I had big plans for Thursday and was pretty exited when I awoke to beautiful, sunny skies. This was the day I would take the 14.5 mile solo kayak trip from Black River Falls back to Lost Falls Campground.
Lost Falls Campground rents canoes, kayaks, SUP (Stand Up Paddleboards) and tubes (doubles, singles and cooler). We shuttle guests to one of 3 different landings and everyone arrives back at the campground, hopefully, having enjoyed their day on the Black River.
Steve outfitted my kayak with a phone mount, now I can take pictures and videos, hands free…
We’ve had A LOT of rain this spring and the river was moving pretty briskly as I set off. It didn’t take long before all I could hear was the sounds of nature, the river churning and a chorus of birds. The evidence of high water was all around me. Some of the smaller trees were barely above the waterline…
You can see the wet line on the trees, overnight, the river had gone down at least 18″. Usually there are lots of sandbars to stop at…
But most were still underwater. It was a lazy paddle for me. I let the river current do most of the work while I steered occasionally and just enjoyed being on the river. I hadn’t seen another sole in hours and was surprised as I came around the bend to see these 2 “people” watching from the bank…
I chuckled to myself as I floated by, a good reminder, someone is always watching.
The Black River State Forest borders a large stretch of river and offers campsites for paddlers…
After passing Mason’s landing I came across a tall limestone bluff…
I could hear the sounds of rushing water so I set off to investigate. I had heard there was a gorge with a waterfall near here so I was hoping I had found it. I was a bit disappointed with the “waterfall”…
But decided to get out and stretch. As I walked along the banks of the creek, I found lots of white trillium thriving in the shadows…
The cool water felt good on my feet as I walked along as sun dappled tree stood sentinel over me…
Back on the river, I saw a slough and decided to check it out. There were lots of turtles sunning themselves on the fallen logs…
When I reached Hansen’s Landing, I knew I only had 2.5 miles to go…
I had spent the first 12 miles being lazy, but wanted to make a time lapse video of the trip from Hansen’s Landing, so now it was time to paddle! It took me 28 minutes to reach the shore of Lost Falls Campgound, so the video is only 28 seconds, whew, what a workout…
It was a peaceful, relaxing way to spend the day. I can’t wait to do it again!
The Wandering RVer 
Yup, all I can think of after seeing those mannequins is Deliverance. Glad your trip didn’t get any creepier than that. 😃 Looks like a fun day out on the water!
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It was so much fun I did it again today with Dawn from Random Bits!
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Oh I loved that time lapse video! Looks like a beautiful kayaking trip. So much lush greenery. I chuckled, and frankly did a double take, at the mannequins in the woods! Now there is something you don’t see every day.
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I was worried people might get motion sick watching it. The mannequins cracked me up.
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Those mannequins, though! I love the Laura from Chapter3’s comment about reminding her of Deliverance. 🙂 I so enjoyed doing this same trip with you yesterday (minus a couple miles or so). I can’t believe how quiet and relaxing it was–and so wonderful to talk and spend the day with you. It was a sweeeeeeet adventure with a dear friend! Thanks for sharing this little piece of peace with me! Dawn
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Can’t wait until we can do it again!
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That’s a long paddle! It looks like a nice peaceful day on the water. The “people” on the shore cracked me up!
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To be completely honest, I spent more time drifting than paddling. The river was moving a lot faster than it is now because of all the rain we had this spring. I’ve done it several times since and still laugh at the “people” on the shore.
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