Sometimes, the difference between a successful adventure and a less-than-successful adventure is the ability to adapt and improvise. This happens to me. Often.

…and if you get the reference, I love you and want to buy you shiny things.
Take Sunday. I had a pretty awesome paddle planned, with the intention of putting in a Sterchi Farm, then paddling upstream past the airport and hopefully to Brainerd Road. Research indicated it was 8.5 miles one-way, but on the creek, not on open water as the previous weekends, so no problem, right?
Improv!
Putting in a Sterchi Farm was a breeze, thanks in no small part to the new kayak wheels. I’ve seen people using these before, but my testosterone-slash-ego always dictated I would never need such a contraption. Fully loaded, my boat weighs more than 60 pounds, but, hey, I’m the King of the Gym – I don’t need no stinking wheels. Well, after the long put in at Voldemort Park a few weeks ago, I acquiesced, and not a minute too soon. The put-in at Sterchi Farm is at least a quarter-mile from the parking lot, and you know they say “laziness is the mother of invention” (well, I say that, anyway), and really, it was great. Practically a stroll to the water.
So, I put in, and headed up the creek. Recent rains was making the water move fast, but I’ve been in fast water before. The beauty of going upstream in fast water is the knowledge that the return leg will be with the current, and will be speedy and easy. However, as the creek winds upstream, it gets narrower, and therefore, faster. Much faster. But even that isn’t insurmountable for a skilled paddler. But when you mix in a bunch or railroad trestles and other bridges, the water not only becomes fast, but dangerous. Actual whitewater. Not Deliverance-level whitewater, but still, a lot of churn and boil which a big, heavy touring boat like mine isn’t designed for. Nonetheless, I made it past 3 or 4 trestles, each harder than the last. The last one I made it past, I just barely made it past – I had to paddle as hard as possible, and it still took a good 10 minutes to go maybe 100 feet. At that point, I realized I may have to improvise, knowing what was ahead.
Lightfoot Mill Road, at about 2.5 miles into the paddle, is an obstacle course that’s more maddening than reading the YouTube comments section for Gangnam Style. Five sets of bridge trestles, spanning a couple hundred feet, and a 6th one, about 50 yards further upstream (not pictured). As the water flows downstream, each trestle churns the water a little more, so by the time it passes the fifth one (Lightfoot Mill Road itself), the water is like what you’d see in a typhoon. I was only able to make it within maybe a hundred yards of the first trestle, when it became clear that even a jet-ski would have trouble getting through. See, it’s not just the trestles and the water, it’s the rocks. Lots of rocks. And because of all the recent rains, the creek was lousy with debris, mostly tree limbs. Regardless, I tried, paddling hard, dodging rocks and limbs (and it was raining – yay), but it was not meant to be (I would later encounter other kayakers who tried to get through; none of them were able to, so I didn’t feel as defeated). Not the first time None Shall Pass, and it won’t be the last, I’m sure.
This is where the improvisation skills come into play. Turning back was a no-brainer (and really, the only choice, because portaging [carrying the boat over land to avoid obstacles] here wasn’t possible), but that would mean only 5 miles total; barely worth getting out of bed for. The wider creek in the area I put in wasn’t too bad, and even though I’ve paddled it before, I decided to pass the put-in, and head for the open water of the river.

Heading back downstream, going under Highway 58/Bonny Oaks, and the bridge on the Sterchi Farm/South Chick Creek Greenway.
Surprisingly, the river wasn’t moving too quickly (I would soon see that the spillways on the dam weren’t open). So, a straight shot across the river, to Lupton City Park – I’ve walked here, but never paddled. Landed at the boat ramp to stretch and take stock, and decided to power up the river towards the dam. Even though the spillways weren’t open, it’s still upstream, so there’s still current. I’ve never paddled further north than South Chick, so this would be an opportunity to see new stuff, as well as fill in another section of the Master Adventure Map. I made it past Dupont Parkway (the bridge over the river) and to within maybe 3/4 of a mile to the dam – by the time I got that close, as expected, the water was getting quite a bit faster, and at 10 miles, I was getting tired. So, I turned around, and headed back.
The paddle back was uneventful. I let the river current carry me back to the creek (for the most part), then paddled the couple of miles upstream back to Sterchi Farm. While it wasn’t the paddle I wanted to take, it was still a good one. I intend to try it again – hopefully, when we have a period of no rain for a few weeks (which will happen), I can make another run at it. All together, 14.2 miles – that’s worth getting out of bed for.
And, of course, the map:

click for larger, or Endomondo data, or Movescount data
Link:
Sterchi Farm/South Chick Creek Paddle Photo Album on Facebook