This memorial day weekend, my wife and I attempted a 40 mile trip down the Kishwaukee and Rock rivers, from Belvidere to Oregon Illinois. It'd be a 3 day 2 night trip which I've done previously.

We fell short.

The Kishwaukee was moving, but not exceptionally fast. Water height was at 5 feet (2 more than average), and a KCFS around 2.4. It was right at action stage, 3 feet below flood. Unfortunately, after so much deadfall and so many floods from the last 2 years, it's nearly impassable at points. At that level, it basically became a whitewater course, trying to avoid trees.

After my wife flipped twice, and me getting caught in a  current and splashing over, we made the call to end it. We were behind schedule, and had gear beginning to get soaked. Baumann park is right at the edge of civilization, so it was a point of no return. By blackhawk park there were a few more sharp turns, and if that would be as bad as the first stretch, we would have been in trouble. 

So we played it safe. A bit unsatisfactory, but safety first. 

Today I completed my first race: the Des Plaines river canoe and kayak marathon. It is 18.5 miles from Oak Spring Road to Euclid road. I completed it in 3:45, just under 5 MPH. It was good enough for 24/94 for my men's rec 14 or less kayak division. 

The first 10-12 miles was fun: decent current and tons of eddies I could pick up to keep moving. I was paddling hard and scooting along, but never to the point where I burnt out. The river has lots of twists and runs through heavier forest, so it's scenic and fun.

Around mile marker 12/Lake Cook road, the river widens, and the current slows. This day, there was a major headwind, which really slowed me down. There are sections of the river that are wide open and have little coverage, so the wind can unimpededly blast you there. I was already starting to tire, and this wind really hurt.  I had to paddle harder than the first 12, but to go slower than before. Factor in some soreness and I burnt out quickly.

The last 6 miles or so took a lot longer than the first 2/3rd. My strength waned,  but eventually my arms went numb and I just pressed on with some divine support. I was thrilled to finish under 4 hours. The best paddlers and boats can do it in close to 2. It requires a thin cigarette style boat that can slide right through the water. The winners from my recreational kayak division made the run in about 3 hours.

I did grab video from the first 2 hours of the race. My gopro eventually ran out of battery, but this should be the first 10 miles or so. It formatted into 4 videos: