Even with the soaring price of gas, seven paddlers made the drive north for a prime paddle.  We launched under a partly cloudy sky with the wind behind us.  At launch time, there were very few other boats on the water.  As we passed two small islands connected by a summerged sand bar, we thought this would be an excellent place for a swim on our return trip.

Having paddled through the lakes, we entered the black river and headed upstream.  The water was high and we had to paddle against a fairly strong current.  As we passed a popular sand bar (also mostly submerged) on a bend in the river, we met another group of kayakers who were taking a break.  We continued upstream until we reached the rapids and found a place to beach our kayaks for a break.

While on shore, we decided to take a hike up a trail along the shore in hopes of finding a nice rock outcropping were we could rest by the river and enjoy our snacks.  However, because the water was high and many of the rocks were submerged, we settled for a nice wooded area along the shore.

Back in the boats, we headed downstream with the current in our favor.  It was easy paddling until we reached the lakes and headed into a strong wind.  Powerboat traffic had greatly increased along with a number of jet skis making our paddle a little more risky.  As some of us were looking forward to a refreshing swim, we rounded the corner under a bridge only to see that the locusts had descended on our two little islands connected by the sand bar.  There were powerboats, party barges, and jet skis everywhere.  So much for our relaxing swim.  Only one of us took the plunge.

Back at the launch site we loaded our boats while one of our members completed two successful 360’s.  Contemplating our upcoming renewal of energy, five paddlers headed for the Buffalohead Inn in Forestport where we enjoyed great food and conversation before the long drive home.  Another wonderful paddling day was had by all!