Irish Creek April 12 2022
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- Created: Thursday, 14 April 2022 17:54
Irish Creek
April 12 2022
The day was forecasted to be sunny and a warm 16C (it actually was our hottest day this year at 17.7C) with a moderate wind. It was Suze and Catherine’s first paddle of the year, though Karen had been out several times.
Irish Creek is a shallow, marshy creek which flows north into the Rideau River at Kilmarnock, best paddled in the early spring. We put in at Roses Bridge Road, about 5 km from the Kilmarnock lock station. Even in “high” water, waterlilies just starting to sprout, we occasionally touched bottom with our paddles. We paddled upstream, under bridges, around bends, over beaver dams, alternating with no wind, head winds, cross winds and tail winds.
For a quiet shallow creek there were lots of things to see. Highlights of the trip were: 6 trumpeter swans, 2 deer, several turtles basking in the sun, a beaver lodge and 2 beaver dams, lots of Canada geese leading us up the creek, mallard ducks, a loon, bright red dogwood among the cattails, and the biggest waterlily roots I have ever seen, looking like giant snakes or octopi.
It was a great first day on the water. (Click on "Read more" to see additional photos.)
Catherine J
