River Island Park - February 27, 2026

Through the snow drifts

It has been a tough couple of months for paddling. I've had a bad case of bursitis in my knee since December, and haven’t been able to kneel in my canoe. Add to that the brutal cold in January that iced up the rivers and cancelled our winter camping trip, and the 5' of snow in February that buried all the access points, and there hasn’t been much opportunity to paddle. Last month I got out on the Providence River in my sea kayak. Today, I ventured down to River Island Park with my canoe.

The river was at a low but fluid level – around 2’, which is probably around 500 cfs, but the gage was iced up. I dragged my boat through the snow drifts down to the boat ramp near the parking lot. I paddled upstream and played around in the current behind the bandstand. I could kneel for a while, but then my knee got too sore and I had to sit. I have an appointment for a cortisone shot - hopefully that will take care of my knee before the whitewater season starts. It was still nice to get out.

Finally back on the water