Paddling the Pere Marquette River
A 70 mile day trip.
I may have been the first to complete this feat the same day.
The Pere Marquette is a designated National Wild and Scenic River and considered one of Michigan’s most scenic rivers. There are no dams to portage around. The river averages thirty to forty feet wide, and is often only two to four feet deep. This river may be best known for its trophy fishing.
I am excited to paddle the Pere Marquette. It will be my longest paddle of this short season and I am hoping the experience matches that of other scenic and remote rivers that I have paddled across the Upper Midwest. |
There is no one else here, which is good. I am hoping to have much of the river to myself this Tuesday, May 10. The boat ramp is remarkably well designed and is well suited for a river of this exceptional quality. It is made of railroad timbers and framed by large boulders. Its slope is ideal for a smooth entry into this swift flowing, shallow river.
It is so shallow here I can see its sandy bottom across this narrow stretch. I scan the river in hopes of seeing a large trout, steelhead, or king salmon passing by. But, all I see are minnow sized fish. Perhaps in five or six years they will grow to trophy size and become a prized catch for some lucky fishermen. |
I launch onto the Pere Marquette at 6:40AM with relative ease. The sun is up and it’s already pleasantly warm. I am in good spirit and look forward to paddling and a new grand adventure.
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I round the first turn and surprise a blue heron. At no more than 10 feet away it breaks away from its statuesque stance and his favorite fishing hole, to flee my unexpected arrival. This is a good omen as the blue heron is my favorite bird
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At the beginning, much of the river is no more than 20 to 30 feet wide. With its swift flowing current, I get pushed into the far corner at every bend. In many of these bends there is a collection of trees from past seasons. Getting caught in, or under, these entangled debris fields can be dangerous.
The Pere Marquette’s frequent sharp turns challenge my skill and strength. Many can be described as s-curve, horseshoe, and even hairpin turns. I often have to suddenly stop and quickly paddle backwards to make a turn and avert certain danger. This is by far the most winding river I have paddled.
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With so many twists and turns, you get a new look of a river stretch every few minutes. Although its early in the day, I am already ranking the Pere Marquette among my most scenic river paddle, rivaling that of headwaters of the Mississippi and St. Croix River, Minnesota’s Rum River and Wisconsin’s Namekagon River.
This morning, the ducks, geese, and eagles are paired up. The occasional small fish jumps out of the water ahead of me. Being able to see the bottom of this shallow river adds to the enjoyment. When my kayak touches the river’s sandy or rocky bottom, it just adds to the excitement. |
I scan the narrow stretch of rapids and see nothing to worry about. I see no large boulders or fallen tree. Then, in front of me and to my left, breaking just above the water’s surface I notice an object. I don’t have time to avoid it. I hope it’s a partially submerged tree that will give way when I paddle over it.
I’m not so lucky. It’s a large boulder and there will be no give. |
At a pace way too fast, I hit it on the right and instantly spill into the swift flowing and cold Pere Marquette. To protect my face from hitting another rock or the river’s shallow bottom, I let go of my paddle to quickly shield my face with both arms. Upside down and dragging along the river’s bottom, I find it difficult to free myself from my kayak.
I try pushing off from the bottom of my upside kayak, but am unable to break away. I try again, with no luck. The third time, with a twisting motion and pushing off my foot rests, I am able to free myself. |
With my kayak at my left side, I begin leaping and pushing forward to catch up to my paddle. I am being challenged a bit as either, or both, my kayak skirt or loose fitting water proof pants are restricting my stride. After a few minutes I catch up to my Werner paddle.
The cold river water is beginning to chill my body. I’m not too worried for now as I am confident I will soon find a convenient place to exit the river, then change into dry clothes if I need to. |
I work my way to the side of the river to empty my kayak. But the river bank is too steep in this area. The best I can do is lodge my swamped kayak against the river’s edge and reenter, then paddle to a safe place to stop, empty my kayak, and collect my nerves.
I look ahead for my dry bag. It’s no where to be seen. |
I don’t have to paddle much long before I come across a friendly sandy shoreline to pull everything together and collect my nerves. With my weighted kayak it’s an easy exit. I pull my kayak to shore and notice a fresh set of tracks. Based on their size and depth of their imprint, I am certain they’re from a bear.
After emptying my kayak of the Pere Marquette River, I inspect my forward and rear hatches, and stashed cargo. Everything is surprisingly dry. It doesn’t take long before I’m ready to relaunch. Because it’s quite warm, I decide to continue on without changing into dry clothes. I’ll save those for later, if I have to camp out overnight before finishing my trip tomorrow. |
Before reentering my kayak, I take a moment to stretch and look around and take in the view. To my surprise, not too far down on the other side of the river I see my bright red dry bag snagged in fallen tree. The problem is, it’s snagged in a tree just before a large debris field in another turn in the river.
Paddling to it is not an option. I consider swimming to it, but the river is too swift and the large debris field just below makes it too dangerous. I would hate to continue on without it as in it is my phone charger, headlamp, flashlight, food, suntan lotion, and other items. But, I see no other choice. |
As I make my way across I lean into the river and take small, sure steps. I approach the edge of the drop off and look down, as I thought, I am unable to see the river’s bottom. I have no idea how steep the slope is or how deep the river is here. I continue on, leaning aggressively against the swift river. Its strength is greater than what I expected, but still manageable. With the river now chest high, and my dry pack just a few feet further away, I hope the river doesn’t get any deeper.
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It doesn’t. I am able to retrieve my dry bag and return to shore without incident.
