Another Fun Pearl River Paddle Loop-easy route to follow, but with "rapids"?

Down here in the swamps, when we get that first taste of fall weather in September, it's a glorious time. Usually, it'll still get into the high 80s, but the breeze and very low humidity give a sense of Spring Fever. The places that have been still, and sweltering, and swarming with predatory flying bugs are suddenly fresh and inviting, and you only seem to notice the dragonflies and butterflies. 

As Hurricane Irma was battering Cuba on September 9, 2017, we were enjoying one of those fall days here in Louisiana, and 3 friends of mine and I did an absolutely amazing kayak trip on parts of the Pearl River network. We enjoyed the trip so much, towards the end we all laughed about the fact that we didn't want to waste the experience taking pictures. Between the four of us, we got maybe 6 snapshots. Trust me: In this post, the lack of pictures is only because we were simply enjoying the trip too much. 

I'll go ahead and get the general stuff out of the way first: This route, as described, is just under 10 miles, and spends most of that time on two sections of the Pearl River where you can expect larger boats, and sometimes fairly strong currents. It also includes a small stretch called "Fridays Ditch", which is basically an overflow valve between one of the larger, faster-flowing fingers of the Pearl and a smaller, slower-flowing finger. This short "ditch" has an amazingly strong and tricky current, and I would strongly discourage anyone from trying to paddle this in a recreational kayak, unless they're looking to get wet. Swirls, eddies, fallen trees, and strong overall current could make this simply too hard for someone without fitness and skills (remember, you're in the middle of a 10 mile paddle), and a small, recreational kayak would only make it harder. So, this trip is "intermediate or better", and "14 foot or longer kayak". And, remember that most of these Pearl trips, including this one, don't have rest stops along the way. You're in the boat the whole time. 

I want to give you a few reference points  regarding this particular route and how it fits in with other posts I've made, or with the Pearl Network in general. But first I'll describe this route, then I'll talk about how or where this route ties in with other routes and trips in the Pearl Network, and I'll include some overview maps and images. 

This trip is a loop--no shuttle required. Hwy 90 (Chef Menteur Hwy) has two public boat launches between Slidell and the MS state line that are very convenient, and they are starting and/or finishing points for many of our trips. This trip starts at the launch right across Hwy 90 from Cajun Encounters Swamp Tours(Google Maps now has this business labeled as Honey Island Adventures): 

Link to launch

Here's the route, as my Garmin recorded it:

Sorry, the "laps" are mile markers. 

This route is actually fairly simple to follow if you have a good map. With my Garmin Forerunner to tell me distance (this is an activity recorder, not a navigation device) and a laminated route map, even I was able to follow it. But, I was glad that I had my friends Maarten and Rachel with me, since they know the area. 

From the launch, we went right, or down river, for just over a mile, and took the little channel left. This was the first left-hand option  I saw, so it should be easy to spot. In this little back channel, any current was mild, and we enjoyed a nice paddle through tall, green marsh plants. This was a perfect warm up and chance to really settle into that wonderful feeling of checking out and connecting with the smells, the breeze, the sounds...you know: Nature. As I mentioned at the start, summers here can almost be like winters up north--if you don't leave town, you almost just shut-in and wait out the season. So we really didn't even think about our cameras or phones or pictures on this trip. We were like kids being let loose in the playground. 

So, after perhaps a mile and a half of this warm up, we came to one of the "Pearls", and went left, which was upstream. This is a medium-sized finger of the Pearl, and we passed a few motor boats. And even though we paddled the next 3 or 4 miles against the current, it didn't bother us. Keep in mind, in different seasons or after heavy rains, the current will be different. But on this day, I'm not sure that I would have known we were paddling upstream if my Garmin data didn't later reveal a pretty slow pace. We just paddled along chatting, taking it all in, only occasionally moving over for other boats. It's wide enough to clump together and chat or wander off alone, and have plenty of room for motor boats. About a mile after this upstream, left-hand turn, you'll pass Graves Ditch on the right. Graves Ditch (I really don't know if apostrophes are appropriate with these ditch names) is a part of some other routes we've done, and it's linked in the "Labels" list on the right side of this blog. Just continue on this "obvious" section of the Pearl and after another mile or so, you'll pass another offshoot called Richardson's Bayou to the left. Continue past this on this trip, but that is a very pleasant little diversion also, and it's mentioned in this post: 

http://www.southeasternlouisianapaddling.com/2016/04/7-12-mile-trip-on-old-pearl-river.html

