Paddling Upstream: Literary Nonfiction

The first part of this article consists of a bit of free writing which I composed while kayaking the Clearwater River Canoe Trail near Seeley Lake, Montana. The latter part of the article describes the Canoe Trail, how to access it and where to find rental canoes in the area.

Autumn leaves float by me on their way to Seely Lake. They are not passing me because I’m sitting still, but because I am paddling the opposite direction, against the current. I’ve portaged over two log jams already and those suggest that more are ahead.

The river wants to turn me around. Whenever the front of my boat turns a little left or a little right, the river takes advantage. She tries to turn me, tries to make me go the other way. I guess that’s one reason I’m paddling upstream. What’s she hiding up there?

The last logjam is acting as a dam, so that the water is two feet higher on the upstream side. It has created a quiet place for me, my kayak and a huge old pine that must have drifted downstream from the mountains during the spring melt. The top is furthest downstream with the broad root system bringing up the rear.

I lean against the old roots and think about the idea of paddling upstream, against the current. Shall I make that parabolic leap and tell about how I have spent my lifetime either paddling upstream or sitting on an old tree watching the river pass by? No, this writing is what it is. Allegory seems unnecessary.

Earlier I was hiking along the river above which I am now perched on an old pine, washed down from the mountains. As I walked in the trees, I heard a familiar sound off to my left in the thick undergrowth and pines. It was the breaking of logs and branches, all in one location, not as though some large animal, such as a moose, was walking along, but like something foraging among the logs and branches for insects, mice and moles. I say it is a familiar sound because I’ve heard it before.

I stayed for an hour, listening, watching maybe only two hundred feet from where a bear was foraging. Two deer ran past, spooked by me I am sure. They snorted their alarm as they ran. The bear heard them too for the breaking of logs and branches ceased.

I just dozed off. I suppose that’s not a great idea considering where I’m sitting, but it felt good to sleep with the breeze blowing, the sun shining, the river flowing, the autumn leaves floating down stream, where maybe I should be, but am not. I’m here, where I am and who I am. And I’m okay with that.

Clearwater River is in Western Montana near Seeley Lake and a small town by the same name. The sun rises over the Swan Range and sets over the Mission Mountains with the Flathead National Forest covering both slopes and the valley between. To get to Seeley Lake, take I90 east from Missoula, to the Bonner exit and head northeast on Highway 200. Turn left at highway 83 and continue on to the town of Seeley Lake.

Clearwater River winds through a marsh to the north of of town and drains into Seeley Lake. A three and a half mile stretch of the river is referred to as a the Clearwater River Canoe Trail. To access the canoe put-in site, drive four miles north of the town of Seeley Lake to the Clearwater River Canoe Trail sign. Turn left (west) and drive to the parking area. The river empties into Seeley Lake and boaters should head toward the eastern shore where they will find the take-out at the Ranger Station. While on the river, a wide variety of birds can be observed as well as deer, muskrats and beaver.

Canoes can be left at the Ranger Station while you hike for about thirty minutes back to your vehicle. Along the way, there are more opportunities for observing birds and other wildlife.