It is 8:04AM when I reenter my kayak and continue on. In less than an hour after my starting the day, I have spilled into the river and risked being swept down river. I wonder, and worry, how many more of these small rapids will challenge me along the way? |
Around every bend I am greeted with another picture worthy scenic view. With the trees not yet in full bloom I am able to peer deep into he woods in search of wildlife. The occasional stretches of remote cottages and homes adds charm to the trip. The small tributaries feeding the Pere Marquette make the river stronger and gradually wider. The bright blue sky with patches of clouds add color and warmth. I have mastered how to navigate the tricky winding turns and have become quite good at paddling over fallen trees, or finding a narrow path to make my way through what otherwise would be a full river obstruction.
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As I back up, I find myself snagged on a tree. I didn’t notice the forked branch below the river’s surface. It has me in its grasp and won’t let go. The nearby fisherman sees my predicament and offers to help. With a gentle lift and push I am free to paddle and plan my detour across land.
The eventual portage around this bend is no more than 100 yards and am I able to drag my kayak thought the trees across the soft, leaf covered forest with relative ease. |
At 4:25PM I approach a low bridge that marks the end of this first lowland area. The bridge is named Indian Bridge. From a distance it appears too low to paddle underneath. As I get closer, I am almost certain it’s impossible to pass underneath. I look to either side of the river for an obvious portage, but I don’t see any sign of well worn path. There appears to be no easy way around.
I have two options. Attempt to paddle underneath and risk being knocked over, or take the time and do some heavy lifting and portage around for a more reasonable and safe passage. |
As I paddle into the early evening I come across a number of deer. Because I must continue to navigate my way through a number of sharp turns and am jumping logs, my approach is not always stealth-like. I quit counting after 20 deer white tails wave good by with their white tails. Many are in small groups of four to six. Then there are the curious ones, or perhaps those that are simply indifferent, who stand by the riverbank and watch me paddle by.
I make it to the small town of Scottsville around 6:30PM and make small talk with a resident on the south side of the river. After I pass, he shouts out, telling me there is someone trying to stop me. All I can think of is the DNR, but I can’t imagine why. |
I recalculate my estimated time of arrival based on his thinking. If it takes the average paddler four-and-a-half hours, I am thinking I will complete the journey between three and three-and-a-half hours. That gets me into Ludington around 9:45, which would make my journey a 15-hour day paddle. I double check my math to make sure.
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My spirits are lifted as my original estimate was I would complete this paddle in 15 hours, plus or minus one hour. Despite my spill, having to make an unexpected portage, the difficulty of all the winding turns and the many obstacles, I will be finishing in length of time as originally planned. But, because I launched later than I originally wanted to, I will be certainly be paddling at night.
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At 8:12PM I pass under Highway 31 and the evening begins to darken. I am greeted by incredible displays of color and shapes of a changing sky. One stunning cloud formation looks like a pair of angels welcoming and pointing me in the right direction, while the setting orange sun slowly disappears behind the distant trees. The reflection of this scene in the calm river water makes it all the more remarkable.
Forty minutes later I pass under the old Highway 31 bridge and soon after enter into the lowlands preceding Pere Marquette Lake. |
The billowing black smoke from its single stack tells me they’re preparing for their cross Lake Michigan ferry season which officially begins in two days.
I have taken this same ship back across Lake Michigan each of the five times I have solo paddled the 50+ miles from Wisconsin to Michigan. Viewing this iconic and historic ship from the lake was something I had been looking forward to since I first began planning this trip. The spectacular view tonight did not disappoint. |
As I paddle by the S.S. Badger I am also looking forward to entering the Pere Marquette channel leading to Lake Michigan. On my right, the north side of the channel, is the U.S. Coast Guard Station. While I have not yet had to use their services, there have many times when I was certain I would need their help.
As expected, boat traffic is light in the channel tonight. There is just one fishing boat and a lone sailboat coming in from a day on the lake. As I enter the open area protected by the breakwater barriers on both sides, the water remains like glass. I take in the stunning view of the Ludington North Pierhead Lighthouse with its brightly lit green beacon on display on this side. |
I am thrilled (prideful) to have paddled so far in a day and feel privileged to have had the scenic Pere Marquette nearly all to myself. Now, here I am on Lake Michigan, where I have solo paddled across five times. I am experiencing an eerie balance of joy, excitement, and a certain closeness to many; present and past. This closeness, seems to be unique feeling when I am alone on Lake Michigan. I hope to never forget it and soon repeat it.
But, I must focus on the moment and be mindful of the tricky turn I am about to take. I will momentarily have my kayak perilously positioned sideways against Lake Michigan’s rolling waves. This is the moment where I am at greatest risk of a spill. |
I complete the turn and begin paddling NNE and parallel to the north breakwater wall. I am being pushed by a nice SSW wind making it nearly effortless to sustain momentum. I can’t help but think about how much easier it would be to paddle cross Lake Michigan if I had the benefit of a similar wind and lake conditions.
As I make my final turn, due east to Ludington’s Stearns Park, I remain alert to make sure I keep enough distance between me and the north breakwater pier. If I paddle too close, I risk being caught up in the rough waters and car size jagged rocks protecting the pier. A spill here will prove disastrous, especially in the much colder and deeper water, and with my being at near exhaustion. |
I am honored that the Ludington Daily News (LDN) featured my Pere Marquette River story the next day. It made the front page of their next day’s paper.
I was surprised to learn, that I may have been the first to have paddled the entire length of the Pere Marquette River the same day. Such a feat, the LDN sports editor asked the reporter to call Pere Marquette River Lodge to ask them. Kevin Brandin, fly shop attendant said, “As far as we know, nobody has done it in a day.” For proof of my paddling accomplishment, I was asked to provide GPS locations, with times, of key stops along the way. I was able to provide a near hour-by-hour accounting of my entire trip. How cool is that?! |
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msplmn02@gmail.com | (952) 239-3943 | Eagan, MN 55123
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