GLANDORF — On May 31, eight canoes carrying 11 Glandorf Boy Scouts
and five adults left the Road 11 Bridge to paddle a 114-mile trip.
Scouts, whose intent it was to earn their canoeing badge, set off on a
seven-day journey through the waters leading to Lake Erie.
Glandorf Scouts have executed the excursion every four years since 2006.
Don Inkrott had planned the initial trip; it has been tweaked very
little since then. Along the route, the Scouts were able to stay with
people who have Putnam County connections.
“We put tents in
people’s backyards,” explained Scout Corey Coleson. “We had a scout
trailer (that contained necessary supplies) that someone would move to
our next destination.”
Each day, their goal was to travel between
15-19 miles. The majority of the first day, which began at 9:00 am, was
spent paddling the Blanchard River. The group encountered a fairly large
logjam at Hillbrook Recreation, but they were able to portage 20 yards
around it. They made camp at the Paula and Peter Urton’s, near Dupont,
and got to swim in the pond. Most importantly, the young men were
transported back to Glandorf for 4:30 mass.
Day Two, the Blanchard
River emptied into the Auglaize River. The canoeists made camp at Chris
and Jen Recker’s, in Charloe. On the third day, the Scouts paddled to
the Auglaize Hydroelectric Plant, where Power Production Superintendent
Matt Killian gave them a tour. They then navigated through Defiance, and
saw where the Auglaize River met the Maumee River.
neat, as there actually appeared to be a line in the water where the
rivers meet,” chaperone Scott Coleson recalled. He believed that was due
to the depth or difference in water clarity of each river.
Scouts disembarked that day near the Independence Dam. They spent the
night at Camp Libbey, where they made camp just above Independence Dam.
was during the fourth day that the weather began to challenge the
group. Two canoes capsized due to high winds, just after passing through
Napoleon. They made it safely to the Schnipke Cottage, near Mary Jane
Thurston State Park. Father Tony Fortman and Deacon Don Inkrott joined
the travelers, and had mass. Wednesday, Mother Nature wreaked havoc on
the Scouts. The rain, which began around 10:00 am, continued for the
remainder of the day; the air temperature was a chilly 52 degrees. That
day was their longest, at 19 miles.
“We hadn’t looked at the
weather to know it was going to rain,” Scout Jacob Karhoff joked. “We
knew there was going to be water involved.”
The water was shallow;
the canoeists had to navigate around many rocks at Grand Rapids, and
often had to push and pull their crafts through the water.
slippery,” Scout Brad Gerdeman recounted. “We were walking a lot in the
water and wind, and bumped into rocks with the canoes. My legs got all
Corey Coleson added, “The only warm place that day was the water. I looked like Papa Smurf.”
portaged around the dam at Grand Rapids. Later, they had a tour at
Isaac Ludwig’s mill. After further traveling, exhausted and starving,
the group made camp at Terry Cook’s, in Waterville. The weather
cooperated the following day, as the Scouts paddled to Fort Meigs.
There, they toured the fort by a gentleman dressed like a soldier from
the War of 1812.
“That was my favorite thing,” declared Scout Riley Karhoff. “All that historical stuff and what happened there- I liked that.”
That evening, the Scouts made camp in Chris Recker’s backyard, at Rossford.
final day began with a special treat. As it was National Doughnut Day,
one of the dads brought sweet confections to the boys. The Scouts needed
all the energy they could get, as they paddled through Toledo, past the
Hollywood Casino, under the I-75 Bridge, and by the grain elevators,
where they encountered many large freighters.
“I think everyone felt pretty small in their canoes, paddling by the big boats,” Scott Coleson remarked.
group disembarked at Promenade Park, and got a personalized tour of
Fifth Third Field from Ottawa-Glandorf graduate Cory Myers, and is the
assistant to the Mud Hens’ head groundskeeper. They also visited the
National Great Lakes Museum.
The Scouts met with choppy waters on
the last leg of their journey, as they neared Lake Erie. They arrived at
their final destination, The Bay View Yacht Club, at 7 p.m., nearly
seven and a half days after they began. The group was then transported
to the Maumee State Park, where they camped for the weekend.
The young men said they did not do anything special to prepare themselves for the physical challenges they endured.
“I was a little sore the first couple nights, but after that, not really,” Jacob Karhoff divulged.