TenaCity to WindyCity Day 23 & 24, October 4 & October 10, 2018

TenaCity to WindyCity Runyak

October 4, 2018
October 10, 2018

TenaCity 2 WindyCity DAY 23, Oct, 4

DAY 23 JOURNAL NO PHOTOS

Day 23 was another disaster. We knew it would be difficult because of the upstream battle that had occurred on Day 23. That day we ended two mile short of our vehicle parked at Alcona Dam. Today we did not get a mile upstream when the current drove me backward and into a downed tree. I flipped. Kate had told me minutes before we should abort and go back, predicting one of us would do exactly what happened to me. I told her just one more bend, thinking it might get better. Damn, I should have heeded her advise. I managed to get to shore, drain Green Snake. We then floated back to our launch point. My phone was tethered well, and I did not lose it, but it had moisture. My Mofie was plugged into the phone when I flipped so water entered the USB port. 

I portaged the 2.1 miles to Alcona Dam using the roads. I figured it was good practice for the 7 mile portage I will be doing next summer on M72, AuSable to Manistee Rivers. I learned I'd need padding on the forehead and spine, for I was sore at those pressure point by the time I reached the dam. Also troublesome was wind. At times I was blown off course. Seems the kayak was working as a sail.

Once at the dam, we thought we'd paddle the resevoir, but wind was making waves. I did not want to attack. 

We drove to Glennie a few miles to the east for breakfast, hoping when we finished the wind would die down. After breakfast we walked to the IGA to a buy a bag of rice and try salvaging my phone which was on the fritz. In the end it did not work. I had to pay for another phone. I told the tech at the Sprint store, the following day, I tried the rice trick. He said, "The rice trick never works." 

We returned to the dam and the pond still looked too wavy. We made another plan. I would do the run segment of  the next runyak leg, Day 25, Federal Rd Bridge Landing back to the Alcona Dam.  Meanwhile Kate would do a paddle, in the right direction, from 4001 McKinley Bridge Landing (hopefully our Day 25 landing) to 4001 Federal Road Landing. I finished my run drove back to 4001 landing ate lunch and finished about the time Kate arrived. Together we drank a celebratory beer yet with the disastrous start it seemed there there was little to celebrate.  

TenaCity 2 WindyCity DAY 24, Oct 10

CLICK ON ALL PHOTOS TO ENLARGE


DAY 24 JOURNAL AND PHOTOS

The launch on Day 24 was nothing less than glorious. Perfect water and beautiful sunrise.

We saw a true paddler traveling in the correct direction. We stopped and visited a while. He had just launched himself from Alcona Park East. We were heading for Alcona Park West directly across the pond. 

We had paddled less than an hour when we landed at Alcona Park. We positioned a vehicle at 4001 bridge and return and launched again.

The pond soon disappeared and we again were battling the current.

4001 Federal Rd Landing

4001 Federal Rd Landing

From then on for over two hours it was a battle to progress 2.5 miles upriver.

I was Row vs. Wade for the 2+ hours.
We wanted to get to McKinley Bridge landing. We soon knew that wasn't going to happen. Short of McKinley by a couple miles was Buttercup Landing on the east bank, we had that goal in mind secondly. It never happened either. We'd have to come back another day when maybe the current wasn't as strong.

We landmarked a tree and our turnaround and quickly floated back downstream to 4001 landing.
The day was not over though. We did a repeat of Day 23's failure. I got the run leg of Day 25 in, running from McKinley Bridge to the 4001 launch. Kate did the same but by boat. Her's was a repeat of the downriver paddle the last time.

We looked for a Indian Summer day to return to McKinley but November was soon upon us. Runyak Season 10 came to and end. Only 15 runyak days.