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Thanks for commenting. Full disclosure, I did NOT do this paddle. The video is from my friend Timothy who ran this with a group. These types of rivers aren't really my cup of tea; I am not an adrenaline junkie or feel comfortable running rapids. The top of my rapid level are Class II rapids; and that's with a spray skirt, the right boat, someone by my side, and maybe some liquid courage to take the edge off. When we did the Wolf River trip a few years back, I portaged the Class III stuff and opted to video Timothy while he ran them. I can't/can imagine you doing this without a skirt and with a lost paddle. Clearly, lessons were learned there; wear a skirt and bring an extra paddle. As we say "mistakes were made". On that Wolf River trip, we did see someone in the wrong boat and without a spray skirt; we wanted him swamp early in the rapids as his boat took on more and more water. He quickly ended up swimming while his boat and paddle floated down the river. We ran like deer through the woods to try to help him and to yell to his girlfriend where his paddle was in the river. I imagine your situation much the same way. Thanks again for sharing! I do like sharing videos of our trips to give everyone a good view of what they are likely to experience. I know that my videos tend to get long but giving the full picture I feel serves everyone the best. Take care and enjoy your next paddles.

Absolutely! We are looking forward to paddling the next stretch from Rockton to LaFarge. Hopefully soon! The lack of development along the river is wonderful.

@@driftlesskayaker I'm very much attracted to the Kickapoo. I'll continue to follow your journey.

In this particular video, I am using a 10' (Menards) Viper kayak. However, I have upgraded since then and use a 10' 6" Wilderness Aspire 105 kayak. That's the boat that I use most of the time on small rivers, creeks, or that has any significant rapids. For the wider and straighter rivers and lakes, I use a Wilderness Pungo 120. Let me know if you have any other questions. I do really like both of these options; the Aspire is very stable and maneuverable while the Pungo is faster and has more glide which sacrifices some level of stability (but it still has great secondary stability).

@@karlsjunior466 paddling upstream, now that’s a workout!

@@driftlesskayaker at 45 years old I was cut like Brad Pitt in fight club.

I'm a bit biased here towards the Kickapoo since the rock formations and surroundings are simply beautiful and outcrops are so plentiful. For me, the Pine is 2nd to the Kickapoo but I actually do the Pine more frequently due to proximity. The outfitters on the Kickapoo rent a TON of canoes and kayaks out of Ontario. With the volume of canoes that they rent; clearly this is a good canoeing river (again, I don't canoe). The Pine can be done in a canoe but it does require a more skillful canoe paddler since there are many obstacles to avoid. The outfitter for the Pine does a nice job of keeping the river open for paddlers but there is more deadfall in the river. As for the Wisconsin, it's just such a large river that I don't paddle it very often; when I do, it's with my buddy/buddies who are more adventurous towards the Wisconsin; I prefer to stick with the smaller rivers and creeks. With the Kickapoo, you should really try NOT to paddle this on a weekend due the volume of rentals and visitors (paddlers and tubers). You can use the outfitters for a shuttle if you need to; I've used Titanic and they are great to work with. I've also had good luck paddling the Kickapoo later in the day after the outfitters send out their last groups. It puts you on the river later in the day but it is very enjoyable to paddle later in the day as long as you give yourself time before sundown. Enjoy!

Thanks for the comment. The footprint of my paddling is rather small so I will trust you on that one. I will say that we have a large number of great options close to home.

@@driftlesskayaker Where is home?

@@phillyjoejones5161 Platteville, WI

@@driftlesskayaker Nice...where the Bears use to train at back in the days.

You are welcome! Thanks for watching. This was a very fun trip (even with the rain).

