An Attempt to find a New Path through the Grasslands

12-15-12

Bateman Section

            Dale and I had wanted to reconnoiter a new path through the grasslands for some time.  The river current had begun silting up the canoe trail in this area, so that the channel was too shallow to navigate in a two-person canoe. Another route was needed, but we were unsure that it was possible. Especially since we didn’t bring cutting tools. Our plan was to find a possible new path if only to mark it this time.

            Joining us on our quest was Canadian adventurer, Dom Liboiron. He was in town on his way from Saskatchewan to New Orleans by kayak. Dom was taking a break from the Mississippi River.  However instead of resting, he joined us on the trip.

            The temp was in the 50s with cloudy skies and occasional drizzle. Only once did I get a glimpse of a pale sun through the heavy cloud cover. As a result of the previous night’s rain, the river level was at 8.6 feet at LaGrange. Dom remarked that he was surprised by the relative clarity of the water. Of course, he had been on the Mississippi for weeks.

            From the access at Bateman, we followed the old river channel until the water spilled into a cypress forest creating an area known as the Little Ghost. After several turns between the trees we re-entered the old channel. When we reached the terminus of this length of old channel, the current took a sharp left and led us into the grasslands. This is a marked trail, but it has become shallower over the last year. Dale had noticed on previous trips that water split both left and right from the canoe path channel. We took the first turn off to the right and found a channel parallel to the canoe path. The right channel continued for a hundred yards or so before becoming choked with brush. Luckily, there were outlets back to the canoe path. We continued on the canoe trail for another hundred yards before taking a left into another alternate channel. This channel was more like a running slough.  It flowed downstream, but a backwater existed further off to the left.  I paddled farther to the left to discover current coming from upstream. Water appeared to be entering from the old channel from the beginning of the river section near Bateman Bridge. We even surmised that one might be able to paddle back to Bateman Bridge by following the upstream current of the slough.

            We turned to follow the downstream current in the slough, but we came up against heavy brush. Most of it consisted of the same type of spreading alder that had bedeviled us on the upper Wolf. The slough also became shallower, and we found our selves wading and dragging our boats over sand shoals. I had knee boots so I had to be careful not to step into one of the holes that were at the down current side of the shoals. We finally came to the conclusion that the most logical course of action was to return to the canoe path and follow it until we could no longer follow it. Dale and Dom were in a two-person aluminum canoe that bottomed out frequently. They got out and walked while guiding their boat. I, however, was in a single person canoe with a shallower draft. I managed to float this part with out having to portage at all. I also took the time to knock holes in the beaver dams that blocked the canoe path. We didn’t do any major deconstruction, but the passing of the boats enlarged holes in the already deteriorated dams. As we did not find a likely alternate rout, it seems that the best current solution is to remove beaver dams to allow water to flow more readily into the canoe path channel.

            We paused in the floating garden area to take pics and vids of Dale’s favorite tree on the river, then we headed to the lunch spot. After lunch, we had a pretty average float to the Bateman Bridge. Except for song sparrows, squirrels and vultures, we didn’t see much wildlife. We did have the opportunity to talk to Dom about his journeys. He described the dangers of the Mississippi, food preparation and the tributaries in Saskatchewan. We also discussed the best and worst of Canadian cities.

            At last, we reached the cypress forest and were greeted by the sound of the church bells of Moscow. The forest was beautiful even in the winter. I enjoyed paddling with Dom, and I hope that he appreciated the unusual ecosystem of the Upper Wolf River. I feel that he did, as he commented, “There aren’t rivers like this out west.”