KAW 173 – Day 9

River Mile 19 and kayaked 19 miles to River Mile 0 on the Kansas River Water Trail.

I woke early and couldn’t sleep. I think the anticipation of the day ahead kept my mind from settling down. We had stayed on a beautiful, big sandbar with trees and the morning sounds were amazing as we were also greeted with a gorgeous sunrise that blanketed the sky.

Today was going to be epic, at least for the 7 of us. We spent a lot of time planning, discussing, and preparing our mind and bodies for this trip. Everyone on this team is between the ages of 40 and 62. I think one of the best stories of this trip is that we all made it and so can you. You don’t have to be 20, you can do it at any age if you prepare and have a good mindset. It helps to have great teammates too.

I know that when I reflect on this journey in the future, I will remember how strong I felt, how determined, and how proud I am of myself and my river friends. We did it. We kayaked all 173 miles of the Kansas River Water Trail!

I need to thank my teammates. They pushed me, themselves and each others when we needed it. They put up with my incessant planning and organizing and drive to not miss an opportunity for advocacy and awareness. They participated in the public events like champs and dealt with all of my nit picky details. All of us have our quirks and I’m thankful they put up with mine!

We would not have had such a successful outreach, media campaign, food stops and execution of our plan if it wasn’t for our Program Manager, Kim Bellemere. She not only went above and beyond every single day, but she did it with a smile. Thank you to her husband for cleaning the mud on the Topeka boat ramp when no one else did and for helping nightly with gear and water checks.

Thanks to the FOK Board, for always supporting my crazy ideas. And to Marcia for being the glue stick and my soul sister. To Lisa, you make it all easy.

Last and certainly not least, to my husband Dennis, that does absolutely everything that I ask. You are my heart.

To “Steady, My Favorite, Mr. Gadget, Sugar Cookie, Sherpa and my Soul Sister”…you have my eternal gratitude and love.

With love for my friends and the Kansas River,

Dawn, Your Kansas Riverkeeper

KAW 173 – Day 8

River Mile 43 and kayaked 24 miles to River Mile 19 on the Kansas River Water Trail.

When dawn broke this morning, we all agreed we really had the best night of sleep of the entire trip. The temperatures last night were a cool 71° and I think we were all so tired we just passed out. We did have a great evening on the sandbar, with a bonfire and my friends brought sparklers to celebrate my birthday! We stayed up a little later than normal and stared at the stars. Lisa had brought along a pair of binoculars and we used those to enjoy the stars. Along the way we’ve all learned so much from each other….from the ones that know birding the best, from the entomologist, about sandbar tracks, and about the stars in the sky!

We departed a little later than normal, because we had come far enough the night before that we didn’t have very far to go to meet up with the Eudora Paddle group. So we enjoyed a little longer to linger around a morning campfire and breakfast. We took our time getting our things together knowing it was the second to last morning of our journey.

We got on the river a little after 9 AM and paddled downstream just a few miles to Eudora, my current home. We waited on a sandbar because we knew a lot of folks were coming. The Dirty Girls Adventure group did a fundraiser to join us for the KAW 173. About 30 of their friends came along, and the money that they paid for the trip was donated to Friends of the Kaw! We stopped on a sandbar about halfway between Eudora and De Soto and they presented us with a check for $1600! We are so grateful for this donation to our work to protect and preserves the 173-mile-long Kansas River! We love our River partners!

We had to leave the sandbar and get going onto our next community visit at De Soto. We took off and everyone else stayed back and enjoyed the sandbar, which is exactly what we want! We paddled on to De Soto, and when we arrived we were greeted by the De Soto Rotary Club. The De Soto Rotary Club has a special relationship with us… They have funded our Kids About Water Program over the years, we’ve partnered with them on the pop-up Paddle at Lexington Lake, which is coming up in August, and they also have adopted the De Soto boat ramp in our Adopt-A-Boat Ramp program. We are so blessed to have such a great river partner in the city and the Rotary. When we arrived, they had set up a tent in the shade with tables and chairs… and tons of food! We were treated to pizza from KJ‘s in De Soto as well as fresh salads and fruit! I think they knew exactly what to feed us when we got off the river because it was perfect! The Mayor of De Soto joined us and talked about the river and the relationship to the city. We really appreciate all of the people that came out today to greet us and to show how much they appreciate the river trail! We stayed for a while and lingered, it was such a great place to stop there at the park. But soon we knew that we needed to get on down the river. Thank you to my hometown for the warm welcome!

We had a community Paddle scheduled from De Soto to Cedar Creek and we needed to get going. We took off from there and enjoyed the spectacular scenery. So many bald eagles that there are too many for us to count. We also saw beavers today and once we got to the sandbar for the night, we found signs of a big turtle that had been on the sandbar! The wildlife that we see, that we witness, and that we find signs of, is the best part of the journey for me.

