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| - As much as I enjoy and appreciate the local MetroParks and CVNP, they cannot be confused with real wilderness. There's always a parking lot or jogging trail over the next ridge or just beyond the trees, which is fine under most circumstances, but occasionally I need the narcotic of true wilderness. There is no substitute.
That's why I kayak the Upper Cuyahoga river once-or-twice every year with Camp Hi Canoe Livery. Before the Cuyahoga winds through the urban areas of Akron and Cleveland (becoming the polluted, highly flammable, and flotsam-choked embarrassment we normally associate), it actually enjoys dozens of miles of pristine, undisturbed condition in Geuaga County. From Camp-Hi's10-mile trip drop-in point at Russell Park, you can canoe or kayak through 7 miles of near-perfect wilderness. Apart from being briefly bisected by Rte. 422, there is no sign of humanity anywhere. Only the faint rumble of distant traffic or the occasional aircraft provide any clue that you're in the 21st century. You can experience a level of peace and tranquility normally reserved for the dead.
In the upper section on the route, the river flows gently through a broad riparian plain, with water conditions ideal for paddling. It's like Ohio's answer to the trackless southern bayou...nothing but smooth and silent waters everywhere. The river is lined almost exclusively with silver maple, willow, button bush, and pickerelweed. Although this vegetation seems a bit monotonous by itself, when combined with large open patches of sky and water, the effect is like being in a 19th century landscape painting. You feel like Thoreau on the Merrimack. Add to this effect the rich wildlife here....herons, wood ducks, rare dragonflies, painted turtles, and golden prothonotary warblers.....and the masterpiece is complete.
Eventually, you will re-enter civilization, but by the time the first house appears on the riverbanks (...heralding the last 3 miles of backyards filled with cheap patio furniture and nautical-themed crapola), I'm usually satisfied with my dose of wilderness. Just before you return to Camp Hi, there's a small series of rapids that will raise your blood pressure just a hair, but nothing to really worry about. Just close your eyes and paddle.
If you want to avoid the floating armies of Skynard revivalists and other amphibious rednecks that invade the river during the summer, I suggest a late-spring or late-fall trip. And get there early in the morning so you have the river to yourself, before the rest of Camp Hi's customers wake up from their Natty Lite-induced comas. The livery opens at 9 AM.
As for Camp Hi itself, I have no complaints, their main endowment being service to this wonderful stretch of river. It's your standard canoe livery, operating in a state of mild disorganization and semi-apathy...paddles and life-vests and waiver sheets flying everywhere. If you ever find anyone touting an "upscale canoe livery", um, please be sure to let me know.
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