Kayaking from Muncy To Montgomery

When: Mid July 2014

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 1hour, 50 minutes (but we probably spent 15 minutes just kayaking around at the very end, enjoying the peace and quiet and lack of wakes)

Water Level: Medium.  Not high, not too low - some parts were shallow, but they are most of the year. 

I forgot how much I dislike kayaking this stretch of the river.

View from the boat launch, looking towards Montgomery

Oh, it's gorgeous, don't get me wrong.

Some of the heron, near the muncy bridge

But this section is for river lots, and the boat club.  It's full of spectators on the shores, many of whom have been drinking all week-end.  It's for water skiing and jet skis, for pontoon boats with small children jumping off the sides to swim.  

All of which can be a lot of fun.  But it's not my idea of kayaking.  Kayaking through here is a bit like kayaking through a trailer court in the middle of a drag strip.  I'm not saying trailer courts, or drag strips, are a bad place to be - but they aren't what I have in mind when I take my kayaks out.

By the time we got through this stretch, to about the last half mile (the boat club has dammed up the river with old railroad ties, once you get over them, it is immediately, drastically, quieter) our necks were sore, our shoulders were sore, we were tense and my head hurt from the constant hum of all of the speed boats.

And this was a relatively quiet afternoon - not nearly as many boats were out as could have been on this gorgeous day.

The constant wakes from all the speed boats are what had our shoulders tense.  This is not a gentle float, or a relaxing paddle, this was a work out.  My arms are going to be sore tomorrow.  Which is really not a bad thing.

On the other side of the railroad ties/boat club area - immediately more peaceful.

We put in at Muncy specifically to look for the peregrine falcons that are under the Muncy Bridge.  I did get to see one, so it was worth the trip - and lets face it, even my least favorite kayaking trip is better than no kayaking trip.  :-)