Paddle Journal

Presque Isle State Park: Sunday, October 22, 2000

Presque Isle is a wonderful place to play. The hike/bike/roller blade paths are in excellent condition and are used by many people. As we waited for our paddling buddy to show up, we saw people of all ages walking but especially biking the trail. The trail is in such good shape that we even saw 2 women in wheelchairs cruising on their own. We later saw them at a pier enjoying the sunshine of a brisk October afternoon.

We put in at Graveyard Pond boat launch. It had easy accessibility and facilities including restrooms. We had never paddled this area before so we brought a map of the isle with us. This ended up being a VERY good idea. Too bad we didn't bring along a waterproof map case as well!

The area is protected and no motor boats are allowed. The lagoons are beautiful and wildlife abounds. I imagine that in the summer paddling could be difficult because some areas would have heavy weed growth. This was not a problem this day in October though.

We paddled not really knowing where we were going, just following the main current. We meet 2 canoeists who were having a tough time paddling since it was windy. They suggested that we should have left another vehicle at the end for a pick-up but it was too late now to heed that advice. Besides, we didn't know where that point should have been anyways. Ahhh the thrill of the unknown!

We finally came to a landmark, a bridge, where we could figure out where we were. We had passed through Boat House Pond, Big Pond and we were now sitting in Long Pond. We decided to paddle through the Marina and do Presque Isle Bay. The wind was from the northeast and the waves and whitecaps where significant down at the Park entrance. So we battened down the hatches and prepared to get wet. The ride wasn't too bad until we got near the Perry Monument and the wind really hit us. It was so strong that wind could catch your paddle and almost tip you over. A short paddle into the wind rewarded us with a surf ride back to the lagoon where we started.

The trip took about 1.75 hours and covered about 5 miles. It was a nice loop to do, especially in a 17 ft kevlar Necky Looksha IV with a rudder and with a kevlar paddle. My husband and buddy paddled their plastic boats and worked harder than I did in the wind and waves. Poor guys!