Thanks for the comment. Yes, this is really a great 'hidden' gem and one that is a little rare to paddle due to the needed water levels. I hope to get out to do this section again this week while the river is still up. As for the wires, yes, you will find them on several rivers in the Driftless, especially those rivers that are not prone to outfitters. I'm pretty certain that we've seen wires across the rivers in each state in the Driftless; especially the rivers that are shallow where the cattle can cross across the rocky areas where the riffles are. That said, most of them are not an issue and the Y-er tool really helps to safely lift them out of the way if they are low. More often than not, you can pass under them somewhere in the width of the river. I always keep the Y-er 'tool' in the back of my kayak incase the need arises. I hope this helps you out. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions on the topic; I 'invented' the Y-er tool many years ago when I first became aware of the issue and too was concerned about them. Since then, it's not an issue but something for the front person to watch for. Happy paddling!

Yup, Jackson County. (44.1904700, -90.7128100)

You know it when you smell it. 🤣

Hey there, no we did not; not that we were aware of. At least no one yelled at us to stop talking because we’d scare the deer off. 😃

Nope. If so, they were well camouflaged. :)

You are welcome! Thanks for the comment! Please share any ideas back to me. Happy paddling

Yes, because both of us were traveling from out of the area and different directions, we had two vehicles. Each vehicle is capable of hauling (2) boats so that makes it easier. That said, their is a gravel road that pretty much follows the river and is pretty darn flat; a bike shuttle would be possible with a bike that can do gravel. We did see a guy with an ATV shuttle himself; he literally strapped his kayak perpendicular across the front of his ATV and drove away. Pretty cool setup!

Thanks for the subscription. Hopefully you find value in the content; at least a glimpse at what one could expect on the trips that we do. Thanks again!

Nice, really nice! I hadn't thought of paddling upstream......for good reason. Thanks for the comments, yes, there are quite a few other videos out there of our adventures. Feel free to toss me any other paddling trip ideas that you've uncovered. Thanks again!

Thank you very much! I feel the same and try to balance a little intro/exit music, personal comments/remarks, maybe a crack of a brew (or two), and an overall representation of the river. I try to share what we experience to give a representation of what someone else might experience; which is why I try to show the balance of riffles/rapids and flatwater. I appreciate the comment. Right now, I'm working on the 4th Upper Iowa video from our outing last week. The Upper Iowa was great but boy I ended up with a lot of video to try to edit down. :) Thanks again!

Thank you very much! I currently use three boats on a consistent basis. Wilderness Aspire 105 for narrow rivers or those that really scrape up your boat. It's very stable, thicker shell, and very maneuverable (and has a skeg for tracking). I then have two Wilderness Pungo 120s. These are more for wider rivers, less meandering, faster than the Aspire, and track well. One of my Pungos is older and I use that one when I know we'll scrape while the other is newer and I use that more for lakes or less scrapy waters. All three have big cockpits, are well made, have the same seat and creature comforts, and serve me well for my needs. I do have spray skirts for both the Pungo and Aspire which I'll occasionally use in the winter to keep heat in or in rapids. Hope this helps.

@driftlesskayaker5882 wilderness Aspire 105 & the Pungo 120 are the two kayak that I am looking at. My kayak is a Tarpon 100 & I do a lot of fishing , kayaking , & kayak camping. I am looking for a kayak for kayak camping. I like the Aspire but also like the Punto too because it got lot more Space for camping gear. But I am looking more into the Pungo more. Thanks you so much for the information. It did help me out.

I'm happy to give an opinion. If I was going to do Class 1 or 2 rapids, the Aspire is my go-to. I also use the Aspire in the winter because it can fit my bigger insulated boots and it is also a bit more stable. I feel that the Aspire 105 and Pungo 120 fit me about the same. My wife has the Aspire 100 and it feels way to small for me and I've never felt like I needed the Pungo 125 for capacity or width. I'm comfortable in the Pungo for riffles or Class 1 rapids. The Pungos do track well on flat water and cut the water nicely. With the Aspire, it doesn't cut the water as cleanly and does require more effort with speed. Again, they are different boats for different purposes. Enjoy!

