Traverse Area Paddle Club

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Trip Reports

July 9 - BRCS NCF Cleanup

Published on 7/9/2010

BRCS NCF Trip Report

This trip is a wonderful way to see downtown Traverse City from a new perspective. Traverse City may be a place familiar to us, but it sure seems different when seen from the perspective of traveling through it via the Boardman River. The 12 of us (Maureen Anthony, D and N Fred, Frank Lahde, Tracie Lord, Bob Martel, M and M Puska, F and J Swartz, Steve Somers and Henry Eckhardt) started from Hull Park near the library, portaged the dam at Union Street, and finished in Grand Traverse Bay at the Holiday Inn. We had two tandem canoes and eight kayaks. The weather was very nice with warm temps and very little wind.

This was a Boardman River Clean Sweep clean-up event in conjunction with the National Cherry Festival who helped by removing all the trash we found for free, and we certainly found a lot of trash. Several of us were unable to leave our boats without help, we were so jammed in by full garbage bags. In addition to all the bottles, cans, jars and cups, we found an old chair with a saggy bottom, a flower arrangement, a large barrel and flashing light used as a highway marker, and a size 13 pair of paint-spattered work boots. We were pleased to notice that the boots were marked "waterproof".

There were surprisingly a lot of people using the river with us today in boats and tubes. This is something that we have really never seen before on this section. At the second drop off spot Norm noticed some young ladies in tubes and got a few pictures. They were excited that their pictures will be posted and asked for the website name. At the same place Frank got his toenail caught under the canoe and had an "OWIE" but it was feeling better by the end of the trip.

In an over-enthusiastic attempt to chase an errant coke can, Judy lost her paddle, which was graciously retrieved by Maureen. Three of us missed the spot where we were supposed to leave the trash and took it all the way to the Holiday Inn, where we took out. The waterfront staff at the hotel were very helpful by carrying and loading all of our boats for us and are to be commended.

Also, Fred found a tire in the lake above the dam. Norm and Frank grabbed it and left it in the parking lot of Mike Hubbell's Law office near the Governmental Center. After the event, Norm took the tire to Junior's Tires on 8th Street where they recycled it for free.

David and Bob found a wallet near the confluence of the Boardman and Kid's Creek. There was no money in it but lots of ID. Norm is attempting to get it back to its owner. (Update / 07-12: The wallet has found its owner. Seems it was stolen but there was no money lost.) They also found a traffic cone in deep water that they retrieved with the spear. Tracie found a Cadillac hubcap from the 40s and Marlene spotted a pink brick that Steve couldn't believe was in the river. He said, "Anything that's pink doesn't belong in the river." and he got it out of there.

It was a fun day but we are always shocked at the amount of trash that accumulates in this section in the summer in such a short time since this same section was cleaned just a month ago.

To see photos of the trip click here.

Written by Judy Swartz and Norm Fred

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