Finally, after about 4 miles or so on this section of the Pearl, you'll come to a left-hand turn that has a distinct current flowing from it. Of all the offshoots you'll pass paddling around here, this may be the only one with an unmistakable current flowing from it. At this point, we gathered together, secured our drybags, and sized it up. This was really a surprising sight for me. As we came off of this fairly wide section of river, we got to the very beginning of what looked like a bayou, and the first thing you notice are the swirls and eddies as Fridays Ditch meets the larger, slower section of the Pearl. We entered one at a time, going in single file and keeping track of each other. At times it felt like you were on a treadmill--working but not moving. Other times, I regretted not having a rudder or skeg, and had to work my boat and paddle a bit to go where I wanted--and to avoid running up on fallen trees. Then, where this meets the larger Old Pearl (the source of all this energy), there was a great little standing wave to pass through to "merge" onto the Old Pearl. So the last few yards were a fun little rush through energy from a few directions, out into the flow of the river. Fridays Ditch is pretty short, but it was the workout for the trip. It felt like the hill climb on a bicycle trip. And we all really enjoyed it. It had been a while since I'd done anything but flat-water, so it made me a little nervous at first, but once in it, it was fun. 

From "The Rapids", you go left onto the Old Pearl, and enjoy the ride. You come out near a small cluster of camps, and just paddle downstream. Payback time for the hill climb. A mile or so downriver, we decided to take a right onto a little "ox bow", or half loop. It was beautiful back here, and very calm. It feels completely different than the river--as if you've just drifted into a little bayou. This is when I realized I hadn't even taken my camera out yet. We stopped, relaxed, chatted with some boaters, reveled in the day, and then continued back out to the river. Coming out of the little ox bow, you really see how much current you have pushing you along on this return leg of the trip, and we finished the last mile or so pretty quickly and easily. And by the way, there were other little offshoots that we passed that we didn't explore. One of the tour boat drivers really encouraged us to paddle up a bayou just north of our launch. He said it's truly isolated and there's an eagle's nest at the back end of it. We had simply been in our boats long enough, but I think I'll check it out next time. 

So that's the trip. 9.86 miles, as recorded by my Garmin. A good portion is paddling against an easy-ish current, and a good portion is paddling with a nice current. There are two tastes of camera-worthy flat water paddling, and an exciting taste of fast water. When this is all mixed with the right weather and a good breeze, it's as good a trip as I'd want. And maybe next time, I'll take my camera out. Oh, and by the way, we also decided--sort of on the opposite end of the spectrum--this would be a great little workout loop. Easy resistance on one side, short workout "hill", then speed work/cadence work on the final downstream leg. 

Okay, so here's where I'm going to repeat some things I've written in other Pearl posts, and I'm going to use an updated map image from another post. This area is the delta, or basin of the Pearl, and is an amazing network of rivers and bayous and manmade channels ("ditches"). Maps refer to many different fingers of the Pearl as either simply "Pearl River" or "Old Pearl River" or "East Pearl River". A good rule of thumb is "Old Pearl" is one of the larger fingers in Louisiana; "East Pearl" is the large finger along the LA/MS state line, and "Pearl" could mean any of the mid-sized fingers in between. So for my purposes here, it's easier to use launch spots, some of the "ditches", or other local "landmarks" as reference points. One of those is "Fridays Ditch" that's included in the trip I've just described. Without a good sense of direction (I get lost regularly), a good guide, or a good GPS and maps, it could be very easy to get lost in this area. Expect to be exposed to sun and wind, so losing a few hours out here could get dangerous.

