Hillsborough River Rapids

In Hillsborough River State Park, there is a section of the river with class II rapids. On my first outing with a just purchased first kayak, I paddled upstream from the state park launch site and heard a roaring noise and thought maybe the river winded near a road. Unknown to me, the rapids were just ahead, about a 15 minute paddle from the launch site. Well, I got through the first section with some effort, and got into shallower water where there were more rocks to run into, and having had no experience with kayaks at that time, decided to turn back. Paddling with the current this time was more enjoyable working the 9'4" Pelican Wave kayak around rocks and through openings with considerable water flow ( the skeg that should have been packed with the boat by the Canadian manufacturer was missing, making the boat handle real funny).

This trip didn't end in disaster, and I got a real fast education in kayak handling. Much later, after having gained some experience, I went back to this spot and was able to get much further up through the rapids and take some photos and video. Forgot to bring my boat shoes, so portaging was rather uncomfortable. It was worth the pain however, since this is a fascinating and beautiful stretch of the river. The water level was low that day, so I wasn't able to get all the way through. That will be for another day.