Tony sent an email to the clubs list group to see if there was any interest in adding a quick paddle on the Kokosing River in central Ohio for June. There was interest so reservations were made at the Kokosing Valley Campground in Howard, Ohio. Tony got there first and had camp sat up by the time Harold got there. They were the only two camping for the evening and after lots of game playing between the two it was soon tent time.
The weather forecast for the weekend was calling for rain the whole time. It did rain a little Friday evening but not enough to make a difference in the water levels. The USGS stream gauge info read 2.70 feet. That's kind of on the low end for paddling, especially for tandem paddlers. Harold said his past paddling notes for the area was better if there was 4 more inches of water.
Saturday morning was cloudy but dry. Member Bill Johnson and his wife Denise were joining the fun as was Tom Greene and friend Bubba. Bill and Denise arrived at nine with Tom and Bubba soon after. They shuttled vehicles nine miles downstream and launched from the campground at 11:05 am. Bill was paddling an inflatable kkkayak with Denise in a blue plastic kkkayak. Everyone else was going solo in canoes. Immediately someone said "we could use 4 more inches." That seemed to be the saying of the day. The heavier boats were scraping on gravel and poor Bill was getting beat up in that inflatable. Something about the seat not being right. After a while the inflatable was abandoned with Bill going bowman in Tom's canoe while towing the kkkayak. A little while further downstream and Denise and Bill traded places.
They saw some wildlife, eagle, turtles, deer, fish, minnows, ducks and herons. Not to mention all the song birds about. The four hour trip ended at 3:00 pm and everyone loaded gear for the return trip to camp. Bill and Denise headed for home with Tom and Bubba coming to camp briefly for adult beverages. They also had other commitments and left for home with Harold leaving not far behind. Good ole Chuck came down after work with dog Cookie and camped the evening with Tony. Kokosing Valley Campground has a driving range where you hit golf balls into an old quarry filled with water. There is a canoe anchored in the middle and you try to hit it. Tony was successful once but it was all luck. After the driving range it was Bocce Ball time and Chuck excels at that game. The weather stayed perfect for the evening so a great blazing campfire was had until bedtime.
Sunday was again nice as the local weathermen don't seem to know how to forecast anymore. Chuck and Tony drove nine miles upstream to Big Run Road which has a great canoe access spot. While getting ready a couple guys where unloading a rubber raft to going fishing in. It looked big and bulky but they handled it very well. The paddlers were on the water by 10:00 am and it was so peaceful on the water. There were spots where 4 more inches would have been nice but the low water made for a more challenging paddle as they had to maneuver around rocks and gravel bars to not get grounded out. The same types of wildlife were seen as the day before and by 1:30 pm the campground exit point came into view. Chuck took Tony back to his truck and they soon had everything packed and loaded and headed for home.
It was a nice 18 mile weekend with really good weather on a great river. The Kokosing River always pleases and that weekend was no different.
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