My Dad and I did 35 miles down the Fox River, from Yorkville to Ottawa. On a warm-ish March weekend, it took about 11 hours of paddling over two days. The current was flowing nicely up until Whedron (right after the dells), then it significantly dropped off.

We would camp on a small island just outside of Sheridan. We got lucky, as most islands were impossibly muddy from recently dropped water levels. It was at the 15 mile mark, so we did 15 on day 1, and 20 on day 2. We had solid daytime weather, not much headwind

The portage at Dayton Dam is always a bear. It says a quarter mile, but the first 1/3rd was through straight up mud. It feels like a very long quarter mile, as you go through the mud, up a hill, over the dam, down a sharp slope, and then over a rocky beach.  The signs point you every step of the way though.

Overall: It was a solid weekend of paddling. I'm still shaking off the winter rust, but this was a big step in the right direction. We were fortunate to get relatively clear weather the entire trip. It got cold at points, but that's fine!

Finally got back on the water! It's been a long winter, but paddling season is finally here.  I set off on what I thought would be a 30 mile overnight trip, but circumstances changed that to a 22.5 mile day trip. That's a lot of paddling for the first trip of the year, but fortunately I had a great current. 

My original plan was to put in at Mack Road on the western branch. When I got there, there was a sign saying McDowell grove is under construction and impassible on water. So, I jumped back in the car and headed south.
Stopping by McDowell grove, I saw that entire preserve is currently under construction. Instead I kept going to pioneer park, just south of downtown naperville.

I'm going to try and grab more video this year. So enjoy this 11 minute clip of me getting in the water and shoving off for the first time all year. 

The current was flowing at a good 2-3 MPH, so I would finish a 22.5 mile stretch by about 5:30. That also includes an hour of me trying to paddle up Lily Creek. That was a bit of a slick adventure, trying to get around deadfall. Once I realized that my trip was winding down, I called for pickup and got out of there.

Overall, it was a good day. Solid cool weather kept me dry, but there wasn't much wind to freeze me. Despite the challenges, it was a good time.

Put in: Pioneer Park, Naperville
Take Out: Hammel Woods, Shorewood.