Wisconsin River paddles bring bluffs, sandbars and current

John Behnke paddling in the voyageur.
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By David Horst   sandhill7@gmail.com

SPRING GREEN, Wis. -- After spending two weekends paddling the Lower Wisconsin River, I’m struck by what’s there, and more by what’s not.What’s there can be summed up as bluffs, sandbars and current. Canoe, kayak and three hearty stand-up board paddlers taking part in Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Paddle 2011 were treated to large doses of all three.

We traveled from the Town of Mazomanie landing on Dane County Y to Peck’s Landing in Spring Green on June 11, and then on to the Riverside Park landing in Muscoda (pronounced Mus-go-day) on June 12, a weekend jaunt of 40 miles.

I left my kayak at home and went aboard the 28-foot voyageur canoe Fox of the River, along with longtime paddling buddy John Behnke of Green Bay. It was a challenge navigating the deeper channels between the ever-shifting sandbars for Jerry Disterhaft (alias French fur trader Jean Paul) of Princeton in the bow, who signaled back to Glen “Jacques” Gorsuch of Neshkoro, who guided our course from the stern.

In all, 32 paddlers took part on the first day, with a few dropping off for the second.
Our crew in the big canoe was 14 on Saturday and eight on Sunday. Less can be more in the voyageur. Fewer paddlers means fewer paddles clanking together. The Wisconsin River pushed us along at 2.5 mph without any paddles in the water. It was a generous shove compared to what we’re used to on the Fox.

The voyageur, or “canoe du nord,” was a fun experience on the water, but I have two words of advice – seat cushion. After two days of sitting on its hard wooden seat, it took until mid-week for the indentations to work their way out of my bottom.

Besides serving as lead boat and a highly identifiable trip mascot, the voyageur provides a way out for paddlers who tire along the way – as one woman did Sunday. She was paddling a solo canoe for the first time and started to drag at about 15 miles. Behnke, a whitewater canoeist from way back, was happy to swap places with her. 

Our worthy guides avoided the barely submerged fingers of sand until one sprawling sandbar snagged us as we approached the final take-out. A few wet feet and we were back on our way to shore.

The vistas in this non-glaciated part of Wisconsin are gorgeous and constant. Wooded bluffs tower above the river at every turn.

That brings us to what there is not – houses. Timm Zumm of Friends of the Lower Wisconsin River explained why in an impromptu lecture on a sandbar. Under the special legislation that established the 79,000-acre Lower Wisconsin State Riverway in 1989, houses built on its banks must be visually inconspicuous when the trees are in full leaf. Exterior colors must be in harmony with the natural surroundings and glass and other reflective materials are limited.

I’m sure that drives the pro-property-rights crowd into a lather, but the result is that, for miles and miles, you see nothing but natural shoreline from the river. That and the occasional hovercraft buzzing by.

What’s also not there is much litter. Glass containers of any kind are not allowed in boats and every boat must carry a sealable garbage bag or container.

The trip logistics worked like this. We dropped our boats and gear at the put-in, drove the vehicles to Peck’s Landing and caught a shuttle back with the Wisconsin Canoe Co. out of Spring Green. Co-owner Ryan Schmudlach had heard of our paddle series and likewise supports the concept of a Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway, so he was very helpful.

We set up a tent city at Wisconsin Riverside Resort in Spring Green and relaunched at Peck’s bound for Muscoda, where Schmudlach would be waiting to shuttle boats and folks back to Spring Green. Another day’s paddle brought more stunning vistas, wooded shoreline and visits from bald eagles.

Eagles have flown a blessing over each of our paddles and – while this weekend was cool and cloudy – we’ve got a perfect record for good paddling weather.