I haven't done a lot of kayaking, and absolutely none on an actual river until last weekend, when I went on a trip on the Brule river in Northern Wisconsin.
The Bois Brule river flows into Lake Superior, and my friends and I did a section that starts at "Pine Tree Landing", which is just off Dead end road, and ends at highway 13, which is a few miles down the river.
I got off to a slow start as I was right behind a few of my friends in a canoe that lost control and then I ran into them, filling up my kayak with water in seconds. So I hopped out of the kayak and with the help of a friend, drained it. After that, i was careful not to follow anyone too closely. The river was quite low, and my friends who were in canoes ended up abandoning the trip due to their slow progress and a hole that appeared in their old boat.
The meandering river offered many highlights, including several sections with rapids that kept everyone alert. There were a few ledges that i rode over with caution, but i still got a decent amount of water in my kayak. It was an adrenaline rush. My favorite part, though, was when there was a slow current and I could just relax and enjoy nature while still making some progress down the river.
The trip took us quite a long time as there were 6 of us in kayaks and we tried to stay together as best as we could, so there was a lot of waiting around. Even so, it was worth going. If I go again, though, I'll try to get a skirt for the kayak so i don't have to empty the water out so often!
