Kayaking Kansas

In recent years I have fallen in love with kayaking. It is so beautiful to see life from the water; life seems to slow down and be so peaceful. Many times, that I have kayaked my thoughts have wandered to the early settlers and trappers traveling the rivers. for many years I have wanted to travel a trade route the way trappers had, but had only been able to float in ponds, streams, and bays. When I came to college, I learned of the Kansas River and its heritage and had to kayak it.

My adventure began on September 2, my goal was to kayak from Manhattan to Wamego, a 6 1/2-hour track. The river was high because of all the rain and from Tuttle Creek letting out water. I somehow convinced one of my high school friends to join my journey. We set out expecting the river to be rushing, but instead it was slowly moving. If we didn’t paddle, then we wouldn’t travel a noticeable amount. The summer rains had caused large trees to be uprooted and carried downstream. As we paddled, we realized that the water was churning. I had never experienced anything like this. The top of the water had very little current, but below the surface it seemed to swirl. Occasionally, the water would bubble, and something would pop to the surface. Other than these churns, it was extremely peaceful. We never saw anyone the entire time.

Later in the day, we came upon an island. The Island was beautiful, animal tracks littered the beach, and the recent high water had left some beautiful ripples in the mud. It was so fun to explore! There was mud with air or water bubbles under it. When I stepped on it the bubble moved around and then I jumped, and it wobbled. We caught some baby frogs and explored more of the island. At one point, I was walking barefoot in the water and I almost got stuck in the water saturated mud and sand mix. Every time I would stop, I would slowly sink into the muck, and when I tried to escape it suctioned on to my feet. I bet if I had been wearing shoes, I would have lost them.

Written by L Young