Kayaking Down the LA River

Down the Mighty L.A. River . . .

Or, have oars will paddle

The smiling face of the gentleman unleashing the yellow kayak

is Bobby, a kayak buddy I was most lucky to meet over a year ago that’s been kayaking longer than I, but hadn’t as yet paddled the LA River (Hence the Smile?) The entry point is below Flecther Parkway off the

5 (Golden State Freeway) in an area known as ‘Frog Town’.

An Interesting Area to me, as both my parents grew up in or near the neighborhood and I had also worked for several years designing equipment at EDIC, a corporation, along its concrete banks. I use to spend my lunch hours walking or pedaling along the path that was created by ‘The Friends of the LA River’ A local group,

now one of many trying to do what they had achieved, to turn an industrial ‘no man’s land’ into a park like state with access

for all. Bobby read the
assentation, we then both launched. And made quick progress down-stream towards the first major marker, to over passes for the Glandale, 2, freeway that intersects the 5 freeway but a short ways down-

stream. Fortunately this was a Sunday morning, and Angelino’s being typical city dwellers were not awake, let alone, crowding as of yet on their freeways. Bobby, having launched first had

paused as I caught up to his position. We settled into a relaxed pace, but knowing from my prior histories of both daily walking the trail above us and having twice kayaked the river

previously, I had begun to wonder if it might all go too fast that morning. The math being for ocean kayaking 2.5 to 3.5 miles per hour at an unhurried rate and even with its wandering sideways, the LA river was really but 4 miles long along its bottom

in the section we were covering. But then I was ignoring a most pertinent and applicable fact, ‘He who anticipates best, suffers worse, ’it, like most things,

would take a little time to develop. The river picked up, no longer as calm and smooth, it became more rapid as the calm area of water descended into a more narrowed

section and before we had fully realized, we were approaching the 2 Freeway looking towards the rising morning sun above its

overpass, but then we entered quiet cooling shade, both provided by the shelter beneath the traffic Artery above, an amazing turnabout of noise and shine to dark and quiet. The quietude also becoming reflected within the now calm

waters before us as we continued to glide both forward and

down the river gently.
Still, I was fuzzy in
remembering why the
prior two trips had
taken as long as they
had. But despite the
disquiet, it was hard
to not just relax and
absorb this dichotomy
of environment: A
peaceful cool stream

carrying me forth within lushest green growth beneath a clear blue sky but 5 miles from the heart of skyscraper and concrete central, downtown, amidst 10’s of thousands competing for a space to park, turn or drive forward. Here I was, just sliding…

…downstream. The calm totally encompassing as we progressed. The shade providing the now warming summer air a coolness as we passed the embankments to be

followed by becoming captured within a forest of growth as the green did engulf us, the fact that we had pro-

gressed so far and the water was still so calm was puzzling, but Bobby had paused a head and looking back towards me

Asked, ‘which way to go?’ Towards my right, behind him, or

towards my left, before him and me. I suggested that we each take a different route and Bobby was quickly down the chute to my right. I came up

quickly to the route before me and towards my left. It didn’t look tough as I approached. Then again, it was hard to perceive

until I had elected to take it by getting close to it. There are many choices in life that are of a similar nature, and…

…this would prove to be one, as my boat was tossed violently to one side and beneath a rapid so that it

filled my cockpit. While in no danger of sinking, I became in no danger of moving. Just getting wet. After coming to the realization of my circumstance, I exited the cockpit, but even

with myweight removed, the boat was still too heavy to move. So I adjusted its position so that some of the fluid could flow

out and escape without refilling and once achieved, I was enabled to course my boat through the final rapids and find a position upon some rocks to drain it near completely. A now soggy mess and after a short conversation with Bobby. I

walked the Boat to an easy launch spot and re-entered

Bobby had very patiently watched my progress back to becoming water born and was gracious enough to not pass comment, though his continuous smile possibly had greater meaning. He, at first, kept well ahead of me as we progressed downward along the left bank which became a shallow horror from a multitude of rocks, but eventually I caught up

as we made slow progress in difference to being kind to the bottoms of our boats. There was a considerable concrete block mixed in with the more natural granite boulders in this section of river, but we eventually did achieve deeper and

also greener waters, as Bobby paused to await my presence, it seems that we had arrived at another opportunity to experience the white waters that the two creek boats were designed for (although I do not think that broken up large chunks of concrete block was the intended medium for the boats), And so we proceeded

down the course quite rapidly. Bobby moving in a forward position and I, having gotten turned about near the rapids start, backwards. Once in motion, correcting my position relative to direction of travel basically was now nearly out of my control, I being subject to the whims of the current and the variety of objects beneath the water.

But it was Fun…

The pace then became
more modest once again,
I think the fact that we
seemed to be constantly
switching from one side
to the other of the large
channel was accounting
for part of the sensation
that the time progression
was nearly non existent.
We had been at it for
over 2 hours and the end
markers for our journey
were no where in sight.
Bobby was again lurking
about, waiting for

another photo oppor-
tunity, and I was happy
to oblige since I now
was no longer trying to
drain my boat and pro-
ceding as if I might
actually know what I
was doing in an upright
and fairly dry condition

Thus we proceeded on as did also the bicyclist above to our

right along the path. We meandered
down along the river’s concrete bank
until we again became engulfed in its
foliage as we assumed a more central
path between its two sides. The water

began to pick up spend and accelerate with rocks again com-

plicating our possible paths…and then Woorshh!!! No options…

…too rapid to change direction…just coming through at full

Speed. Then a pause…
It proceeded like that,
twice more and then, we
were nearing an end.
No not the rivers, but
rather the rivers present
authorized public access
portion. The rest to be
granted in the coming

years as a series of public meeting are now being conducted to determine the entire rivers reassignment to public use. An active process being in part headed by the design firm that created no less an architectural Icon than LA’s own Disney Hall,