I’m sitting here on this sandbar (above) looking out over the river, just west of Bonner Springs. We found a beautiful spot under a shade tree and are enjoying each other’s company. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel when I got to Day 8. I honestly worried that I would be physically exhausted, or that I would have an injury such as tendinitis. These are the things that kept me working out all winter to make sure that I kept myself healthy. What I’ve learned, on Day 8… is that I’m stronger than I ever thought I was. Both mentally and physically. Because it takes both to do this. You have to stay mentally strong to make it 173 miles in a kayak with thunderstorms, rain, heat warnings, wind, and the elements. And you always, always, have sand in your shoes.

When I think about the six people that gave up their vacation to come with me on this crazy journey, it brings me to tears. They are all good people. Some of the best that I know. Good hearted, strong, the kind of people that will do anything for you. There’s no better group to go through this with, I found that is true. We’ve all become stronger together and I am incredibly grateful for this day, for this journey, and for these people. We are all a bit sad that this is the last night…the river time has been good to us.

19 miles to go. We’ve got this,… I’ve got this. I’ll see you at Kaw Point!…and may you always have sand in your shoes .

Dawn, Your Kansas Riverkeeper

KAW 173 – Day 6

River Mile 92 and kayaked 25 miles to River Mile 67 on the Kansas River Water Trail.

We departed the cabin early this morning. We knew this was a big day with a community visit in Topeka and we wanted to be on the river early and be well prepared. We had spent the night before discussing all of our strategies for portaging Topeka and making it past the diversion wall at Tecumseh. We knew we had a big day ahead, as we were planning on a 25 mile track. Today was a busy day on the river.

When we left the cabin, there was a fine fog all across the river valley. Spectacular colors bouncing off the sky, colors of pink in between the sun shining through the fog. It looks like mist rising off the river. We enjoyed a very beautiful and slow paddle into Kaw River State Park where we would meet with Secretary Loveless of Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism, as well as Dr. Ted Daughty, the husband of Governor Kelly.

We were so surprised to see so many of you at the boat ramp in Topeka. What a wonderful way to arrive, with all of you there on the boat ramp cheering us on! I cannot begin to tell you how much it meant to everyone on our team. We have two people on our team that hail from Topeka and I think it was really wonderful for them to see such a great showing from their hometown.

We enjoyed a few minutes there, discussing the water trail and talking to local media. But the real fun was paddling down to the Topeka weir with Secretary Loveless and Dr. Daughety.
When we arrived at the Topeka weir, we were once again greeted by a great group. Many of our volunteers came to help us unload our kayaks and port them. We also had friends that brought us food from a local Topeka eatery, which includes wonderful breakfast burritos that were bigger than you could ever imagine! Along with our friends, we got settled and we’re ready to takeoff once again.

The biggest challenge on the river remained ahead. There is a diversion wall at Tecumseh that has been in the river since the 1920s due to a power plant that is owned by Evergy. The plant has recently been decommissioned, but the wall remains. It is a challenging area not only due to the wall, but there is also a granite bar, boulders in the river and a lime stone ledge. Between all of these forces in the water, it can be difficult at any water level. It takes a little bit of skill to figure out the best route and it’s an area that we constantly advocate for change. We all celebrated when we made it past this point in the river, because from here it is pretty much smooth sailing. We still need to port Bowersock in Lawrence, but we have many friends that will be waiting for us to help. There is also one more portage it in Johnson County, but again it’s not a difficult one.

We made it to our favorite sandbar, just upstream of Lecompton. We have affectionately called the sandbar Beaver Hollow. This is one of the best little hidden gems on the river. Tons of wildlife, a great little sandbar tucked away on the backside of an island, shade for sitting, and plenty of room for our tents.

We are all grateful to be back on the sandbar and on the river. I’m pretty certain each of us will sleep well tonight. Tomorrow, we will meet you all at Lecompton for a paddle to Lawrence. We look forward to also having a community visit in Lawrence at the 8th Street boat ramp. I hope you all can join us, can’t wait to see you on the river!

For the river,

Dawn, Your Kansas Riverkeeper

KAW 173 – Day 5

River Mile 92 on the Kansas River Water Trail Day off river due to high flows.

We woke up refreshed this morning at Sach’s cabin. We made a big pot of coffee, sat on the front porch and watched it rain and rain and rain. We were really thankful that we were able to stay in the cabin. We spent our morning discussing logistics for the rest of the trip, looking at hydrographs of the river flows, looking at weather forecasts and strategizing for the next half of the river. A couple of folks in the group fixed breakfast and what a feast! All with food that was provided by the owners of the cabin, just for us. We enjoyed bacon, scrambled eggs, cinnamon rolls, hashbrowns, juice and coffee! We truly didn’t feel like we deserved all that but are very thankful.

Here along the river in Silver Lake, it rained until early afternoon. A few people took time to go for a long walk, others read a book, some took a nap, we organized gear… but most of us spent time figuring out how to get all of our gear dry. Finally, the sun came out and we found all the sunny spots we could find to lay everything out. I think we can say that by the end of the day everything is dry… for the moment!