@driftlesskayaker5882 Thank you cuz I didn't know that. I do have a question? In the winter time in Either one of the kayak With the space skirt on can you feel the cold water through the kayak on your feet 🦶 ? I have to kayak barefooted 👣 because my have very very big extremely wide feet 🦶 sz15 6E wide ( which is very very extremely wide feet 🦶 ) with very chubby fat wide toes that are Evenly straight across & my foot will not fit in shoes or socks because of how wide my feet 🦶 are. It suck having Extremely wide feet 🦶 man.

Interesting. The skirt helps to keep your lower body heat in which helps tremendously. But yes, the water is cold and it will radiate up. However, the thicker shell of the Aspire over the Pungo helps that. A few things, check out the RUclips video by Pete Braginton called like "Wilderness Aspire Mods" and you'll see what he did to add reflective material to the floor of his Aspire. Pretty cool idea. If I were you, I'd also get a pair of Ororo heated (battery powered) socks. I have their heated jacked and it is very nice to keep you warm without the bulk. Last thing, the new(er) Old Town Loons also have a large foot area and are just "chunky". I'm not a fan of them because they do look sort of like a barge instead of a boat but that's just my opinion based on the one that I've seen on the water.

It sure was! Sorry, I edited out all the times that Timothy chatted about you, Heather, and the family. Hope all is well out west!

It's the Wisconsin River so their is defiantly current where the river narrows in this section. In the Dells area, the current is modest and navigating to and around the rock formations wasn't an issue. It's only after the Dells that you notice the current of the river as it gets narrow again and more river-like.

Ya, that would suck. Sorry to hear that.

Ha ha! Nice! I've never heard about having the jaws of life to cut someone's foot out of a kayak. There is a first for everything. I do really like my new model Pungo 120; I like the functionality of it and also the design color. It's a trivial thing but it is a pretty boat that is a great all around recreational boat for me. I also have the older model Pungo 120 for those river that are more rocky than sandy; I don't mind beating those up as much. Those are the ones that my buds were using in this video. My Wilderness Aspire 105 is the boat that I use for big boot winter weather paddling; by big boot, I mean size 10 insulated winter muck boots (not size 15/16). Good god people must think they are following the tracks of Sasquatch when they see your footprints on a sandbar. Thanks for watching the videos and commenting. If the weather cooperates tomorrow, there should be another one soon. Happy paddling!

@driftlesskayaker5882 "LOL" it's embarrassing sometimes but I enjoy telling it. Those employees could not believe how wide my feet 🦶 were. I get asked everyday how big my feet 🦶 are , how wide my feet 🦶 are , how chubby & fat my toes are , how did I get my toes to be Evenly straight across instead of being at a 45% angle like your toes are. I use to get embarrassed about that but my wife Explain to me that I should be happy & not embarrassing about my extremely wide feet 🦶 because God made me special with my extremely wide feet 🦶 & there is no one with a foot that's Exactly like mine & that is true. I have friends that have wide feet 🦶 & I have seen a lot of guys with wide feet 🦶 & what I mean by wide feet 🦶 is the toes being Spread out wide apart but not like as wide as mine feet 🦶 are. A lot of my friends & my co-worker call me ( BIGFOOT ) because of how wide , & Evenly straight across my toes are & how my toenails being cut evenly straight across Especially my big toenails. I have to cut my toenails Evenly straight across because my toenails base is very very wide Especially my big toe. My big toe is 2" inches wide which is a very very extremely wide toes. I had a Manager at a restaurant couldn't believe how extremely wide my feet 🦶 was. I was kayaking in 100° Degrees heat & we was trying to get off the water when I was starting to having a Heat stroke. It was not Supposed to get that hot that day. The manager was asking me how wide was my feet 🦶 & I told him it was 6 1/2 inches wide from my big toe to my lil toe. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He asked could he take a pictures of my feet 🦶 & put it on the wall in his store. I Decided to do so because he gave me $30 worth of free food. He Post it with the pictures ( big foot was here & is very friendly ) I can believe sometimes how wide my foot is sometimes. I was born with a very very extremely wide feet 🦶.

