Wolf River: Bateman to Moscow, 10/07/13

10/07/13

Bateman to Moscow Section

            To understand the Upper Wolf River, it is best to think of a river with many detours.  There are places where paddlers can travel in the original riverbed only to have it end in a shallow pool full of black silt. The water then spills through a nearby stand of trees and into a challenging canoe trail.

            I was lucky enough to take a rare Monday trip. Three of us decided to do the Bateman Section. This is the first time I have done it since the blue canoe signs have been installed. It was also my first autumn trip of this year. The temps were cool, in the 60s, with partly cloudy skies. The river level was 6.5 at the LaGrange gauge. The low turbidity of the water allowed for a clear view of the river bottom in most places. It was the “clear, green tea color” that makes the Wolf a special river to float.

            We floated down the old river channel until we reached the grasslands. Two vultures perched in a dead tree near the entrance to the new trail.  We went right between two cypress trees and onto the “new” trail. The old trail marker pointing to the left has been removed. There are no trail markers for the first 50 yards. There first one is at the deer stand. The trail markers are spaced intermittently but easy enough to follow. If it is decided more markers are needed, they should only be affixed to dead wood and not nailed to live trees. The trail is relatively free of limbs and stumps. Currently, there is no need for further trail clearing. Additional cutting could reduce the natural beauty of the area.

            The group marveled at the diffused light in the cypress forest. A combination of the rust colored cypress fronds and the autumn sun created a soft, warm light perfect for photography. As we left the forest, I noticed a new beaver lodge. It seems that they moved from their previous lodge at the beginning of “easy street”. Easy street is a sobriquet  I gave to the open channel the leads from the cypress forest to the spatterdock basin.

            Once we reached the basin, I found the trail easy to follow. The vegetation has thinned since the summer. I could even see a horse barn in the distance to the right. The last guides who came through here were warned by a private property owner to stay off his land. However, there is a public access in this area near a dead tree, but it is primitive and would require bush whacking through an overgrown field. We had no problem following the trail to the bank on the far side of the basin. Some had suggested that this could be the new lunch spot, but I disagree since this is most likely private land. I think it is better to follow the series of rivulets back to the main channel and eat lunch on the sand bar there. The signage here is pretty good. Some markers were even bent to resemble arrows pointing in the direction of the trail. This area was also clear of logjams thanks to the efforts of the previous guides.

            Wildlife on this trip included turtles, which is unusual. They are usually shy and skittish on the Wolf and hardly noticed. However, I was able to surprise several of them including soft shells. We also sighted a great egret and a belted kingfisher in the spatterdock basin.