Tue Feb 07 2012
By DAN RABER
"Help! My boat is filling with water!"
That was my involuntary exclamation as a torrent of water rushed into my nearly overturned kayak.
A friend and I kayaked the Killbuck between Holmesville and Millersburg last Friday. It was a rather unplanned excursion, therefore, we neglected the usual fanfare such as marching bands, speeches, pre-festive editorials and advertisements, etc. In fact, we only saw one other human throughout the whole trip. This is in contrast to what is encountered on the Mohican River.
There, I'm told, it would at times be possible to traverse a stretch of several miles simply by stepping from one canoe, kayak or inner tube, etc., to the next, given, of course, that you didn't succumb to an alcoholic stupor from fumes of the many open beer cans in evidence. I do tend to think my informant might have been stretching things a bit, but essentially, he is correct.
Float the Mohican River if you want to party; the Killbuck if you want to see wild life and have a peaceful trip.
We put in at the bridge on County Road 320 west of Holmesville and got out about three hours later at the state Route 39 bridge on the west side of Millersburg. The whole float was relatively uneventful, barring such minor events as capsizing in 7 inches of water, (It wasn't funny either! I had no idea how deep it was until I reached overboard and touched bottom), several portages and almost drowning three of my fingers. Thankfully they survived the ordeal.
While on the creek we saw a variety of wild life, including deer, woodchucks, cedar waxwings, kingfishers, swallows, spiders and several unidentified splashes and bubbles. I suspect these may have been an occasional migrant alligator or leftover aquatic dinosaur. I find that splashes are an unrecognized method of propulsion. We found our paddling speed increased dramatically in proportion to the size and nearness of a splash. We'd be cruising peacefully, then SPLASH! And suddenly there would be a frenzied blur accompanied by a high-pitched sound and then 50 yards down the creek, a kayak would materialize.
There may be a possibility of time travel here with properly applied splashes. I intend to turn over our findings to NASA for further study.
The creek currently has an average depth of about 2 feet, being less than 6 inches for long stretches. Several times we propelled ourselves by reaching overboard and pushing with our hands. We did wear lifejackets as a safety precaution. The whole trip was very enjoyable.
The only thing to worry about is one overhanging branch in swift water a little before the fairgrounds. This can be avoided by beaching on a gravel bar and bypassing that section of creek. I can certainly recommend this for any family or individual who loves the outdoors. Another trip I'm contemplating is a float trip through the Killbuck March in Wayne and northern Holmes County one morning to hunt squirrels.
Until next time, shoot straight and keep your powder dry.
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