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Is another canoe race in the stars?

Is another canoe race in the stars?

by | Dec 30, 2021 | Blog

canoe

Pam LeBlanc paddles her canoe on Lady Bird Lake. Debbie Richardson photo

Apparently, my long-term memory sucks. Or maybe it’s just that I’ve chosen to ignore those unpleasant experiences.

Whatever the case, I pulled out my aluminum canoe twice this week and went for a couple of very early training runs on Lady Bird Lake.

If things go well, it means that the second weekend in June I’ll be paddling a very long way down the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers. Maybe.

Read more: Logjams, Hallucinations and Mother Nature

I blame Debbie Richardson. A veteran of 12 Texas Water Safaris, she lured me back into a boat, enticing me with descriptions of the fun we’ll have, slogging 260 miles from San Marcos to Seadrift, paddling non-stop in the equivalent of a floating Fiberglas bullet with several uncomfortable, foam-covered seats in it.

That fun will entail scrambling over bobbing mats of logs, brushing spiders the size of coasters off our shoulders, squeezing pre-crushed potato chips into our mouths, and dragging boats over long, muddy stretches of bank. We’ll laugh, we’ll sing, we’ll possibly vomit, and no doubt we’ll hallucinate along the way.

But reaching the finish line with my teammates Sheila Reiter and Heather Harrison in 2019 was, for me, one of my proudest moments. (Right afterward, I passed out on a folding cot beneath an open-air tent on the Texas coast. I don’t think I woke up for three days.) I want to do it again. It lures you back, as they say.

Stay tuned as I monitor our progress toward the 2022 race in this blog…

 

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Arctic Cowboys focused on Texas Water Safari for now

Arctic Cowboys focused on Texas Water Safari for now

by | Apr 9, 2021 | Blog

 

Veteran canoe racers Jeff Wueste, Jimmy Harvey and West Hansen, left to right, pull into the boat ramp near Austin High School after a training run for the Texas Water Safari. Pam LeBlanc photo

West Hansen sloshed out of Lady Bird Lake yesterday, helped his teammates pull their three-person racing canoe ashore, and wiped the sweat from his face.

Hansen, who paddled the entire length of the Amazon River in 2012 and followed that up by paddling the whole Volga River in Russia two years later, learned something during the 10-plus mile training run: The boat’s trim is off, and the canoe racers need to make some adjustments to get the balance right.

“We’ll work on that by moving Jeff’s seat,” Hansen said after pulling the long, torpedo-shaped canoe, with the name That’s What She Said in bright green letters on the side, out of the water.

That’s easy stuff.

West Hansen, head of the Arctic Cowboys, paddled the entire Amazon River in 2012. Pam LeBlanc photo

The team is training for the upcoming Texas Water Safari, a grueling 260-mile paddling race from San Marcos to the town of Seadrift on the Texas coast. Paddlers in that race face everything from bobbing mats of logs to smallish alligators and swarms of biting insects as they make their way down the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers toward the finish line, many of them going without sleep for two or more days.

But these three paddlers – Hansen, Wueste and local pool business owner Jimmy Harvey – have a bigger mission hovering on the horizon. Hansen ultimately plans to lead the trio, dubbed the Arctic Cowboys, on a 1,900-mile kayaking expedition through the Northwest Passage in the Arctic.

Covid has cast some uncertainty on timing of that expedition. The trip hinges on how soon the Canadian government allows access into Nunavut, populated by the native Inuit people. The Northwest Passage, between Tuktoyaktuk and Pond Inlet, is currently closed due to the pandemic. Hansen is hopeful an efficient rollout of Covid-19 vaccine could allow them to make their attempt this summer, and says the team is “continuing to hurry up and wait.”

Jeff Wueste, Jimmy Harvey and West Hansen paddled more than 10 miles on Lady Bird Lake to prepare for the upcoming Texas Water Safari in June. Pam LeBlanc photo

In the meantime, yesterday’s much warmer training run showed them some scenery they won’t see in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Throngs of people on standup paddleboards, kayaks, inflatable rafts, canoes and rowing sculls, enjoying the balmy day.

And not a single chunk of floating ice or polar bear.

 

 

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Found on the San Marcos River: Innertubes, toilet seat and a cow femur wearing a shoe

Found on the San Marcos River: Innertubes, toilet seat and a cow femur wearing a shoe

by | Mar 2, 2020 | Blog

Pam LeBlanc hauls bags of trash from her canoe to a dumpster. Chris LeBlanc photo

I spent a satisfying day yesterday paddling a 6-mile stretch of the San Marcos River, loading my aluminum canoe with old flip flops, car tires and deflated innertubes left on the waterway.

