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  • Camping is obviously curtailed in the Seven Mile Creek area, but kayakers have been having a field day with local flood-swollen waterways. Pat Christman

    Seven mile flooding3-22.jpg

March 21, 2010

Kayakers enjoy the high water

River level begins to drop in Mankato

By Brian Ojanpa Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — Floods are good for something. A cabal of local kayakers will attest to that.

With flood waters receding or at least holding serve in the Mankato area, kayakers are talking about this spring’s roiled waters the way surfers might swoon over big waves.

“It’s been creating some amazing currents and rapids, but that makes it sort of hair-raising too,” said North Mankatoan Casey Lundberg.

He and fellow kayakers have been reveling in nature’s water parks this past week, especially Seven Mile Creek near St. Peter, an area which has since been closed off.

Groups have also been kayaking down the swollen Cobb, Blue Earth, Minnesota and Maple rivers, dodging ice chunks and the occasional uprooted tree to get their kicks.

“We like to do ‘playboating,’” kayak aficionado Pat McGowan said. “That’s where you find a nice wave to sit on and sort of spin. We want kind of a ‘wave roughness.’”

A kayaker’s cold-water gear calls for the head-to-toe insulating warmth of a full wet suit. That’s a must for the occasional spill into the drink.

In that instance, Lundberg said, a skilled kayaker remains in place and performs a standard “Eskimo roll” by shifting one’s weight and snapping the hips to get upright.

Steve Smisek said this year’s waters are the highest he’s seen in the area since he moved to Mankato 10 years ago.

“We seek out the big rapids. This early-spring stuff is a bit of an adrenaline ride,” said Smisek, who said it’s vital to maintain a healthy respect for the waterways this year.

“They’ve been raging. There’s a lot of power behind that water.”

Here are area Minnesota River levels as of Sunday afternoon:

  •  Mankato: 25.09 feet, down from 25.3 feet Saturday.
  •  St. Peter: 26.53 feet, holding steady (crested on Friday).
  •  Henderson: 737.53 feet (above sea level), virtually at its predicted crest of 737.7.
  •  New Ulm: 803.81 feet, with crest of 804.4 expected in next few days.

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