Weather delay shrinks Park-to-Park

After launching from Neenah's Shattuck Park, 75 boats head for Lake Winnebago.

By David Horst  sandhill7@gmail.com

What if you planned a paddling event for 250 people and the tandem of thunder and lightning was the first to arrive?

That was the fate of the 14th annual Park-to-Park Paddle on July 18. The storm was settling down as we started to gather for the launch at Shattuck Park in Neenah, but smart phones showed another storm hitting just before the fastest paddlers would land in Appleton. 

A roomy trip through the Menasha Lock.
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That’s a rarity for these paddle events, sponsored cooperatively by Northeast Wisconsin Paddlers and the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway. We have experienced uncommonly good weather.

When you are responsible for the safety of group of people, you just don't put them on the water in the lightening with 6-foot sticks in their hands.

The three main organizers -- Jeff Mazanec, Tom Young and me -- conferred and postponed the paddle from Saturday to Sunday. Perhaps a dozen paddlers went out anyway. The rain stopped. The second line of storms never came.

It may have been a misinformed call, but it was the right decision.

When we did take to the water Sunday, we were 75 boats with more than 80 people. Still no small outing. The weather was perfect.

The shore blocked the slight north-northwest wind to keep Lake Winnebago nearly flat. The day before it had a steady chop.

After looping around the end of Doty Island, we skirted along the navigation channel toward downtown Menasha. The Racine Street Bridge was just closing as we approached, having halted the cars to make way for a sizable power boat.

Traffic rumbled above as we passed under the see-through grating of the bridge deck and paddled on for the Menasha Lock.

There was no speculation about whether we'd all fit in for one lockage for this year’s P2P. Nearly 70 kayaks, two standup boards and a few canoes leave lots of elbow room in this marvel of 19th century navigation.

The cross-wind stirred up Little Lake Butte des Morts a bit, making it longer day for the stand-ups and the paddlers in short recreational boats. Kayaks defy common logic in that, while heavier, the longer boats are faster. Their shape makes them track straighter.

Once back in the Fox River channel, the shore again moderated the wind.

I spotted a flash of white overhead and called out our eagle sighting, something we've been blessed with on nearly every trip. Downstream a bit farther, a second eagle dove and swirled and finally plunged to the water's surface in search of lunch.

People seemed to float more than paddle as we approached the take-out at Lutz Park in Appleton. Even after 8.5 miles, some wanted it to continue.

Like Shattuck, Lutz is now equipped with an accessible canoe and kayak launch, through the efforts of the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway. The launches also assist with landing and this one was in heavy demand.

We traded perhaps 250 boats for 75, but we also exchanged sunburn for lightening strikes as our major weather threat. And, as in playoff baseball, there’s always next year, when the 15th annual Park-to-Park attempts to set new participation records.

UP NEXT: A moonlight paddle is set for Friday, Aug. 28, from the Bomier Landing in De Pere to the Green Bay Metro Landing, 8 miles. Sept. 26 is the 6th annual Appleton Locks Paddle, 6 miles through all four Appleton Locks on Octoberfest Saturday.