Exploring Ohio by Kayak

In addition to hiking and biking recreational trails all over Ohio, my family and I love to canoe and kayak. We’ve spent many hot afternoons floating down the Tuscarawas River from Canal Fulton to Massillon. The Trailhead Canoe Livery is at the Towpath trailhead at Lake Avenue and State Route 21 in Massillon. Canoe and bike rentals are available.

The Tuscarawas River is a slow, shallow river that is also known as Indian River because it was once a main route used by Native Americans. My family enjoys getting thoroughly soaked during canoe adventures and has even been known to ambush unsuspecting strangers. We love it when the strangers fight back. As we call out our battle cry “Ramming Speed”, we maneuver our boats around and back to attach again, splashing each other. We always have a great time!

Last year, my middle sister and I bought kayaks and started out exploring the Nimisila Reservoir, which is in the Portage Lakes. The Nimisila Reservoir is a great area for recreational boaters. There are always wind surfers, fisherman and other yakkers enjoying the water.

We also enjoy kayaking the Sandy Creek, which is a 41.3 mile long tributary to the Tuscarawas River, part of the Mississippi River watershed. The Sandy Creek runs through my hometown. I have grown up swimming in the Creek, watching my brother jump from the bridge and enjoying hot summer days with other local kids. Later in life, the rail bridge that crosses the Sandy Creek in Oneida was a popular hang-out spot for all sorts of partying and fun.

June 7, 2008

For our first trip of Summer 2008, my sister and I put our boats in at the Pekin Bridge, which is outside of Minerva, Ohio. From there, we generally headed west toward Malvern, Ohio. The Sandy Creek is not maintained for navigation which made the trip quite an adventure. We had to push our boats over, crawl through branches or swim under downed trees. When we couldn’t find our way around debris dams, we’d get out and pull our kayaks along the shore until we found another spot to put in. There were areas of slight rapids and it is fun to try and maneuver in those places. We encountered full families of geese and enjoyed the tranquility of a creek that is not often traveled. After approximately 3 miles, we came upon the Oneida Bridge where we pulled out and headed home. Exploring the Creek, which has been a special place since I was a child, was a great way to start the summer.

June 29, 2008

Our second trip of Summer 2008 was full of excitement and adventure! Although the Sandy Creek is usually a slow moving and shallow body of water, after a week of rain it had risen at least a few feet and was moving much faster! When I mentioned to my dad that we were planning to kayak the Creek he replied, “Oh wow, that would be thrilling- it is moving so fast right now!” No mention of safety concerns or warnings- just enthusiasm. We were both a little nervous but also very excited! We put our boats in at the Oneida Bridge. Our dad was standing on the railroad bridge, cheering us on as we paddled toward our first area of rapids. I heard him exclaim “Wahoo! Watch out for that bump!” as Joanna and I paddled around an area of debris creating 1 foot waves. The water was moving swiftly and we spent more time steering than paddling for a lot of the trip. At one point as we were paddling through an area of Class I rapids, we began to hear a roar ahead of us. As we got closer we saw an area of intimidating nearly Class III rapids! It was a progressive elevation drop of only a few feet with a lot of debris and huge waves. It was scary! I screamed as I paddled into them, water splashing into my little recreational boat, and had a blast as I rode through the area! We were both thrilled with the experience! The rest of the ride was calm. We saw a deer, a crane and fish jumping out of the water to catch insects. We paddled through the pond along State Route 183, created by previous strip-mining activities, and we realized how much larger it is than it appears from the road. We passed under the SR 183 Bridge as well as the Reed Avenue Bridge in Malvern, which has been recently restored. We pulled out behind the ball fields at the Malvern Park, approximately 3-3.5 miles from the Oneida Bridge. Because the water was moving so quickly the trip only took an hour. This trip down the Sandy Creek was very exhilarating!

July 12, 2008

Our third trip down the Sandy Creek was the most dangerous to date. As we traveled farther down the river, the water became deeper and moved more swiftly. There were also many debris dams to deal with. We put in behind the ball fields in Malvern, Ohio. We paddled past the Water Treatment Plant and into the wilderness. Although the Sandy Creek runs parallel with State Route 183 from Minerva to Malvern, the Creek runs deeper into the woods on the Malvern to Waynesburg leg. We encountered lots of wildlife including cranes, ducks, geese and lots of fish.

We soon came to an area of debris that was about 6 feet above water surface and nearly 20 feet long. The water was moving very quickly because of the obstruction and it was much harder to maneuver our boats. We scoped out the area and realized that there was no way to get around the debris but to crawl over it. This was a dangerous endeavor. We had to get out of our boats and push them against rushing water to one side of the debris. Joanna led the way, carefully crawling over the debris. I pushed our boats from behind. Then, we slid back into our boats from atop the debris and headed back down the creek--- for about 10 feet before we encountered another debris dam. Joanna’s kayak rolled but I was able to get around most of the debris and roll out so I could pull my boat over the last bit of logs. It took us about 30 minutes to navigate that area. We found a small island and rested because it was exhausting work.

A mile or two down the Creek and another debris dam was encountered. Although this one was not nearly has high or dense, the water was rushing so swiftly that Joanna quickly rolled. I was right behind her so Joanna nearly got pinned between my kayak and the debris. As she went under the water to avoid my kayak, I rolled as well and plummeted into the water. I became tangled on the debris so although I was only a foot under the water, I was caught and could not breathe. Neither Joanna nor I panicked. Joanna was able to swim under the debris and caught her waterlogged boat on the other side. I broke free of the debris and floated down the creek. My boat became lodged in the pile but the force of the water eventually pushed it through and down the creek, where I caught it. Total loss- 1 Toledo Mudhens Baseball cap. Joanna and I made our way to the shore and rested for a bit, thankful to have made it through that obstacle intact and alive. For the rest of the trip we reflected on the safety issues associated with kayaking a river that is not maintained for navigation. We discussed what we should have done differently and decided to take a few weeks off to recover from our exciting and slightly scary adventure. We pulled out at the Greer Avenue Bridge, just east of Waynesburg, after kayaking approximately 6 miles.