The Portage to Portage Paddling Project – 5000 Miles Through Your Back Yard.

See where kayaking can take you at the new Divepoint Paddle and Adventure Center Demo Day on Saturday May 12th.

Saturday May 12th

Demos start at 10:00 am
Presentation: 5:00 pm

Wausau native Jake Stachovak will be on hand to recount the tales of the ten month 5740 mile solo kayak trip that took him all the way around the eastern United States in 2010. Jake’s expedition kayak and gear will be on display and he will be at the new Wausau store all day at 106 East Wausau Ave helping out with kayak demos.

On water demos start at 10:00 AM followed by the one hour presentation at 5:00 PM.

For more information contact Divepoint Wausau at 715-845-3483. To learn more about the trip visit www.portagetoportage.com

Check out this video of paddling the Lake Superior Sea Caves of Wisconsin. Gear Junkie takes viewers to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, where their crew paddle a mile-long stretch of sandstone caves to go spelunking in a kayak.

see more about Gear Junkie’s Off the Map Series

Reflections on Black Otter Lakeweedy channel Northeast side of lake

Black Otter Lake is a small weedy lake located in Hortonville, WI. The lake is 70+ acres and has an small island and an upstream shallow area beyond the railroad bridge that can be paddled before it gets too weedy in the summer or after the weeds die back in the fall.

Weed overgrowth is a challenge on the lake during the warm summer months. It’s a fun little lake to paddle if you don’t mind lots of weeds or go early in the spring or late in the fall. The people that live around and manage Black Otter Lake have been trying to do a number of things to control weeds in the lake. This summer they are planning to draw down the water level by 2 1/2 feet in an attempt to get the weeds to die off in the shallows.

Here’s what the lake looks like in April with the normal water level.

weedy channel Northeast side of lake

nearing the railroad bridge - southeast end of lake

shallows west of the railroad bridge

west of the railroad bridge shallow area

Entering Lake Orlando on the Waupaca Chain O' Lakes

The Spring of 2012 has been kind to early season paddlers in Wisconsin. The warmer weather and sunny conditions have pushed me to go paddling more often than usual this early in the season. One of my favorite nearby places to paddle is the Waupaca Chain O’ Lakes.

The lakes are crystal clear and pretty protected on windy days.  For paddlers I recommend starting on the Upper Chain at the Knight Rd. landing.  The Upper Chain is for small boats and weekends in the summer it’s common to see many paddlers out enjoying these clear waters.

Early in the season you may be the only one out paddling.

The larger part of the chain can be accessed by the very shallow Beasley Creek.  Weekends during the summer expect very busy boat and water ski traffic on the larger part of the chain.  I recommend paddling the big chain on weekdays or early or very late in the Wisconsin paddling season.

Read more and see more photos of the Waupaca Chain

The Crystal River starts at the south end of Long Lake on the Waupaca Chain O’ Lakes. Clear, cool and mostly shallow the Crystal is a fun little river to paddle. Rocks and small rapids are frequent as is beautiful scenery all along the river. I recommend using a shorter boat that is easy to maneuver and you won’t mind if it gets scratched up.

Enjoy this video which starts at the headwaters of the Crystal River at Long Lake on this first leg of the river to Smith Road.

Watch the next video on the Crystal River, going through the small village of Rural on the Crystal River.

Winter of 2012 has been a balmy one in Wisconsin. For us hardier paddlers this means we’re not taking the winter completely off from paddling. February 22nd was a sunny 40+ degree day so 4 of us decided to enjoy an outing on Little Lake Butte Des Morts. We started at Fritse Park on the west side of the lake in Menasha and paddled to Lutz Park and back. Our trip was a little over 9 miles. It’s been great to be out on the water.

Here’s a slideshow from the day

Winter paddling needs to be approached with caution. The water is cold this time of year and you need to be prepared in case of immersion. If in doubt do not go.

