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Paddling with Mike Svob The Tomorrow/Waupaca River
A retired faculty member from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Vollrath has been paddling with friends for many years. Lake Superior, he says, is his favorite destination, but "we spend more time on rivers right here in central Wisconsin. Our favorite is the Little Wolf, but the Tomorrow/Waupaca is closer and has a charm all its own." In our correspondence, Vollrath reminded me that our paths first crossed several years ago when he and some friends passed a rock in the Little Wolf River where I had perched to take notes for a few minutes. Like him, I adore the Little Wolf. I am especially grateful to Vollrath because his commentary not only points out some changes in the Tomorrow/Waupaca River since I last paddled it, but also addresses sections that are not covered in my guidebook. In giving me permission to reproduce his comments, he said, "It's worth emphasizing to readers that the Tomorrow /Waupaca is very sensitive to two common factors that affect the paddling experience. One is the water level and the other is the presence of deadfalls and obstructions. That is especially true for the section from Highway 10 to County T. Obstructions were not a serious problem when we paddled the river in 2007. There is no guarantee that will be the same in the future." What follows are Vollrath's comments on the Tomorrow/Waupaca. You can follow the course of the river by consulting your ever-useful copy of the DeLorme Gazetteer. Tiny beginnings I started paddling the river about 25 years ago. This past summer I, with a few friends, did all of it from Nelsonville to Cobbtown. We all paddled plastic recreational kayaks. That, or a plastic solo canoe, is the only boat I'd recommend on this part of the river. A tandem canoe would have a tougher time making quick turns and sliding through the tight spots. The rickety, old, low-clearance footbridge downstream from Nelsonville has been gone for many years. There's no trace of it remaining from the vantage point of the river. Also, the river here is much improved as a result of stream rehabilitation by the local Frank Hornberg Chapter of Trout Unlimited. The stream is narrower, deeper and faster. The remaining low-clearance bridge upstream from Lake Meyers Road is still there. (I squeezed under it this year, believe it or not.) The new owner of the farm planted a fence post that made it impossible to open the portaging gate, so this summer boats had to be lifted over the fence. I was told that the DNR is going to be notified of this situation, so it should be corrected sometime in the future. (Landowners have to make transit available on the shore when the stream is blocked.) A point worth mentioning is that the Tomorrow River bike trail crosses the river on the former railroad bridge at the head of the Amherst millpond. Parking and trail permits are in Cate Park. The section of the trail from here to Scandinavia is especially attractive. Recent changes The four-lane U.S. Highway 10 bypass around Amherst has changed a few things. There are now four bridges right next to each other just to the west of County Trunk A. (Two bridges for the highway as well as bridges for both exit and entrance ramps.) The wayside at the intersection of U.S. 10 and Buccholtz Road no longer exists. Keener Road is no longer accessible from U.S. 10. There is a new bridge over the river at Keener Road, though the 3-foot drop in the river remains. (By the way, that bridge is the site of the old South Amherst mill, the foundations and basement of which can still be seen from the road.) The DNR is thinking of removing the concrete ledge that causes the drop under the Keener Road bridge. The purpose is to eliminate the slow water above the bridge and lower the water temperature, which would be better for trout. The ledge might be gone by next year, more likely by the year after next. (I'm a member of the Frank Hornberg chapter of Trout Unlimited, and we are working with the DNR to get this changed.) Obstructions from fallen willow trees in Amherst continue to be an issue. They can be avoided by starting this section at the Tomorrow River Supper Club on the former U.S. 10, now called County Trunk KK, I believe. Even though the wayside at Buccholtz Road no longer exists, there is a good put-in at that site on Buccholtz Road itself, river left. The pull-off parking spot is obvious from the road. The DNR has done major trout stream work on this river in the last few years, changing its character in two places. First, it created a number of islands and installed bank structures in the area of the former wayside at Buccholtz Road. Second, it installed bank structures and placed large boulders in the stream above and below the County T bridge. The changes have a natural appearance, and they improve the stream flow. The building at Spring Creek isn't a log cabin. Just an ordinary outbuilding, one of several that the owner has on that property. Delightful rapids The wires over the river upstream from Stedman Park are still there, unfortunately. The owner runs cattle on this property and the wires are made to be electrified, though it may have been some time since they have actually been turned on. You may recall the river here runs through a thoroughly delightful boulder garden that really should be run in its entirety. I'd recommend just lifting the wires with a paddle and going all the way to the bridge rather than getting out 100 feet upstream and trying to cross and carry boats over the wire in the pasture field. It is not difficult to take out downstream left immediately after going under the County Trunk DD bridge. There is parking there on the abandoned roadway leading to the site of the former bridge. The rapids, which are a lot of fun, are 20 or so feet farther on, so a couple quick strokes will bring your boat to the shore before the rapids. Otherwise, run through the rapids and take out on the left side immediately after the abutment of the former bridge. That's still public property, as far as I know. Farther downstream is the private property of the Baptist Bible Camp. Caveats and alternatives Obstructions: The giant logjam just downstream from the Durrant Road bridge is now runable. For many years this was an unforgettable obstruction, requiring a tricky carry-over. It’s no longer a problem. A short portage, best done river left, is still required where two trees block the river where the high-voltage electric lines cross the river upstream from the County T bridge. There are very few other places where it is absolutely necessary to take a boat on shore to get around an obstruction. As you would expect, there are quite a few tree trunks and logs just inches below the level of the water, and plastic boats will slide over them, though sometimes with effort. Not so with aluminum canoes. Water levels: In July and most of August 2007, the water level was down, down, down. Travel would have required walking over many sand and gravel bars. The Plover and the Little Wolf were also too low for a decent paddling experience. So in the middle of the summer we confined our local paddling to the Wisconsin River on the backwaters north of Stevens Point - a great place to get completely lost among the islands. Also Lake Du Bay where I recommend a circumnavigation of Big Island, putting in at the landing off Seagull Lane. The spring-fed Crystal River is always an alternative, since it maintains a fairly constant water level. Put in at Rural and take out at the Red Mill. People with whom I've paddled the Tomorrow River feel the section of river from Stedman Park to Durrant Road (and on to the Cobbtown bridge) has a decidedly different character from the section from County T to Stedman. The upstream section has the feel of a northern river, running faster with boulders, high banks and old white pines. The downstream section has the feel of a southern river, running slower through less shade, with a sandy bottom and few boulders. It is only when the river nears Cobbtown that it takes on the appearance of a northern river again. A local group, Friends of the Tomorrow/Waupaca River, was formed about three years ago. They have sponsored stream talks, prairie plantings by the river in Nelsonville and Waupaca and clearing of logjams in Waupaca. It's worth mentioning that the Ice Age Trail runs right by the river on the left upstream from Cobbtown. It's not readily visible from the river, but hiking the trail here is an experience in itself - a worthy diversion from paddling. Access is from a public fishing parking lot on Foley Road about half a mile north of Cobbtown. Mike Svob is a native Illinoisan and long-time Northwoods devotee. He is the author of Paddling Illinois, Paddling Northern Wisconsin and Paddling Southern Wisconsin, all published by Trails Books. | ||||
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