It is a nice overcast day with light wind and mid 70 temperatures. I head inland to avoid what would be low tide paddling in the coastal marshes.
I put in at Indian Well State Park. The sign at the put in says that there is a dam 3 miles downstream. I only pay attention to the sign because the distance to the dam is exactly half that, and I am curious how many years will pass until the sign is corrected.
I turn and head upriver. The river isn't glassy smooth, but it is close. My canoe moves along quite quickly in these conditions. I pass several Great Blue Herons, a Kingfisher, some Mallards, a couple Cormorants and an Osprey. That's not much for five miles of river, but reservoirs seem to be that way - nice water storage, but lacking in the habitat department.
Getting over the Shelf is easy today. The Shelf is a shallow that runs bank to bank and at the wrong water level, either too high or too low, the current is too fast for me bust. Today, I might very well have coasted over it just on the momentum of the canoe.
Once in view of the Stevenson Dam, there is a short stretch of whitewater, which is usually class I. A big storm a few years ago rearranged parts of this stretch when Eight Mile Brook turned into a torrent. I used to be able to paddle up through it when the water level was normal, but since the storm I haven't gotten through. Today, the water is about as good as it gets and I eddy hop almost up to Eight Mile Brook. There is some fast water here without the strategic eddies, but the real problem are a large number of badly spaced boulders hiding just below the surface. It's exactly the kind of place where I might hang up the canoe if I stall out in the current and have to turn around. Anyway, it is a good excuse to turn and head back.
It has been a fine day, very peaceful and good for the soul. I spot a Green Heron on the return. It flies ahead and disappears on the river right bank.