The Lower Wolf River is a great and under utilized destination for paddlers. This section between Hwy S near Stephensville and Hwy M near Hortonville is about 5 miles making it one of the shorter sections between landings.

This section of the Wolf is tree lined and a number of fishing shacks line the river where there are access roads.  This time lapse video shows the river at a late summer medium to lower water level.

I like to make this paddle a round trip starting at the landing on hwy M, paddle to the bridge and landing at hwy S and back.  If you do this round trip I recommend doing the upstream section first.

Enjoy the video.

Want to see more videos and trip guides for the Lower Wolf River? Visit our Lower Wolf page.

The Fox River at Lutz Park Appleton, WI

50 degrees on January 10, 2012 in Wisconsin is a chance to paddle that a few of us paddlers couldn’t pass up. Here’s the video of myself, Sean and Terry paddling the Fox River from Lutz Park in Appleton to Little Lake Butte Des Morts.

You’ll see by the video there was virtually no snow and very little ice until we got to the wider part of the lake. It felt more like paddling in November. Watch for the eagle taking off from the tree in the video. We didn’t see 18 eagles like last week. We did see a few. I think this was because more open water spread them out to other places or maybe it was just our timing this day.

Warning: Cold water paddling can be dangerous. Don’t mess around this time of year! Safety is always important and even more so when it’s cold.

You can also check out this little winter paddling adventure in photos.

The North East Wisconsin Paddlers, Inc. is hosting its 2012 Annual Meeting on Saturday, January 28 at McGuinness Irish Pub in downtown Appleton. Tim Pflieger, of Team Leadership Center in Door County will be our featured speaker. His presentation,  “Paddling the Lighthouses and Coastlines of Door County,” will give you an entertaining and informative overview of beautiful places in Door County that are also kayak friendly!

The agenda and other details are all provided on our club website at www.WisconsinPaddlers.org, or go directly to the Annual Meeting page at  http://www.wisconsinpaddlers.org/about-us.

Also – we still have openings in our Appleton YMCA Kayak Essentials Class, beginning Sunday, January 23rd, so sign up now and bring a friend. We also have openings in our upcoming Green Bay Broadview YMCA (Starts 2/12)  and Two Rivers High School (starts 2/20) classes – all the information is on the website.

Lastly, we have been busy putting together our 2012 set of events. Hear more about all that at our annual meeting, or check it out on the website -

On behalf of North East Wisconsin Paddlers, Inc.

Jeff Mazanec President 2012

North East Wisconsin Paddlers, Inc.

North East Wisconsin Paddlers, Inc. 2012 Annual Meeting and Door Cty Paddling Presentation

Jan 28 2012 – 3:30 PM

McGinnis Irish Pub

201 S. Walnut St.

Appleton

Northeast Wisconsin Paddlers 2012 Annual Meeting.  Open to the public.

NEWP will take care of some club business, elect their slate of officers for 2012, and discuss plans for classes, events and other activities in 2012. The pub is located at 201 S. Walnut Street in Appleton, just a few blocks from the YMCA. After the business meeting is concluded, stay tuned for the feature presentation and a great opportunity to network with your fellow paddlers.

Agenda

• 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Annual Meeting
• 5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.: Dinner ($10/ Limited menu/ open bar)
• 5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Feature Presentation
• 6:30 p.m. – ?: Social Time

Feature Presentation “Paddling Door County’s Lighthouses and Coastlines”

With over 315 miles of coastline (and 13 lighthouses, more than any other county in the U.S.), Door  County is truly a kayaker’s paradise.

Join Tim Pflieger on a visual journey highlighting Door County’s lighthouses and unique coastlines. Discover some of his favorite off the beaten path paddling spots, and learn of the natural history of the area and some of the best waterside eateries in Door County.

Tim is well known in Wisconsin paddle circles as an outfitter, instructor, coach, EMT, motivational speaker and all around great guy! His presentation will includes great pictures and insightful information on great places to paddle in and around Door County.