It was early April. Lots of snow and ice still clung to the banks of the South Fork, but the channel looked open for the season. Water levels were high, but not too high. My brother Bill and I decided it was time for a little adventure.

Putting in at Hwy. W on the South Fork and floating down to Flambeau Lodge would be fun and exciting. Dry bags were packed with extra gear in case we dumped.

We didn’t see anyone anywhere along the river. Everything was quiet, except for an occasional ice shelf breaking or creaking.

The river gave us no problems down to Hwy. M. Sure, we took a little water in the canoe now and then, but a quick stop took care of that. All the ice formations still in place made for a different, almost spooky, feel to the trip.

We came to the portage around Little Falls and then settled in for the paddle on down to the confluence with the North Fork. The water started to rise unusually high as we paddled. I wondered why.

Just around the corner of the confluence, the reason became apparent. The river disappeared under a major ice jam. This was nothing to mess with! We had to get off the river fast, and finding a safe spot was going to be tricky.

Luckily, a little eddy appeared on the right and we slipped into it to slow down. Bill jumped on an ice shelf and steadied the canoe while I eased out. If we dumped here it was not going to be easy here to get out until the river calmed down.

We gratefully climbed onto the bank and to safety. It was an hour hike out to a state forest access road where we hitched a ride.

A month later, we went back to fetch the canoe.