I turned my boat into a floating trash barge for the first day of the San Marcos River Cleanup, hosted by theTexas Canoe and Kayak Racing Association. My final haul included an old fishing rod, a slew of plastic containers, a football, a deflated raft, swim goggles, and a cow femur wearing an exploded tennis shoe. I left the dead deer behind, and another boat traveling with us picked up more tires, more innertubes, more plastics, and a toilet seat (found, then lost again.)

Chris LeBlanc wrestles garbage from an old cypress tree on the San Marcos River. Pam Leblanc photo

It’s discouraging to see so much garbage in the river, a place that brings me so much joy. I spent a lot of time on it last year training for and participating in the Texas Water Safari, a 260-mile paddling race from San Marcos to the Texas coast.

The good news? If you want to participate but missed yesterday’s event, you can join day two of the event, scheduled for Saturday, March 7.

You don’t need a boat to participate. The upper stretches of the river and its banks, especially at highway crossings and bridges, are so trashed that volunteers are needed to walk the shore, collecting garbage.

Chris LeBlanc rolls a discarded tire off the San Marcos River in Luling. Pam LeBlanc photo

Gird your loins if you plan to attend – it’s pretty nasty out there, and organizers of the 35thannual event promise a serious yuck factor. You’ll be handsomely rewarded, just through knowing you’re helping to keep our waterways – and the creatures that live there – healthy.

Chris LeBlanc holds up a cow femur wearing a shoe. Pam LeBlanc photo

“Volunteers are guaranteed to experience trash jams that resemble the trash compactor (complete with monster) from the original Star Wars movie,” a web posting about the event says. “This section of river is not recommended for the faint of heart.”

To help clean the top section of the river (suitable for novice boaters), the 2-mile stretch from San Marcos City Park to Thompson’s Island, meet at City Park at 9:30 March 7. To register, go to the City of San Marcos website at https://www.sanmarcostx.gov/363/Preserve-Beautify.

Part of the haul. Pam LeBlanc photo

If you’re an experienced paddler, consider pitching in to help clean the 3.5-mile stretch of river from Thompson’s Island to San Marcos River Retreat. Meet at the retreat at 9 am on March 7.
Plan on staying on the river until about 4 p.m. Organizers will deliver lunch to the San Marcos Wastewater Treatment Plant at about noon.

To get to the San Marcos River Retreat from Interstate 35 in San Marcos, take Highway 80 toward Luling for 1.8 miles. Turn light on County Road 101. Take an immediate left onto County Road 102. Go one half mile and turn right on Pecan Park Road. Pass TG Canoes and Kayaks and the road will end at the San Marcos River Retreat office.

For more info call Tom Goynes at 512-787-5574 or go to http://sanmarcosriverretreat.com.

Jason Sowell participates in a trash cleanup on the San Marcos River on Feb. 29, 2020. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

 

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I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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Scouting the route of the Texas Winter 100K paddling race

Scouting the route of the Texas Winter 100K paddling race

by | Jan 13, 2020 | Blog

West Hansen loads a canoe on top of a truck after paddling the Colorado River. Terri Lynn Manna looks on. Pam LeBlanc photo

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The last time I spent much time in a canoe, I spent way too much time in a canoe.

That was Texas Water Safari last June, when I paddled nearly non-stop for 53 hours in a three-person boat headed 260 miles from San Marcos to Seadrift. When that adventure wrapped, my butt hurt, my shoulders ached, my brain had fried and all I wanted to do was sleep – for about five weeks. Many moons passed before I could even think about gliding down a river dodging alligator gar, clambering over floating mats of bobbing logs, communing with palm-sized spiders and wading through mud.

Yesterday, though, I climbed into a tandem canoe with a high school friend for a 24-mile paddle down the Colorado River to scout part of the route of the upcoming Texas Winter 100K race, which starts at Lady Bird Lake and finishes at Fisherman’s Park in Bastrop.

I competed in the race last year as part of my training for the Safari, and loved seeing the river barren of leaves, and paddling through a crispy sunrise. I’m not planning to race the Safari this year (maybe next!), but I am considering doing the TWO, which shook out as a full day of wildlife spotting, peeing-without-getting-out-of-the-boat training and general conditioning last year. But water levels are lower now, so I haven’t made the final call. (Also, I’m not sure my friend, veteran paddler Curt Slaten, can tolerate me for that long.))

