Watery Winter Wonderland

It was a beautiful mild winter day here in Cincinnati. I think the temp topped out at about 60 or 61 degrees for the second official day of winter. Due to all the rain and miscellaneous precipitation over the past week or so, the water level was up on the Little Miami and each time I drove over the main bridge in Milford, I eyed the little white-caps longingly.

So I set out this afternoon for the put-in just behind the American Legion and carefully launched out, trying to keep dry inside my little kayak pit. Even the launch point was a couple of feet deeper than usual, so from the very start...I was putting a good deal of effort into remaining dry. By the time I came to the first real set of 'rapids' I saw that my hopes of staying dry would certainly not be realized. Typically, this spot in the river would require stepping out of the kayak and dragging it over the shallow ripples to the bottom of the fun. This time, the current sucked me right into the angriest section. As I tried to keep the kayak perpendicular to the waves and cut through them...I saw an unusually high spike in the water and caught a glimpse of rock in the fading light of the day. I was able to avoid getting juiced on that rock but immediately buried the nose into the next 3 waves and water came crashing onto my lap. Brrrr!

Once I had gotten wet, the initial fear of moisture gave way to raw wave-running enthusiasm. I sidled the kayak along the shore and back upstream to give it another go. This time I took every whitecap I could find and drenched my feet and legs. But the torso was still dry for the most part so I continued down to the next section. This section is just passed the bridge (rt 28/50) and is usually guarded by a "sweeper" log which hangs out over the left side where the white water is churning. But the sweeper is gone so I bounce through that section with ease. As I pass by the old bridge footers though...I notice how nice the section to the right is...so I decided to attempt paddling upstream. At first it seemed as though I was making some headway, but then I looked across the bank at a tree which betrayed my lack of forward progress. That's when I decided to step out of the kayak and drag it through the current to the next swirling pool I could launch out from. That was the final moment of dryness...for as I shoved off and tried to hop in the kayak...too much forward momentum caused the kayak to turn completely on its side. In order to keep from swamping it and risk dampening my camera, wallet, and phone...I just dove in and shoved the kayak back to shore. It was a deep enough spot that I went completely under. The chill took my breath and I sloshed backwards and onto some rocks. I got back in the kayak and checked my gear...yep, the camera still works! At that point, I knew the fun was over and that I would need to get back upstream to closest put-in ramp. So I emptied the water from the boat and started dragging it along the edge of the bank upstream to the Jim Terrell landing. From there I walked about a mile back to my car and then retrieved the kayak. Although I only got to run the two sets of rapids (twice)...it was well worth it to get some wave time in December!