Hello, sorry for the delay. The trip is 9 miles and took us 2 3/4 hours. I almost always put those details on the last slide at the very end. With the time, it will definitely vary. We do a lot of talking, pit stopping, and are rarely in a rush to get off the river.

Unfortunately the fawn on the river bank was too small to see on the GoPro. We’ll have to try again.

Thanks for your comment and for liking the video. It's nice to give people a previous of what to expect when they venture out for the first time on a section of river. It's also nice to see differences between experiences. Thanks again my friend!

Thank you. It's always nice to share great places to paddle and our experiences. Have a great long 4th of July weekend!

It’s well worth an annual tradition in fall! Thank you!

It’s not an active roadway so I speculate it will be there forever. The highway bridge is the modern structure for traffic.

@@driftlesskayaker yea i know of another road near the glen haven area,they dont plow the snow for it in winter time,its a less traveled road

12 1/2 miles. It took us about 4 hours. Enjoy!

Ya, he was just starting the engine as we paddled by. It is an amazingly beautiful area.

@@driftlesskayaker We try to paddle it each fall. Prefer to wait for the crowds to thin out.

Although it will be pushing 100 degrees in a few days, I'm looking forward to doing a fall paddle again on Mirror Lake. Once the crowds thin out in the Dells, it's a great time to paddle during that small window in the fall when the trees put on their autumn show.

Thanks buddy! As the water temperatures rise so does our appetite for bigger riffles and rapids.

I’m glad you enjoy the videos. I NEED to get up nort’ this summer and hit some of the rivers you grew up on. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out MilesPaddled.com. Also grab a copy of Timothy Bauer’s guidebook, 60 paddling adventures within 60 miles of Madison.

About 4 hours to do the 10 miles.

Negative, from what we could tell, it was still frozen.

I’ll try my best! So many rivers, so little time pre-retirement.

Thanks for watching!

It’s a great flat water paddle with awesome scenery! You will also get spoiled with dedicated landings. Enjoy the trip!

since 1982

Thanks for watching! This section was definitely shallower than the lower sections so you will need a high tolerance for scraping. I myself need to get back to the main sections of the Kickapoo (on a weekday) to enjoy the scenery of those lower sections.

Nice to see a fellow paddler in the area. First things first, the water level in this video was VERY high and would only occur after some very solid rains; a few long soaking days of rain would be best to get the river level up without the risk of flash flooding hazards. Also, the Little Platte is very pushy at these water levels and experience is required. During this trip, the three of us have solid experience on the Little Platte at normal river levels so we know the hazard areas (area where the river takes a hard 90 degree turn at undercut rock walls). Even so, I almost lost it after awkwardly hitting a tree on a Class I turn and my buddy was like a low rider for the last stretch of the trip due to taking in so much water. Typically, on the Little Platte, you will need a high tolerance for scraping and occasional hand-ups but the geology is worth it; just don't bring a boat that you don't want to get scraped up. That said, the 'main' Platte River is similar in many aspects; all riffles but no truly defined rapids. People interchange riffles and rapids a lot so don't let that deter you. The Platte River is my local go-to for great paddling. From Ellenboro downstream, I've never had too low of water conditions. That said, going from Coon Hollow Road down, you'll want the gauge to be area of 5' or so. Also in the area, the Blue River would be pretty similar to the Little Platte; lots of meandering, shallow, , narrow, and extremely scenic. Blue River is a trout stream and should only be done after moderate rain; it goes up and down fast so catching it at the right level is tough. Hopefully this answered some of your questions, if not, fire me another note and I can get you some more information. Also be sure to check out www.MilesPaddled.com or www.WisconsinRiverTrips.com for detailed paddling information. Cheers!

@@driftlesskayaker awesome thanks!