Kayaking- Green River, Kentucky

Kayaking - Green River, Ky.             9.9 miles

2:15 duration, temp at beginning 58degrees, end 64 degrees

It was another chilly morning so we again took our time getting ready. It was a 35 minute drive over to the river. We left Scotty’s bike at Rio Park, then drove up to Lynn Creek Camp launch. This is private property, but there’s a box where you can leave $5 per boat. It was a steep dirt ramp down into the river. Once we got in, we realized that the river had a great flow. It was a muddy color after previous rains. Two days earlier, the river had been 10 feet higher. It was maybe 3 miles down the river that we saw 3 waterfalls on the left. That was a nice surprise. The rest of the paddle was very uneventful. There was nowhere to get out for lunch so we ate in our kayaks. We never saw any houses or other people on the river. In fact, very little wildlife- 1 deer far back in the woods and an eagle soaring overhead. This river makes long turns back and forth. As we got to the end, we could hear traffic on the highway, and then it changed directions as the river turned. We went under the Highway 31 bridge, and soon after that is a power station on the left. Across from there, river right was the take-out. This was the hardest part of the day. It was a steep hill with about 5 inches of mud. As we walked up, our shoes sank in and our boat bottoms became caked with mud. I’m amazed I didn’t slip on this hill.  Scotty rode his bike to get the truck. While he was gone, I emptied the boats and turned the boats over. I used our remaining water and toilet paper to try and get off mud. I got off a lot, but there was still a lot left! Our shoes were another story and we threw them into the truck so we could wash them out at the campsite.  We both took showers in the camp bathhouse. In my attempt to carry up muddy clothes, I forgot 1 important item - dry clothes!!!! So I didn’t wash one shirt and wrapped my bath towel around my bottom. A rather fitting end to a muddy mess.

For dinner, we had chicken, instant potatoes and salad. I also dig up some iris bulbs from the front yard of the camp host. When I commented on how beautiful they were, he told me I could dig some up.