I had the privilege of being invited along on a paddle of Wisconsin's Kinnickinnic River today.  John Simpson and children were in one boat and Anna and me in another.  The paddle from River Falls to the confluence at the St. Croix River was just over 12 river miles in length with an elevation drop of approximately 130 feet.

Overall the trip was very enjoyable but a lot of work.  It is safe to say that this was the toughest paddling adventure I've ever been on.  The river was a bit on the low side.  Four more inches of water, or even lower draft kayaks, would have made a world of difference.  Generally, the river was fairly clear with only a few obstacles.  There were a few occasions where we had to drag the boat over sand bars or around the fallen tree.  But those times where the water was perfect and your boat was shot down stream more than made up for it.  The toughest part of the journey was getting the boat out of the water and up to the parking lot at Kinnickinnic State Park up above.  If you review the elevation graph, you'll notice the two peaks at the end of the trip.  Those peaks represent the brutal 1690 foot (.33 mile), 160 foot elevation change, portage up to the lot (some of us made the trip twice).

Enjoy the photographs..

The track log of the Kinnickinnic River paddle

An elevation profile of the Kinnickinnic River paddle

Anna and the Simpson gang taking a break