Here are some reference maps and satellite images:

First, an unlabeled satellite wide shot of this area, from Google:

Next, here's a map with some labels I've added for reference. Any label I've added here is mentioned in one of my posts, and should be found as a link in the "Labels" column along the right side of the blog.

And, here's a Google Earth screen shot of the few routes I've paddled so far. Today's post is the yellow line. You can also see from this next image that I have A LOT more paddling to do!

I don't have a post about the blue, 15 mile route in the image above, but I do have a post on the fuchsia 7 1/2 mile trip (http://www.southeasternlouisianapaddling.com/2016/04/7-12-mile-trip-on-old-pearl-river.html), which is an out-and-back trip starting and ending on Hwy 90, and the 13 mile light blue trip (http://www.southeasternlouisianapaddling.com/2016/04/old-pearl-river-rigolets-kayak.html), which is a one-way trip requiring a shuttle. And the red one is a 9.7 mile loop leaving from Logtown, described here:
http://www.southeasternlouisianapaddling.com/2016/11/97-mile-kayak-pearl-river-trip-starting.html

You can see on any online map, and in the image above, how many possible trips you can create, just between I-10 and Hwy 90, with even more options south of Hwy 90.

One final "broken record" thing--I've said it before regarding all of the many options out here on what I call the Pearl Network. As we launched for this last trip, we chatted with a trio that was going out in an undersized inflatable boat. I'm guessing they were just going to paddle upriver a few yards to the next bayou and escape into the woods/swamps for a while. If they had paddled downriver for any distance, they would NOT have had a fun trip back. So, as always: Get the current conditions, understand them and understand what you can handle. Bring several navigation tools--GPS and maps and compass. And make sure you're in the right boat! A sub-14' boat is great for exploring the narrow, heavily wooded bayous here, but maybe not so good at long distances, crosswinds and currents. If you're really going exploring, bring a marine radio. Waterproof your phone (but don't count on signal). And if you do all the right things, you can have a blast out here!

Kayaking Old Pearl River to Rigolets (shuttle required)

This is a 13 mile  trip that my friends Sarah Wilker and Nick Napoda put together at the very end of 2013. It involves a very easy shuttle of about 6 miles along Hwy 90, between Fort Pike and a western section of the Old Pearl River. The river had a pretty good flow this day, so our trip down was pretty fast, with our pace being nearly 6 mph much of the time.Then, our trip back up the Rigolets to Fort Pike was against the ebb tide, and our pace was well below 4 mph for most of that. But it was a fun trip. Paddling against the tide on the Rigolets definitely feels slow, but there's enough energy in the water that you actually feel like you're moving faster than you are...somehow.

But, the fast speed coming down the river, and the slower speed going "up" the Rigolets, meant that we have very, very few pictures. So this will be one of my shorter and more boring posts. But this is still a fun trip, well worth doing when the conditions are right.

Before continuing, my usual "do your homework" thing: When I did this trip in 2013, I was very inexperienced in anything but flat water situations. I had good fitness and a nice 17' fiberglass boat, but I fully trusted Sarah's and Nick's judgement on where they took me. Paddling on the Pearl network and the Rigolets can vary from pretty safe and easy, to dangerous. Tidal flow and river levels and conditions can make one trip entirely different than another. So, do your homework. Go with someone more experienced. Do not go without your PFD. Maps, GPS, charged cell phone, marine radio....all good things to bring (along with food and water, of course). 

Okay, here's the info:

We parked one car (capable of carrying 3 boats) at the Fort Pike boat launch, then drove the short distance along Hwy 90 to the first bridge with a boat launch you come to on the Old Pearl--just past White Kitchen (not sure if White Kitchen is marked on the road, but it is on the map). For reference, this is right across Hwy 90 from Cajun Encounters Swamp Tours.

