2000
Zumbro River Trip (a91)
by Rich Furman
There comes a time of the year when a 70° day with a clear blue sky is a special gift to be cherished and savored. The 14th of October was such a day and we spent it on the Zumbro river with the River Ramblers. We arrived late at the put-in-just as the shuttle was leaving, but we were able to arrange a ride back to the put-in from the take-out. The water was moving fairly quickly where we launched and we encountered our first rapid, a class I, almost immediately.
The frequent interspersal of rapids in stretches of flatwater make the Zumbro a very interesting river to paddle. Just as you find yourself engaged in an interesting conversation with another paddler or enjoying the scenery, the river awakens you with a roar from your reverie. The rapids were mostly class I with maybe one class II, certainly enough to keep us entertained.
We had two stops along the way, the first was at a sandbar with a lovely view of the river. The second was at a picnic landing in the town of Hammond. This stop was especially fortuitous for us, because we were running low on water and needed to buy more. The town of Hammond is a lovely example of a small town, with a community center/general store/sandwich shop at its center. Next door to this is a stunning bank building with a vintage vault and safe. The amble through town was a very pleasant and much needed opportunity to stretch our legs.
The paddle down the river from Hammond to the take out offered some rapids to sustain our interest, as well as quite a few high bluffs. The shores were ablaze with color as we paddled by some residential backyards, and even a couple of "automotive recycling facilities." All in all it was a lovely day on the river.
