This multi-day paddle was a substitute for the 2019 overflowing banks of the Pere Marquette River. The Pere Marquette River was dangerously fast and overflowing the banks and for safety reasons, was closed to paddlers during our scheduled time period. Instead, we chose the Manistee River. This trip started on July 23, 2019 and ended on July 25, 2019.
Day 1 – My wife Jennifer road with us to drop Jim Jones and I off at West Sharon Road off of Thayer Road SE that was east of Fife Lake, MI as the crow flies. Other nearby towns are Kalkaska to to north, South Boardman to the southwest, Pioneer to the south, and Moorestown to the south. At the bridge for West Sharon Road, there is a nice launch that has an excellent wooden rail system into the water. It made this the perfect launch to hold our canoe while we loaded it with gear not having to worry about moving it into the river. For this trip, we used the trusty Mad River Revelation made out of Royalex. We had an uneventful paddle until we located a nice open meadow at the end of Puffer Road SW on the opposite side of the river where we setup camp for the night. Jim gathered firewood and a campfire was made. We had a nice dinner and spent some time around the campfire until it was time for bed. Total time = 5 hours 43 minutes. Moving time = 4 hours 0 minutes. Distance = 12.98 miles. There were no obstructions on the river in this portion.
Day 2 – We woke up and made breakfast. After breaking down camp and loading the canoe, we were off to a late morning start. This would be our longest paddling day. Our destination being Chippewa Landing & Campground. The paddling was uneventful and we arrived at the campground. We were given the island for our campsite. We made a campfire and cooked a dinner fit for kings! Total time = 8 hours 15 minutes. Moving time = 6 hours 51 minutes. Distance = 25.12 miles. There were no obstructions on the river in this portion.
Day 3 – We decided against breakfast and after breaking camp and loading the canoe, got a mid-morning start. As we paddled for the day, we decided to cut the trip one day short so we could ride the ATV’s. Our destination for the day being Baxter State Forest Campground, this is where we ended the trip. My wife and mother-in-law were kind enough to bring two vehicles so we could load our gear and drive home while they took the other vehicle to a planned event. The timing just happened to work. Total time = 4 hours 51 minutes. Moving time = 4 hours 16 minutes. Distance = 13.38 miles. There were no obstructions on the river in this portion.
Trip Summary: Total Time = 3 Days & 2 Nights. Moving Time = 15 hours 7 minutes. Distance = 51.48 miles.
