A taste of Normalcy

The big bend on Wedges Creek

 It was consciously awkward standing on the roadside discussing the creek we were about to paddle and work on.  The social distancing has now become ingrained it seems.  It's been just a month, but the importance of doing so, seems to be second nature.  There are masks tucked in our pockets as well if needed.

Jeff Polzin is a friend and retired doctor from Black River Falls.  I'd say he is kind of the paddling "instigator" in our area.  He's very active in the "Friends of the Black River" group, who organize paddling trips and keep the creeks and rivers clear for kayakers and canoes.  We're blessed with some of the finest water for paddlers anywhere in the state.  The Black of course, the East Fork (of the Black), Halls, Robinson, Morrison and Wedges creeks all are within a half hour of each other.  Mike Svob, author of many paddling guidebooks of Wisconsin, has said if he could only live in one place, it would be Jackson county, just for the exceptional water.

Like most outdoor clubs and groups, there are usually a very small number of volunteers that do the bulk of the behind the scenes work.  The Friends of the Black River is no different.  While the Black and East Fork are always clear being bigger rivers, all of the small creeks need help to keep water flowing.  Flooding, wind and heavy snow drop trees which can block safe passage for paddlers.  Once  there, they usually stay and just attract more debris, sometimes forming  huge jams.

I've helped Jeff before, and he takes the work seriously.  His truck is loaded with long bar Stihl chainsaws, chaps, helmets, fuel and everything else do do work in the water.  Watching the intensity of him clearing trees, I sometimes wonder if he doesn't like chainsawing more than paddling!

We dropped a shuttle vehicle at the takeout in the ghost town of Columbia on Wedges Creek.  It's at the halfway point if someone paddled the entire creek.  With masks on, we headed back the 5 or 6 miles to the put-in just below the Snyder Lake dam.  Jeff would tether the equipment boat with saws and gas in it behind his and I'd follow along and hop out wherever we needed to.

The day was sunny, 45 with some snow lingering along the banks yet.  Water was really cold, but dressed in dry suits, we'd be fine.  Approaching a jam or just trees in dangerous places, we'd beach the boats, don helmets and set to work chunking longs and limbs into three foot pieces.  In doing so,  they can slide through downstream without causing another problem spot.  I'd guess it's quite a sight-helmeted PFD and chap wearing guys sending up plumes of water from the saws doing their work.

The top section of Wedges (to Columbia) is normally about an hour and a half paddle.  On this day, we'd be on the water for almost 5.  The first major choke point was just a quarter mile from the put in and we'd spend almost 2 hours on that section.  Others downstream were simpler-maybe one or 2 trees in bad spots here and there and not too difficult to clear.  There is great satisfaction in doing this work.   Now I know why Jeff is so fanatical about it-if he had his way and the time, all these local creeks would be pristine with nothing out of place.

We floated and chatted (yes, keeping our social distance) and stopped where needed.  Water levels were good, so not too much bumping the bottom along the way.  This section has 2 little drops so no problem even for Jeff towing the second kayak.  Most the forest along the shore is county property so it really is beautiful.  Wildlife was a bit scarce-wood ducks, deer and beaver activity were about all we saw.

We did leave a few trees for next time, but for now it is perfectly fine for paddling trips. We found a good take out on 5 Mile Creek just above the Wedges' Middle Road bridge.  It's private property, but the landowner is kind enough to allow creek assess. Dogs and neighbors came out to visit and chat about the creek.   It'd been a long day on the water-I was tired and would be sore the next day from slinging the saw, but it's all good.  In a "normal" spring, I may have viewed this work differently, but in these times, it was appreciated as an escape and a little taste of normalcy.