CANCELLED 8/31 at 5:20pm due to 80% chance of thunderstorms & gusty winds in early afternoon.
We'll do our own shuttle, since it is a holiday weekend.
USDA Forest Service watercraft permits are required (last day for the season). I will reserve through Recreation.gov once others sign up. TAPC will reimburse for the $2 cost for MEMBERS ONLY.
I can meet others for a carpool from Blair Township Hall on 633, south of Grawn, at 8:45AM, if interested. Otherwise, we'll unload boats & gear at Dobson at 10AM, ready to shuttle by 10:15. We will plan to be on the river for 4 hrs, from approx 11 AM - 3:30 PM, including a short lunch break. This is a challenging, 14-mile section of the Pine, with some of the fastest current in NW Lower MI, some tight bends & sweepers. It is slower upstream where narrower, so a little more time to react, though more downed trees block the river, and wider downstream where faster, so more room to manuever.
All paddlers are required to wear PFDs, should be dressed in appropriate clothes for the weather, have bow & stern lines, bailer, dry bag of warm clothes, snack for extra energy, and skills to manuever across river quickly, to avoid obstacles, including logjams & rocks. Kayakers should have a skirt for their boat. There are vault toilets at the Dobson Bridge put-in, midway at Peterson Bridge, and at the Low Bridge take-out. Parking permits are required, paid at the access, unless you have a National Forest annual or senior pass.
If rain or thunderstorms, this trip may be cancelled. If questionable, call me before you leave home.