This message is for all paddlers, but especially dedicated to Clyde Sisler, with whom I can now identify. A bunch of us spent Memorial Weekend camped in the rain along the banks of Willapa Bay in S.W. Washington, U.S.A. Our first day out, we decided to launch from Bay City ramp, and explore the Niawiakum River. It was a beautiful paddle up the river, as the tide gently ebbed, and an eagle screeched at me from a lofty perch. The rest of the group ate lunch and turned back, but I was enjoying the paddling so much that I just had to go as far as the tidal estuary would allow. So I paddled up a steadily more narrow and shallow tidal stream, until progress could be made no more. Turning back, the down river trip was equally entrancing, but the water level had dropped significantly. I began to wonder if I could make it across the bay and back to the ramp. Approaching the river's mouth, I could see no other paddlers. In fact, I mostly saw mud flats. Dang. Panic. Worry. Etc. I could see across the bay to where the ramp sat, but had no clue as to how to get there. I tried paddling a small channel that was now showing, but it petered out. I was still several hundred yards from the ramp. Maybe I should have brought a chart. Anyway, I decided to hump across the flats, and drag the boat. Boy, was that ever a big mistake. Willapa Bay mud is real gooey, sucking mud. You put your foot in, and it doesn't want to come out. It pulls the Teva sandals right off your feet. In a matter of minutes, you and everything you own get caked in thick, rich , black, smelly, slimey gunk. And that's just in the first few minutes. Pulling a kayak across mud is work. And dangerous too. There's no guarantee you will ever get out of that morass. I suppose it took an hour or more to cross that mud flat. There was even an audience on the far shore watching the drama unfold. Fatigue was setting in, with aching arms, aching back, tired, tired, tired legs. I began to doubt that I would make it. But some of us really hate to miss dinner, especially when dinner is a sumptuous feast served up by a crew of crazy, ravenous paddlers, who have channeled their pent-up city life frustrations into culinary delights. So I finally staggered to the water's edge, fell into the muddy kayak, and paddled up the boat channel to the ramp. There was a crowd of my group waiting at the ramp. It seems someone (I won't mention any names) had locked their keys in the car, and they were'nt going anywhere. But eventually the car was unlocked, boat and gear and clothing were washed off, and the group returned to camp. Dinner was excellent, and for at least one of us, bedtime was 9:00 o'clock. What lessons did I learn and relearn? Paddle with your group. There's safety in numbers. Bring a chart-always. It's hard to see when your're standing 3 feet tall in a mud flat. Be aware of your surroundings. Go home before the tide drops. And I hope you enjoyed that, Clyde. ********************************************************************** Bradford R. Crain E-mail: brad_at_mth.pdx.edu Dept. of Mathematics Phone: (503) 725-3127 Portland State Univ. FAX: (503) 725-3661 P.O. Box 751 Portland, Or. 97207 ********************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 01:36 PM 5/26/98 -0400, Sisler, Clyde wrote: >> What lessons did I learn and relearn? Paddle with your group. >> There's safety in numbers. Bring a chart-always. It's hard to see >> when your're standing 3 feet tall in a mud flat. Be aware of your >> surroundings. Go home before the tide drops. And I hope you enjoyed >> that, Clyde. > Mud? I thought the west coast was all sandy beaches and rain >forests. > > But wasn't that much more interesting than a dreary old trip >with water all over the place? You got a nice workout AND you got to >entertain your buds. You didn't fall down though so that invalidates >much of the agony. > > I'm heading out for a 4 day paddling weekend in Maine on >Thursday. If I don't get to my island at a reasonable time, I'm gonna >run into (sink into) about 100+ feet of ankle deep ooze. I, however, >have a plan. > For Muddy situations we use a product called Mudders, I think Cabalas has them. They allow you to walk on mud that you would not usually be able to . You lash them to your foot wear and away you go. I got mine at a local fishing store. Could not find them on the web , but found some interesting stuff.No Fla. doen't have mud but we go to Ga. and it is nothing but a red muddy state. Dana *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
What's mud? -----Original Message----- From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net] On Behalf Of dldecker_at_mediaone.net Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 1998 6:06 PM To: 'paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net' Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] mud At 01:36 PM 5/26/98 -0400, Sisler, Clyde wrote: >> What lessons did I learn and relearn? Paddle with your group. >> There's safety in numbers. Bring a chart-always. It's hard to see >> when your're standing 3 feet tall in a mud flat. Be aware of your >> surroundings. Go home before the tide drops. And I hope you enjoyed >> that, Clyde. > Mud? I thought the west coast was all sandy beaches and rain >forests. > > But wasn't that much more interesting than a dreary old trip >with water all over the place? You got a nice workout AND you got to >entertain your buds. You didn't fall down though so that invalidates >much of the agony. > > I'm heading out for a 4 day paddling weekend in Maine on >Thursday. If I don't get to my island at a reasonable time, I'm gonna >run into (sink into) about 100+ feet of ankle deep ooze. I, however, >have a plan. > For Muddy situations we use a product called Mudders, I think Cabalas has them. They allow you to walk on mud that you would not usually be able to . You lash them to your foot wear and away you go. I got mine at a local fishing store. Could not find them on the web , but found some interesting stuff.No Fla. doen't have mud but we go to Ga. and it is nothing but a red muddy state. Dana *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 03:06 PM 5/26/98 -0700, dldecker_at_mediaone.net wrote: >For Muddy situations we use a product called Mudders, I think Cabalas has >them. They allow you to walk on mud that you would not usually be able to . >You lash them to your foot wear and away you go. I got mine at a local >fishing store. Could not find them on the web , but found some interesting >stuff.No Fla. doen't have mud but we go to Ga. and it is nothing but a red >muddy state. The "mudders" are like solid snowshoes. You could make them with epoxy and plywood or skin on frame.... As for mud, Florida has more than we do in Georgia--it washes downhill to them from here. By the time it gets there, it's just dirty brown, not pretty red anymore. Wynne Americus, GA USA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
BRADFORD R. CRAIN wrote: > > This message is for all paddlers, but especially dedicated to > Clyde Sisler, with whom I can now identify. > A bunch of us spent Memorial Weekend camped in the rain along > the banks of Willapa Bay in S.W. Washington, U.S.A. Our first day > out, we decided to launch from Bay City ramp, and explore the Niawiakum > River. It was a beautiful paddle up the river, as the tide gently > ebbed, and an eagle screeched at me from a lofty perch. The rest of > the group ate lunch and turned back, but I was enjoying the paddling > so much that I just had to go as far as the tidal estuary would > allow. So I paddled up a steadily more narrow and shallow tidal > stream, until progress could be made no more. Turning back, the down > river trip was equally entrancing, but the water level had dropped > significantly. I began to wonder if I could make it across the bay > and back to the ramp. > Approaching the river's mouth, I could see no other paddlers. In > fact, I mostly saw mud flats. Dang. Panic. Worry. Etc. I could see > across the bay to where the ramp sat, but had no clue as to how to > get there. I tried paddling a small channel that was now showing, but > it petered out. I was still several hundred yards from the ramp. > Maybe I should have brought a chart. Anyway, I decided to hump across > the flats, and drag the boat. Boy, was that ever a big mistake. > Willapa Bay mud is real gooey, sucking mud.[snip] > I suppose it took an hour or more to cross that mud flat.[snip] > So I finally staggered to the water's edge, fell into the muddy > kayak, and paddled up the boat channel to the ramp. [snip] > What lessons did I learn and relearn? [snip] It's hard to see > when you're standing 3 feet tall in a mud flat. Be aware of your > surroundings. Go home before the tide drops. I know the mud flat which almost swallowed Bradford, and I have some intimate knowledge of Willapa Bay mud. Bradford's mud flat is actually one of the less gooey ones on the Bay. A friend happened to step onto a really gooey one (distant from his boat) and quickly realized walking would only entrap him, so he flopped face down on the stuff and "swam" and __wriggled__ to safety. Good thing he did, too, because if he had remained vertical, the rising tide (many hours later) would have risen so fast he would have drowned. Problem is that the 15 - 20 pounds of buoyant force remaining in the typical PFD is too wimpy to extract you after your 150 - 200 pounds of body weight has sunk your feet deeply into the goo. A chart will help __a little__ on mudflats like Bradford's, but sometimes the minor channels left at low tide are such small features their current position is 'way different from what got charted a few decades ago. That's the case on Bradford's flat. Most times it's better to stay in the main channel (the ebb has to get out somewhere) and take "the long way around," as Bradford discovered. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR (back from "inland" Texas -- how do those people live down there?) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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