Sand Creek a GO 

After being deluged with 4-5 inches of rain in the last 48 hours Sand Creek has finally dropped considerably in the last 12 hours on my bridge gauges so the trip for Saturday will be a GO. A few things to remember the water level is still high and will be flowing at a decent pace so there will be very little paddling to do as the current will do this for you. Mainly remember that water temps will still be cold (your furnace has probably ran lately) and not as warm as the predicted 64 and sunny weather. It would be wise to bring an extra set of clothes in case you have some type of contact with the water. We need to paddle as a group meaning no one tail behind several miles because if you run into problems there will be no one to help you . The put-in is still 10 am @ the Westport dam access. We can make this work as a team not as individuals.

Sincerely,

Richard Tekulve

Trip leader since 2006.

 SAND CREEK

   Please join us on Saturday April 13th for the annual HCKC Spring flatwater trip on Sand Creek (one of SE Indiana's premier float streams). As is the norm we will run the 12.1 mile section from Westport to the Brewersville Bridge. It being one of the clubs longest-continuous scheduled events for the last 40? years or longer. This alone will be my 19th year of sponsoring it. The late Shirley Gates before me had it on the trip calendar for decades. Our meeting time will be @ 10 AM at the Westport Dam access. It is located 2 miles east of SR 3/Westport on CR 1100 South just downstream from the two adjacent bridges (one concrete-one covered). It is on the (older) Delorme Atlas next to the covered bridge symbol page 52 B-3. Boats will be dropped off here and then a shuttle 18 miles total will be ran.                                                                                              
    Streams can be quite moody in this part of the state and are very water dependent. Last year 5-6 inches of rain swamped the area on a Wednesday night but by Saturday morning the creek was at a good flowing level which made for easy paddling. Two years ago an April draught, an inch of snow and temps in the 30's caused a cancellation till the next day and the Vernon Fork Muscatatuck was ran with perfect flow and a sunny 80 degrees day.  I have water gauges painted on several bridges and will check on Friday to make sure there is a sufficient  volume of water to paddle. Temps can range from 30 to 80 this time of year. Thro ought  the years we have had paddlers from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. Last years count was 13 boats from 8 different area codes in the Midwest. In 2021 seventeen paddlers from 14 different towns/cities ranging from Louisville to Cincinnati to nearly Chicago. If the creek is suitable by mid-week I will go ahead and post a positive trip call otherwise I will have to make a decision to possibly change to another stream location by Friday. This is always the mystery of planning a trip in January not knowing the consequences in April but is part of the 'territory' of trip planning. Many have repeated this trip for several years and have come to know what to expect. On the positive side the stream offers numerous, scenic
 limestone ledges and two old mill races dating back to the early 1800's.                                                                                                                                                              
   Something added new this year will be a short discussion about the remains of the ''Brewersville Giant'' . The 9 foot 8 inch tall remains of a man that was accidentally dug up in the late 1800's and studied and documented by archaeologists from Ohio and New York. His remains stored in the 1815 Kellar Grist Mill building until washed away in the 1937 flood appear to be perhaps now somewhere downstream in the bed of  Sand Creek . Also the legendary story about an 1850's  wagered ''canoe race'' won by a man from Kentucky who cheated and  used aa shortcut through the Woolen Mill race/''tunnel'' to claim the victory and earnings to never be seen or heard from again. This is one true example of scouting your trip that does pay off. off.                                                                                                                                      
    Contact me by 8PM Friday, April 12th at canoeindiana@yahoo.com or (812)767-1317.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Sincerely, Richard Tekulve (trip leader since 2006)                                                        

2021 Sand Creek Trip Photos