Still, yesterday’s cruise in semi-sluggish waters made for a fun day, punctuated by the sighting of numerous Mexican eagles (caracara), several squadrons of cormorants, some jumping fish, a few other paddlers, and one nice scamper through the woods. Race director West Hansen, along with fellow Arctic Cowboy Jeff Wueste and cross-country traveler Terri Lynn Manna, joined us for the excursion.

Interested in the race? Go to www.texaswinter100kto register. There’s even a category for standup paddlers, who for the first time can do the entire 62-mile distance this year.

And if free stuff matters to you, listen closely. This race hands out the best schwag of any I’ve ever entered – a slew of Yeti coolers and cups and outdoor gear, all doled out during a raffle at the pre-race briefing the night before. That alone could be worth the price of admission.

Terri Lynn Manna, center, takes a nap while West Hansen, front, calls for a shuttle pickup. Jeff Wueste watches from the driver’s seat. Pam LeBlanc photo

West Hansen checks the route of the upcoming Texas Winter 100K. Pam LeBlanc photo

West Hansen checks the route of the upcoming Texas Winter 100K. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

 

 

 

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For a leisurely paddle with a chicken kicker, try the Llano River near Castell

For a leisurely paddle with a chicken kicker, try the Llano River near Castell

by | Jun 24, 2019 | Blog

Chris LeBlanc drains water out of our canoe midway through a paddle on the Llano River near Castell. Pam LeBlanc photo

Two weeks after the Texas Water Safari, I got back in a canoe – but this time I didn’t care how fast I paddled or how far I went.

I didn’t see any alligators, I didn’t hallucinate, I didn’t even have to crawl over giant bobbing mats of logs, branches, dead farm animals and palm-sized spiders, either.

My husband Chris and I just lazily paddled our wide, roomy aluminum canoe 12 easy miles down the Llano River, from Highway 87 to Castell. We flopped in the water to cool off, admired the birds (cardinals, blue herons, hawks and blue jays) and paused on gravel bars to snack on fresh cherries and drink lemonade. We finished by eating a smoked chicken on a picnic table outside the Castell General Store.

It felt great.

Chris LeBlanc positions our canoe after a shallow stretch on the Llano River near Castell on June 23, 2019. Pam LeBlanc photo

Pam LeBlanc enjoys not paddling hard during a lazy trip on the Llano River on June 23, 2019. Chris LeBlanc photo

The river spooled out like a greenish-gray ribbon, wide and languid at times, twisted and churning at others. Sections reminded us of minefields, with so many boulders, many of them hidden just beneath the surface (at cfs 161) that we couldn’t see them until we slammed into them. Our canoe now boasts dimples and crinkles, like a smiling old man who spent his life in the beating sun.

The most challenging portion of the run came just before Castell. We had to walk our canoe through a series of rocky rapids. I smashed my shins nicely, and the water threatened to drag us downstream.

Chris LeBlanc submerges himself during a break in a paddling trip on the Llano River on June 23, 2019. Pam LeBlanc photo

Looking for a leisurely paddle trip? The Llano River might fit the bill, but if you go, I’ve got some recommendations.

  1. Consider paddling plastic kayaks instead of a canoe. The river is rocky and braided in this stretch, and we put some impressive dings in our metal canoe.
  2. Bring lots of water. This stretch of river will take you longer to paddle than you think. I’m used to a 5 mile per hour pace on the San Marcos; here we averaged closer to 2.5 to 3 miles per hour, because we had to get out and drag a lot. Plus, we were in no rush.
  3. Use dry bags. You might flip your boat. Seriously. Secure cell phones, cameras, food – anything you don’t want doused in river water – inside a watertight bag.
  4. Relax! Sit back and enjoy the scenery. It’s beautiful, and even on a Sunday we saw just one other boat.
  5. Arrange a shuttle. We left our truck at the Highway 87 underpass at the river, then arranged to have someone drive us back to pick it up when we finished.
  6. Bring personal flotation devices. You’ll encounter rapids and fast moving water, and you never know when you could knock your head on a rock or get caught by a tree branch.
  7. Don’t trash the river. Carry out what you brought in. Even better, carry out trash you find along the way and leave the river cleaner than when you found it.
  8. Want chicken at the finish? Call Randy at The Castell General Store in the morning and ask him to reserve one, otherwise they’ll probably be sold out.

Chris LeBlanc ate half a smoked chicken at the Castell General Store after paddling 12 miles on the Llano River. Pam LeBlanc photo

Chris LeBlanc refuels with smoked chicken. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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