The Venerable Huron River - A Michigan Treasure

Clients have a hard time accepting my answer to their question, “where’s your favorite place to paddle?” When I tell them how near at hand that place is, not some epic journey to get to, they seem skeptical. After two decades of paddling around the USA and Canada I’ve been lucky to paddle and camp in some awesome places that are worthy candidates of “favorite” status. The North Passage from Tobemory? The cliff cracks of the Channel Islands? Isle Royal National Park? All wonderful places as are the Manitou Islands, Tybee Island and Bois Blanc Island. But for me, you just can’t deny the allure and every-changing aspects of rivers.

And a wonderful jewel of a river is in our own backyard so to speak-the stunning Huron River. What makes this river so special to me? First off is that it’s accessible and navigable for all of us here in lower Michigan. While rough water and long open water crossings have some merit for blowing the cobwebs from my mind, those challenging waters aren’t always something I can do with some of the people closest to me as they don’t have the skills or perhaps the time to invest in a full day’s drive to get to them. Meanwhile the Huron is somewhere we can meet in 45 minutes. Always waiting and always gracious.

I love launching at Argo Park on the north side of Ann Arbor. Parking is ample and there are bathrooms and potable water. Easy access to the water. Here the dam begins to back up the mighty Huron and the waters slow and widen making it easy to paddle up the river against the current for about an hour before you encounter the Barton dam portage. While we often choose to portage the dam and paddle further upstream across Barton pond, many times we enjoy the view of looking up into the maw of the huge dam and then floating back down to where our cars await at Argo Park. From there, we are only 10 minutes from world class food and tasty brew pubs! So this stretch has served us well when we NEED to paddle but also want to do other things.

Last week I found myself with two hours in mid-morning between appointments and realizing that winter was nigh. I grabbed my kayak from the car rack and pushed out into the Huron from Argo and other than a young woman trying to master her solo rowing scull; I had the river totally to myself. Yes there are times when the river near Argo teems with rowing sculls but if you stay close to shore you’ll be out of their way and enjoy the aesthetic symmetry of the rowers and in no time be upriver where they cannot paddle. I don’t think I’d ever seen so many ducks, herons and geese out on this stretch and felt that they too knew the days of open water to be numbered. I was able to make it up to Barton Dam before a few raindrops began bouncing off the river only adding to the Zen like trance I was in. After loading up the kayak, the world-famous Zingerman’s Deli afforded me a bone warming soup and sandwich and plenty of characters to watch as I ate. (Of course I realized that they thought I was an odd character as well)

Several weeks prior, I had launched upstream at Portage Lake with Mike Toma and we floated down the river on a gorgeous fall day where we saw only four other paddlers in four hours. The waters were so clear that we could see huge schools of fish moving up river as they will this time of year. Several sections had some nice rocks that offered a little speedy trip through gentle rapids. The trees were on fire with colors and even though you pass some homes, there are times when you simply forget where you are-only 30 minutes from Ann Arbor by car!

Mike and I have paddled up the chain of lakes on quiet mornings before the power boaters get going and it’s always cool to paddle out of a lake and into the connecting river channel offering the quietness and cathedral feeling you get when gliding by the banks. Rivers have a way of impressing upon me “deep time” as I inevitably begin to realize how they have flowed for eons, never resting, sometimes wandering off course but always busy moving onward. And although I’ve paddle the Hudson Mills to Delhi piece countless times, the Huron never looks the same due to the seasons, sky lighting and of course, our own moods.

I think a lot about a friend of mine, Craig Kivi, who has lived IN this river his whole life. He’s the third generation of his family to fish these sublime waters and knows each rock and tree. Like me, he’s been around the planet a fair bit but here he is, still in awe and drawing what his spirit needs from this river. Craig speaks knowingly about “river time” which is most certainly different than our inner clocks are programmed nowadays to intuit. Once out on the Huron, whether it is with a fly rod in hand, a spotting scope, plant ID book, or just an energy bar, time begins to slow. The immense powers of uncountable drops of water emanating from way up near Clarkston begin to fill your psyche and your inner being starts to re-balance itself. I’ve brought some ugly, hurried moods to the Huron and she has gently taken them from me and replaced them with reflective appreciation of how joyous it is to be on her waters. This transformation from Mr. Important to Guy with No Purpose takes place within minutes of launch.

A lot of us understand that we owe the Huron more than we can every repay. Maybe my homage to her will get a few more of you out paddling the Huron and take up the cause of protecting these special waters.

Bruce Clevenger
Senior Guide/Instructor
Quiet World Sports

For more about the Huron: hrwc.org
Or even better, talk to an expert - Craig Kivi at 734-426-2256 goldendrake.com
For Argo Park info: www.a2gov.org