First Cruise of 2012: Lake Alvin - March

This has been an exceptionally mild winter on the northern plains. Only a few inches of snow have fallen in the Sioux Falls area, and that has almost all disappeared. Only a few scattered piles of snow remain in shaded areas. Last week, my wife and I walked through the Big Sioux Recreation Area and saw, on two occasions, kayaks slowly moving downstream on the Big Sioux River. We all get anxious to take advantage of these glorious days in early spring.

In anticipation of the wonderful forecast for this week, I decided to go out to Lake Alvin to see if there was any ice remaining on the surface. This morning I loaded up my kayak and arrived at the public access area on the southwestern end of the lake. The lake was open, with only a hint of possible ice over on the southeastern shoreline. The temperature was in the 40s with a predicted high of about 75 degrees later in the afternoon. The dock had not been set up yet in either the recreation area or at the public access point. As usual, the lake was deserted on this weekday morning.

I headed across the lake to the southeastern side and found ice extending out a few feet from the shore at isolated spots. This is a side of the lake that receives less direct sunlight at this time of year; even there, however, the remaining ice is likely to fade within days.

Following my usual course, I headed up into Nine Mile Creek and continued for a half-mile or so, maybe longer. Water depth was sufficient to make passage easy, all the way up to my normal ending point.

The grasses are still in winter brown and there is little hint of the approaching growing season. I find a sense of beauty in these dried shoreline grasses and bare trees and bushes. As the days and weeks pass, there will be rapid changes in color for this vegetation, and it will all look increasingly attractive. There is hope and optimism in this cycle, unlike the sense of foreboding suggested by the same colors in the late fall.

Nine Mile Creek is fun to negotiate and adds some charm to the lake paddle that would be missed with a straight shot down the main body of the lake.

There were several pairs of ducks out today and lots of carp visible up in the creek. I also saw one large great blue heron. While there were lots of perching birds about, I did not see any geese today.

On the way back up the lake after my creek paddle, I watched the contrails of jet planes passing overhead heading both east and west. Again, I thought of those passengers who might chance to look out the window at the passing “fly-over” states, perhaps wondering about who might be below looking up at the plane. There must have been six or more flights passing overhead during my paddle time.

I continued up the main body of the lake, heading north to the launching ramp in the recreation area. A wind had picked up during my route north creating a following sea condition. Knowing that I would be facing a head wind on the return, I turned just after the northern ramp and returned into a developing chop along the western shoreline.

As I approached the public access ramp, I noticed the first sign of life – a van parked near the take-out. As I got closer, Dave Finck stepped out of the van with a big smile. He had spotted me from an elevation further north and came down to say hello. He pulled my kayak up and saved me from getting my feet wet. Then, he helped me load up the kayak on my car. It was good to see Dave, and I appreciated his help.

The cruise today was about two weeks earlier than normal. I can’t remember being out on a lake this early in the year. The season ahead looks great, and I will be visiting all my favorite lakes and streams earlier than ever.