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<blockquote data-quote="KDM" data-source="post: 480955" data-attributes="member: 314"><p>I don't want to pop anyone's balloon here, but before you dream of beautiful shorelines and birds singing in the trees, there are some realities of that river I think folks need to be aware of.&nbsp; Low head dams exist all along the river before and after lake ashtabula.&nbsp; Killers!&nbsp; Look them up if you don't know what they are.&nbsp; Fort Ransom dam killed a couple guys canoeing two summers ago I think.&nbsp; I don't think ANY of the dams are marked on the upstream sides by anyone and they probably don't have easements to go around if the high water mark ends before the ridges of the riverbank.&nbsp; Billions of downed trees and their root balls popping up at random points.&nbsp; Some of these tree piles cross the entire river creating a extremely dangerous obstacle if you try to go over them or under them in some cases.&nbsp; High water makes these death traps even better with whirlpools and vortexes that will suck a canoe/kayak down.&nbsp; The Sheyenne downstream of lake ashtabula to about Lisbon is always cold.&nbsp; We all know what cold water does to people.&nbsp; There are also barbed wire fences that cross the river or have been ripped out by floods and are stretched across the river.&nbsp; I know of two right now that are nasty.&nbsp; The worst part is all of these hazards move and change weekly except the dams.&nbsp; A stretch of river that was clean and clear this week, can and will become a minefield of hazards and pitfalls.&nbsp; That said, quietly floating down the river is a soul refreshing experience that I wholeheartedly hope lots of people can enjoy.&nbsp; However, self preservation should be paramount in any river adventure.&nbsp; Be Safe!!</p></blockquote><p></p>

[QUOTE="KDM, post: 480955, member: 314"] I don't want to pop anyone's balloon here, but before you dream of beautiful shorelines and birds singing in the trees, there are some realities of that river I think folks need to be aware of. Low head dams exist all along the river before and after lake ashtabula. Killers! Look them up if you don't know what they are. Fort Ransom dam killed a couple guys canoeing two summers ago I think. I don't think ANY of the dams are marked on the upstream sides by anyone and they probably don't have easements to go around if the high water mark ends before the ridges of the riverbank. Billions of downed trees and their root balls popping up at random points. Some of these tree piles cross the entire river creating a extremely dangerous obstacle if you try to go over them or under them in some cases. High water makes these death traps even better with whirlpools and vortexes that will suck a canoe/kayak down. The Sheyenne downstream of lake ashtabula to about Lisbon is always cold. We all know what cold water does to people. There are also barbed wire fences that cross the river or have been ripped out by floods and are stretched across the river. I know of two right now that are nasty. The worst part is all of these hazards move and change weekly except the dams. A stretch of river that was clean and clear this week, can and will become a minefield of hazards and pitfalls. That said, quietly floating down the river is a soul refreshing experience that I wholeheartedly hope lots of people can enjoy. However, self preservation should be paramount in any river adventure. Be Safe!! [/QUOTE]

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