Launch:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2306021,-89.6686396,320m/data=!3m1!1e3

Take out:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.1655167,-89.7367319,333m/data=!3m1!1e3

And here's the route, as recorded by my Garmin Forerunner:

From our launch, we paddled downstream for about 7 1/2 miles. Even though the river is very curvy for much of this trip, the fast current kept us moving along at a good clip. The river was pretty clear of boats and obstacles this day, though we did pass some of the Cajun Encounters tour boats full of tourists. Typically, you'll paddle over some eddies or swirls on the Pearl or Old Pearl, but normally  these are not cause for  any concern. On this trip, we just followed the river to a fork at about the 6 mile mark, and we went right. We could have just as easily gone left, and this option would have taken us out to Little Lake, a little east of the Rigolets. and it would have added about 4 miles to our trip as we made our way west over to the Rigolets. But, we did know we were going to be paddling against the outgoing tide up the Rigolets, so we took the shorter option to the right. 

This brought us out onto the Rigolets perhaps a mile or less from its southern end, or right across from St. Catherine Pass (more options for longer loops come to mind as I type this), and we took a right, going north up the Rigolets.

As I've said, we did our "upstream" paddle towards Fort Pike at a much slower pace than our trip down the river. I've made mention of the Rigolets in at least one other post, where I discuss how the tides moving through this curved channel don't really make it feel like paddling upstream or downstream. You definitely feel the increased or decreased speed due to the direction of the tide, but in the Rigolets itself, the tide does react to the curved banks and there is a lot of reflective energy. Due to this energy and the width of the Rigolets, this usually has a fun, semi-open water feel to it. When I'm paddling against the tide through the smaller channels, like St Catherine Pass, it does feel like a slow down, or uphill walk. But not so much through the Rigolets. Again, in an earlier post, I do discuss the Rigolets in a little more detail, and describe some other experiences I've had paddling. You can click a link on my side bar to the right of this page to find my other references to the Rigolets.

The following pictures are from the northern end of the Rigolets, maybe a mile south of Fort Pike. As you can see, it feels like open water out here:

Here's Nick

Here's Sarah, taking a picture of me taking a picture of her.

And, that'd be me.

You should expect quite a variety of boat traffic through the Rigolets, from small fishing boats to much larger vessels. Because kayaks are not exactly common out here, these boats will not be looking for you, so stay to one side or the other. If you need to cross from one side or the other, be very careful to check for traffic. This is a pretty wide channel, at least on its northern half--your crossing could be 3/4 of a mile, IF you can do it in a straight line. So allow enough time and distance for any oncoming boat traffic if you cross.

After that left hand curve, you'll have the Hwy 90 bridge that crosses over the Rigolets as a target to aim for. Your take out spot at Fort Pike is to the left of this bridge, and remember that your perspective changes as you continue following the curve. If traffic is heavy, it may be a good idea to stay on the left side, and then you'll have a pretty short crossing at what is called Sawmill Pass (see map below). This will keep you out of the flow of most traffic as you finish your way to the take out spot.  But, as you can see from our route below, traffic was actually pretty light on this December day, and we were able to spend a lot of time cruising (and posing for pictures) right down the middle.  

As I mention earlier, paddling the Rigolets and the main "fingers" of the Pearl River can be a lot of fun, and you have lots of alternate routes to try. But both some of the trickiest paddling in the NOLA area can occur in these waters in certain conditions. So make sure you, or the person you go with, are experienced enough to predict and handle the conditions of the day.

I have other Rigolets and Pearl routes listed in the links/labels along the right side of this blog. And more to come!

7 1/2 mile paddle on Old Pearl River

My friend Maarten Buijsman hosted a great social paddle in June, 2015, and here's a description of that trip. It's a great little paddle that takes you through several different settings and conditions. 

Before I describe this route, I want to talk very briefly about the Pearl River, and the countless paddle options and considerations that exist when you refer to "The Pearl River" or "The Old Pearl River." I guess this is my disclaimer: My experience on the Pearl and Old Pearl is very limited. Since I do so much solo paddling, I tend to not do as many point-to-point trips where shuttles are involved. And, with rivers, that's usually what you get (Of course, the trip I'm describing here is actually an out-and-back). But I've got friends who've explored the various branches of the "Pearl" extensively, and I count on their knowledge and let them lead. I've got another couple of river trips with them that I may get around to posting here.

