Monday, May 06, 2024 I got out on the river a little after 7. The section from the bridge rapids to the bridge on 40 was the most turbulent. A mile in and there were class 1 rapids but it's not on the map. This was the only time I bumped into two boulders, one right after another, going through the rapids. They were kind of camouflaged. Guess I took the wrong way.

After that, I encountered many turbulent sections and mini rapids before I got to Muldoon rapids. I was averaging 4.8 mph through this section. I put everything in my backpack and my phone and keys in a sandwich bag just in case I fell out. I finally get to the rapids and they're definitely a different beast. Two foot tall waves in high water is an accurate description. It has a gate-like entrance with the sides being rockier and a clear center entrance with larger waves. I went in and the large waves pushed me over and I fell in.

It happened really quick. The waves basically turned my canoe over and I fell out. My canoe drifted only 10-15 feet away from me. The water wasn't as cold as I thought it would be and since it was sunny in the low 60s, the thought of hypothermia quickly went away. The middle of the river is only chest height deep for me, so about 5 feet deep so I took my time walking my flooded canoe over to a very small island up ahead. I was walking and feeling the big boulders on the bottom that you would normally never see. I took a little break and checked my stuff. Phone and keys were fine. Nothing was damaged or lost. The only thing I lost was a plastic water bottle. Even my cushion that wasn't attached to my seat somehow never came off when the canoe tipped over.

I got back in and there were two more class 1 rapids sections and then there was another class 2 section where the river splits into two channels and converges back into one. You can only take the left side, the right side is calmer but too rocky. Looking at it from the water, the rapids look like stairs and I turned around and got on the island to have a better look. I wish I got a better picture but it gives you an idea of what it's like. I passed up on these rapids and I waded across the right channel and took my canoe through the woods and onto the portage trail. Hauling it without a yoke wasn't fun but I got back into the river again and went through the last rapid section (class 1) and then it was done.

From County 40 to Little American Falls was the calmest section. I was only thinking about getting back to my car and it felt like it took an eternity. There's no warning sign for the falls which I found odd because there was one for the tiny 'rapids' by the mill at Bigfork. I portaged through the campsite and paddled across the fast water to the landing. They gotta stop putting these landings right by the rapids, it makes it harder to get to them. The wind, of course, had to be the strongest biking back to the car the last time. I got back, loaded and strapped up everything and by 3:30 and I was out. I did 17 miles that day roughly the same speed. Overall, the trip went pretty well. Water levels were good, perfect weather, no bugs on the river, no plants. Lots of wildlife. Flushed out countless ducks and geese, lots of birds of prey, beavers, turtles, songbirds, deer, otters. I have no idea what the fishing is like so don't ask. I'm hoping to finish the rest of the river in a 4 day trip but I don't know when I will do it.

Second part of the river: https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=trip.report_view&sel_trp_id=7584