Yesterday my wife dropped me off in the forest preserve at Lawrence Av and the Des Planes River. We had earlier dropped my car off at Ogden and the Des Planes River. It was 10:06 when I got on the water. Where I put in the banks were mud and I got some in the canoe. I was paddling a Rob Roy and the only gear I had was a back pack with dry cloths and lunch in it. For the entire trip I could hear city noises but there were many forest preserves giving a natural view on one side or the other of the river. I scraped bottom as I went under several of the bridges. I thought I could eat lunch and let the current take me down stream but the wind out of the south pushed me up stream. I ate lunch just south of the Eisenhower Expressway. I saw more joggers than any other living thing. There were many water fowl and 2 beavers and one coyote. I was off the water and had the canoe loaded by 2:00. It was 12.5 miles with only one place I had to get out to get around a log jam.
Ah, wilderness!
Wilderness!?
Wilderness it was not. It was good to get out and keep the muscle in shape for the more wilderness wilderness trips. I have now paddled all the water between Lawrence Av and Romeoville. The best section of the river to paddle is between Rt 83 and Lemont Rd. Before the carp stopper fence was put in that section was loaded with deer and coyotes especially at night.
he was referring to the fact
that you posted this in the Wilderness Tripping forum.
I grew up in Palos Park, and my first
paddling experience was navigating a steel cement mixing trough around a small local swamp.
Chicago area paddling
Come on up to Lake County! The Des Plaines is much cleaner here, and we actively work to clear safe passage through those log jams.