So, as always with kayaking, do your homework and plan your trip well. I think the most important thing for me to say about any trip on anything associated with the Pearl or Old Pearl Rivers is: "Check, and understand, water levels." Higher water will be faster, and potentially more dangerous. If you're paddling smaller branches or nearby streams, your route can change or become less defined if water is very high. Hazards appear or disappear with varying levels. It really impacts your experience, so please get an understanding and check conditions before doing any trips out here. As you might guess, this is particularly important in spring, with any snow melts or prolonged, heavy rains up north.

The actual Pearl River runs along the border of Louisiana and Mississippi. West of that, there are several branches or tributaries that are labeled "Old Pearl River" on maps, so you should probably refer to specific landmarks or launch/take-out spots when talking about trips out here. For this trip, for example, one reference point is "Grave's Ditch", which is labeled on the online maps I've looked at. Truth be told, I'm probably cheating myself out of a lot of fun and beauty by not spending more time exploring this area more. But here is one route and trip I have taken:

Maarten posted this trip on Meetup.com, and we had a really nice crowd of about 22 paddlers and one Labrador Retriever in a variety of boats, despite some very dark skies. This was a pretty short trip, but keep in mind we did not stop on dry ground, and I'm not sure we passed any. So, just be prepared to stay seated the whole trip. 

We actually got rained on within the first 5 or 10 minutes, but only for a very short time, and that was it. There was no lightning anywhere around, which is why we decided to proceed.

As you can see from the pictures,  our start and finish are on a pretty wide section of the Old Pearl, but the current was very manageable. We paddled upstream on the way out, and downstream on the return.





Here's the route, as captured by my Garmin Foreruner:

 
And here's the description of the route:

From the launch, head north/left, and within the first half mile or so, you'll come to a fork, of sorts, and go left. Then, after about a mile or so, the river snakes left, then right, and right at the middle of that curve, where the river goes right, look left and you should see a gap, which is Grave's Ditch.  It should be very easy to spot, but for some reason it seems easy to miss also, especially on the return trip when you're moving a little faster. Take that left through Grave's Ditch, and as you go through, take a quick study of the spot to make sure you notice it on return. Again, it's easy to see, but one or two of our group almost missed it(they probably didn't know the route). And if you do miss Grave's Ditch on the return, you'll just hit Hwy 90 again, but you'll be 3 or 4 tenths of a mile west of your launch spot.



Once through the "ditch", you're on another, slightly narrower, branch of the Old Pearl. Continue upriver, or right, and follow another curve. In this curve, there is Richardson Bayou on the left that you could explore if you had the time and interest. There probably are some good pictures to be taken in there. This is about 1 1/2 miles from the launch, by the way. But, we passed this and continued another six tenths of a mile or so, and took a left on a very small branch of the river, and before long, into the woods. This is the part where the pictures will be better than words:

Did I mention that a dog joined us on this trip? He seemed very happy to be there.

This narrower branch snakes around to another branch of the Old Pearl, and at that end it's shown as Mills Bayou on maps.  But, within a couple of miles it narrowed up quite a bit, and got thicker with low branches, so we finally all gathered and rafted our boats, and took a lunch break on the water.  For a group our size, with some long kayaks, including a tandem, we just couldn't go any further and still be able to reverse course. This was just past the 3 1/2, mile mark, and our round trip distance was not quite 7 1/2 miles. This last portion of the trip is really beautiful, and you're fully immersed in the woods. I'm actually a little confused as to why I don't have more pictures from this very wooded end of this route, but here's one I'm borrowing from Maarten.



As I mentioned at the beginning, this was a great little trip, especially for a social paddle when you'll have a variety of boats and skill levels. But there are options--Richardson Bayou, as well as another one or two smaller bayous--that would probably make nice side trips as well. Also, as you can see from any map, there are tons of other options.

Here's our launch spot: 
(Coming from New Orleans/Slidell on Hwy 90, this is the 3rd bridge over the Old Pearl, and the 2nd with a pull-over/boat launch.)

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2345624,-89.6415306,682m/data=!3m1!1e3

And, here's the route again, without the mileage markers shown: