Kayaking - Harpeth River Narrows 7/14/13

Harpeth River Narrows, 7/14/13                  Miles Traveled  5.7, Total 125.5

Julie, Ethan, Dick, Dina; 1:00 to 2:45

Beautiful Blue Skies and Big White Puffy Clouds (although a gray cloud came over us and rained a few drops for maybe 2 minutes)

Maximum Speed 7.9, Average moving speed 3.3

Today was Dina’s first day of kayaking and it was a perfect day for it.  Apparently lots of other people thought the same.  We must have passed at least 100 other canoes/kayaks from Foggy Bottom Rental or Music City Rental.  We spotted a few beginners like the man smoking a cigarette in an inflatable kayak.  There was also a couple paddling a canoe with both oars on the same side.  When they switched sides, they together went to the other side to paddle.  There was also a couple that lost their paddle, we saw them later and they told us they had found it. 

The Narrows has an interesting put-in.  There are tall, steep steps with a ‘slide’ down the middle.  We managed to get all 4 kayaks down the slide and we were off.  One interesting site was an outhouse on the bank.  At the very end, we saw the tunnel that goes from one side of the bluff to the other.  Slaves dug it years ago and supervised by an engineer, Mr. Montgomery Bell.  It was an obstacle course to kayak back to it – through weeds, around logs and over rocks.  We managed to do it, whereas some kayaks parked and walked the rest of the way.  Once there, there is a pretty waterfall where the water comes rushing out.  Ethan climbed it and we watched!  We hung out here for awhile, then paddled back through the obstacle course into the river once again.

You never know what you'll see on the river.

Love this kid!