We paddle the rivers of our area in early spring. There are a limited number of launch spots and some of those are in faster water. There is a good beach launch on the northeast side of Lafarge Bridge so we launch from there from time to time, but it makes a better landing spot for a downriver paddle than an upstream launch spot. The river moves quickly and there are a number of gravel and sand bars for many kilometers.

Progress is so slow upstream that it feels like paddling on a treadmill. It took almost an hour to travel 2.7 km upstream and only 25 minutes back downstream, mostly drifting. This is a good aerobic workout, for sure, but a lot less fun than paddling on slower rivers, on our lakes, and on the ocean. The lakes will clear of ice soon and we can take a break from upstream paddling.