Swan Canoe Club's, Blackwood River Trip.

At least we were able to put the tent up in the dry. However, once it started raining, late on Friday evening, it didn’t stop.

The Saturday morning paddle from Sue’s Bridge to the Shep Road campsite, about 20 kilometres, was in really good paddling conditions, if a little wet as it rained the whole time.

The Start at Sue's Bridge

 

This is a picturesque part of the Blackwood River, with steep banks, so stopping is limited to a few areas only. There are long pools, a few small rapids and trees that reach down to the river.  The wild flowers were in bloom and provided a magnificent spectacle.

Geoff in his new Creek Kayak

Magnificent Scenery Through Out The Trip

 Our group of Gisela, Gail & Colin, Jenny, Geoff E, Gill and Geoff P had an enjoyable paddle, the river level was high and the rapids, as such, were fun. Apart from one unscheduled stop the whole paddle went without incident, and was quite fast. Mind you, it was difficult to find a place to stop due to the steep banks, and the spot we selected was very muddy.  The kayak ended up caked in mud by the time I got back into it. Sea kayaking just isn’t this messy!

The Portage At The Weir Was A Chance For Something To Eat

Hauling The Kayaks Up The Slippery Slope

  

Hysterical, is probably the best way of describing the scene at the Shep Road camp site, where we finished. With a steep bank and lots of rain, the bank soon became a mud slide and was very slippery. We had to pull the kayaks up to the camp with ropes. This wasn’t so funny, it was the attempts at climbing the slippery slope by the paddlers that resulted in the amusement. One paddler, who will remain nameless, managed a full frontal face plant, in slow motion, into the mud.

Winner of the Best Dressed, Rain Wear Division

 

We had a great Saturday night, drinking red wine, chatting and actually saw some stars, between the “Sucker Gaps” in the cloud cover.

Needless to say the rain was still descending on Sunday morning and no one had the appetite to put on sodden paddling gear for the final few kilometres.  So we started the pack up. Of course, once we had finished, the rain stopped and the sun appeared.

A great weekend, the first timed I’ve paddled moving water in many years, and I surprised myself with my ability to remain up right. However, some memories did return from the old Avon Descent days.  I hate long pools, they just seem to go on forever.

Apologies for the quality of the photographs, but I did say it was raining.