This evening we have enjoyed each other’s company on the porch again. We feel like we are prepared for the second half of the trip. We even made a few adjustments to our gear and our plans for then next three portages as well as well as the Tecumseh diversion wall. Late this afternoon in the sun, we also got out our rescue ropes and practiced our throwing skills. It’s never a bad idea to practice those techniques.

We feel rested, and ready for the next half of the journey. We are so very grateful to the Sach family for the roof over our head for two nights, all of the food that they provided, and their sincere hospitality. Do us a favor and look up Kaw River Adventures and send them some Facebook Love!

We are on to Kaw State Park tomorrow morning for our community visit. We will be greeted by Secretary Loveless of Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism, as well as potentially Governor Kelly for a brief part of the tour. We are delighted that all of these people see the value of the Kansas River Water Trail. We will be there at 8:30 AM tomorrow, we hope to see you there!

For the river,

Dawn, Your Kansas Riverkeeper

KAW 173 – Day 4

River Mile 123 and kayaked 31 miles to River Mile 92 on the Kansas River Water Trail

We were welcomed around 5:30 this morning to the sound of thunder and lightning. We had anticipated this, so it was no surprise although we had expected it to happen earlier in the night. As I’m writing this, I am in my tent completely dry listening to the sound of the rain, thunder and lightening.

Morning rain is a quiet and contemplative place. I often think of my childhood and years spent camping and boating in the rain. My parents led by example and never let a little rain stop them.

We pushed off the sandbar by 9am and made a slight change to our plans. I was watching the hydrograph and I could see that the river was still stable for the moment and would be for the rest of the day, but the surge of rain would hit the river on Tuesday.

Our original plan was to supply up at Belvue and then find a sandbar for the night. We were then planning to stay at Sach’s Cabin (Kaw River Adventures) on Tuesday night to get a much-needed shower and rest before our big Community Visit at Topeka. Well, the best laid plans often and get changed by mother nature…So I contacted Robby at Kaw River Adventures home of the Sach’s Cabin and asked if we could camp in our tents for the night, a day early. We decided it was best to sit out on Tuesday and let the wall of water get past us for a safer adventure.

Robby and his family have been so good to us over the years, and today was no different. They told us to come on out and they’d have the cabin ready for us. We stopped off at Belvue around 11 AM after an interview with KSNT News. We paddled a total of 31 miles today and feel good about our progress. We did see lots of wildlife, but to be honest we were on a mission to get to the cabin by the end of the day.

We arrive at the cabin at 5:30 pm and were warmly greeted by Robby, Bob, Suzy, and Everett. They helped us get our gear unloaded, boats secure and everything up to the cabin. Once we got to the cabin, we were surprised by Suzy with fried chicken, cheese potatoes, corn, close slaw, biscuits and baked beans! Can you imagine our delight? What a wonderful family, they truly make you feel welcome and so at home in their cabin. I still can’t believe the food spread that awaited us!

At this point in the day, we are all taking turns for the shower! It feels so good… and tonight we will all get a good nights sleep off the river in a safe spot.

Tomorrow, on Tuesday, we will wait the day out off the river and let the higher flows from the rains pass us. On Wednesday morning, we will push off from the cabin and arrive at Kaw State Park as planned to meet with Secretary Loveless of KDWPT and others from the Topeka Riverfront Advisory Committee. We hope that many of our members will join us in celebration on Wednesday morning in celebration of the Kansas River Water Trail in Topeka!

On top of this change of plans, my son had made plans to come and join us for the 30 miles between Belvue and Topeka, as a birthday gift. Our family has a tradition of giving each other our time in leu of gifts. I am very grateful for this day with my son on the river that I love and grateful for this KAW 173 team!

For the river,
Dawn, Your Kansas Riverkeeper

River Mile 167 and kayak 26 miles to River Mile 141 of the Kansas River Water Trail

We made it from just downstream of Junction City all the way to halfway between Manhattan and St. George… and boy was it hot! We’ve experienced many Kansas summers on the Kaw and we’ve learned how to be prepared. Four of us have shade umbrellas on our kayaks and before you make fun of that, know this…they work! We also take many breaks along the way to sit in the shade and sit in the river because the cooling water can actually cool you off really quickly. And lastly, we are really diligent about hydrating. Many many thanks to Kim, our program manager, who is meeting us along the way with freshwater and on days like today, cold watermelon! Big thanks also to one of our guides’ wife in Manhattan who brought us cold drinks which was such a fabulous treat!

Today we had a public paddle and a community event in Manhattan! We are so grateful to all of those that came and celebrated the trail with us. We enjoyed visiting with the mayor of Manhattan, and many other public servants that works so tireless for the community. Just think of all the possibilities along the river trail in this community, from kayak storage lockers to bike rentals to get you downtown. We look forward to developing these opportunities with Manhattan!

Today was another stellar day of wildlife and we saw many bald eagles and herons again, a few beavers and so many birds that it’s hard to remember them all.

I’m going to sign off for tonight and enjoy dinner on the sandbar and what I’m sure will be a beautiful sunset. We are looking forward to 85 degrees tomorrow! See you in St George!

For the river,

Dawn, Kansas Riverkeeper