Blue Sky River

On Friday June 15th myself and 3 others (Boe, Berg, and Deal) set out to go visit our friend Sean who now lives and works in lake crystal Minnesota. He along with Deal and Berg decided to buy kayaks this summer also.  Sean had sent us pictures of the Big Sky river the week before trying to convince us to come see him and check it out and needless to say he convinced us.  So we loaded up Bergs trailer with 4 kayaks and headed for Lake Crystal.

The trip down was a great time.  We listened to Daumau5 CD that Boe had made and arrived in Lake Crystal with enough time to check out "duck days" which is the towns yearly get together. Next morning came around (it was a late night) and Boe, Sean, and I went to go get some bread and lunch meat so we could have some sandwiches on the river.  Once we got back we all loaded up and headed for the starting point on the river.

 Right when we got down to where you first get in I knew this was going to be a lot different then going on the Big Sioux.  The river is much wider and the location is much more remote. There was also a small degree of skill needed in order to navigate some areas because of the stretches of rapids where of you were not carefully you could easily have hit a rock and found yourself floating down the river.

Beyond the rapids there were 3 places that we stopped at along the way that made the trip very memorable. The first was path that the river had carved into the rock. Peoples names were carved all over the rocks and walls along this path. The path went back about 300 yards until you eventually ran into a dead end but you could tell how this path had been carved out by the waterfall dropping from the end. When the water is higher I am sure you would be able to take your kayak through the opening rather than walk.

The second stop was a triple waterfall. Only really way to do this spot justice is with pictures and video. It was such a cool sight and being able to climb up to the top was pretty cool as well (though not necessarily safe). Getting a shower underneath the waterfall was a highlight. 

The third and final stop on the trip came right after then most difficult water area to navigate. The water was moving much faster than other spots and there were quite a few rocks to dodge but the reward was well worth it. On the right bank as we exited the rapids there was a swing! We had a great time launching ourselves into the river. Another good time to check out the videos.

Overall this was the best kayaking trip I have been on yet. The combination with the scenery, friends, and new experiences made it one that I can't wait to do again.  The rest of the weekend was a blast also.  We ate at a great bar, participated in a bed relay (don't ask), and managed to get quite a few free beers from the beer garden.  We even made it back to Sioux Falls in time for our soccer game at 11. After that I was off to Chicago the next subject of my"summer catch up" posts.