan of paddling another 35 miles to Baxter Bridge didn't seem like such a good idea. We decided to either hike out from Highway 66 or paddle back up to Sharon in the morning.

A new day

Winter nights last a long time. It was not light until 7:30 am. To our surprise, the ice jam was entirely gone! The bend of river that was frozen solid last night was totally open.

The excitement of this discovery caused us to reconsider our original plan. However, all that ice had to go somewhere, and it was likely there would be more ice jams over the next 35 miles of river. Paddling back up to Sharon seemed like a fine way to pass the day.

Sloping ice shelves made launching tricky. The river must have been three feet higher during the cold spell a few weeks earlier when the eight-inch-thick ice shelves formed. The dropping water level probably caused the ice to break loose overnight.

We were content with our change of plans, and enjoyed a challenging paddle upriver against the fast current.

The water was a few degrees above freezing, and the ice slabs gradually melted once they were submerged.

 
A voice called from a cabin on the bank, "Hey Kruger Canoes!". Jim told us that Verlen Kruger had stopped by his cabin on his travels and gave him a poster. It's fun to meet friendly people on the river.

The remnants of a green canoe that was mangled by the river were frozen into the bank.

A January canoe trip requires flexibility; you don't know what you'll find. We were happy to have stolen a little time on the water from Old Man Winter.

We did our best sled-dog impersonations and dragged the boats back up the river bank to the parking area. Next time, I think an upriver-downriver itinerary would be better for winter.

Stats from the GPS

Sharon Road Bridge to Highway 66 Bridge and back.
18.2 miles
5hr 10 min. moving time
6.4 mph max
3.4 mph moving avg.

We averaged about 5.5 mph downriver and 2.5 mph upriver.