Let me tell you, I had the most jolting and harrowing kayak experience of my life today! You see the photo of the beautiful Beaver? Well, he nearly took my life today! I’m not kidding! As I was taking a picture of a mile marker on the Willamette River (between Harrisburg and Peoria), this extremely intrusive creature gave me the scare of my life! In fact, Benny (I will call him that because it makes me think of Oregon State University’s mascot), was very bossy. The end result – Benny and me swimming in the river and my kayak upside down….more of that story at the end!
Today’s great kayaking trip took place on the Willamette River in a section I had not kayaked before. Three other gals and myself put in the river at the Harrisburg Boat Ramp and began our 19-mile journey downriver to Peoria Boat Ramp just south of Corvallis.
The river was absolutely gorgeous! But, most importantly, Spring is happening and both sides of the river were immersed in GREEN! The trees were really spectacular with their new lightly colored green leaves as well as all of the other foliage. In another month or so, all of the vegetation should be growing abundantly and it will be spectacular!
This was one of the longest, as measured by miles, kayaking trips I’ve taken thus far. However, it didn’t seem that far because we were not only paddling with the current, but it was moving at a pretty quick rate due to the high water level this time of the year.
One of the best parts of this trip was the absence of homes and traffic. I felt like I was really immersed out into nature.
There was never a lack of things to see. We kept our eyes peeled for animals and we were lucky to spot these two Eagles. I don’t think I’ve seen two sitting on a branch so close together and so I decided they must be an “old married couple.” HA!
One of the added adventures of our journey were the dozen or so whirlpools we encountered throughout our journey.
So, what causes whirlpools in rivers?
Whirlpools form when two opposing currents meet, causing water to rotate (like stirring liquid in a glass). This can happen when heavy winds cause water to travel in different directions. As the water circles, it gets funneled into a small cavity in the center, creating a vortex.
You can read more about whirlpools and how to manage them here! Needless to say, there were sections of our journey where you just couldn’t avoid them. It was, in a way, kind of fun to be thrown in a specific direction from entering the whirlpool and then be sharply twisted about.
Throughout our journey, we also encountered mileage markers along the river.
Throughout the entire stretch of the Willamette River, you will see mileage signs as shown above. These signs are owned, managed and provided by a group called Willamette River Keepers. These signs will not only indicate your mileage position on the river, but they also state the sign’s location (Buckskin Mary as shown above). You can follow along with the Willamette Water Trail signs on their website and they also produce and sale an extremely informative and useful river map, which I highly recommend!
As we continued our path down the river, I kept inhaling deeply the fresh air and the smell of fresh water. I just love kayaking the Willamette River!
It took us about 3.5 hours to finish our journey. Oh, but I guess I need to finish my story so you understand why it took so long…
So, you remember the Beaver? Well, I didn’t actually have an encounter with him. I just thought it would be a fun way to start my story. HA. I had paddled to the shoreline to capture a photo. When I was finished, I needed to turn my kayak around a bit to head back out into the current.
Well, as I was fussing with the direction I wanted to go and began edging out into the river, just ahead of me there was a large branch hanging out over the water – about chin level. And underneath the branch was the log it belonged to. It only took about 6 more inches and the current really picked up. I had no time to think. I paddled as hard as I could to turn my boat away from the log and branch. As I very quickly approached, I moved my head down to my lap to avoid getting whacked by the branch. Well, the last half of my kayak hit the log underneath while I was leaning down and to the right of my boat – all while the current was thrusting me forward.
The combination of all three things resulted in my kayak capsizing! I mean 100% upside down! I fell into the water holding my paddle in one hand. The water was so cold I couldn’t breathe. Two things came to mind: 1. Get a hold of my kayak, 2. Get out of the water FAST!
The effect of the freezing water was difficult to deal with. I knew not to panic and I was forcing myself to take deep breaths – all while swimming to the shoreline with my paddle in one hand and pushing my kayak with the other.
Unfortunately, because of the elevated water level, there was no where to get out of the river. I pushed my kayak hard into some blackberry vines and tried to get my footing on the steep muddy conditions. I finally got half way out of the water. I threw off my life vest, coat and grabbed items out of my kayak because now I had the herculean task to empty the water out of my kayak.
There was a LOT of water and I knew the best way to deal with it was to lift my kayak up and dump the water out. I’ll spare you all of the details at this point. But, after nearly 20-25 minutes, I was finally able to empty my kayak, get back into it and began my journey down the river once again. There are some key lessons I learned that I want to share with everyone:
- DO NOT panic! It’s amazing how much your adrenaline will help you when you need it!
- If you capsize, give yourself time to catch your breath and think about what you need to do first.
- It’s always safer to kayak with at least one other person, but if you are by yourself, be sure to tell someone when you begin your journey and when you return.
- If you’re kayaking in swift water, use a paddle leash to ensure you don’t lose your paddle!
- Always wear a life vest!
- Keep a change of dry clothes in your vehicle should something like this happen to you.
I LOVE kayaking and my extra adventure today showed me that I’m not only able to recover, but I can still keep a smile on my face! Happy Kayaking, Everyone!
* Special thanks to Gail, Alice, and Lyn for their photos because, yes, my phone ended up in the bottom of the river!
2024 – Kayak Trip #16
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