Navasota River Hwy 30 to Hwy 6

[TXRiverRunner]

I completed my canoe/camping trip on the Navasota River from Hwy 30 (Collage Station) to Hwy 6 (Navasota) with my daughter. This was the hardest trip I have ever done. It is 27 river miles. The middle 10 miles or so, the elevation is very low so the river, which was a little high, spread out. The tree growth and log jams made the river impassable in places. We were constantly fighting through limbs slapping us in the face and getting hung up. Came very close to tipping a couple times.

Not knowing when we would find a suitable camping location we finally settled on a clearing that was swamped, but doable. We hung our hammocks above 3" of water. I laid a tarp down in the mud so we could put our stuff and chairs down. Thankfully, I got a fire going so I could grill our burgers.
There was a nice breeze blowing throughout the night which made for comfortable sleep. I didn't even use our rain fly's and the breeze kept the dew off.

We set out again fairly early and battle more trees before it opened up and we found ourselves paddling along side of 20' cut-bank.
I don't know that I will ever do this trip again, but we made a great memory and I am a better paddler now for it.

This was also the maiden voyage for my new Esquif Prospecteur 16. It was great for twisting through all the obstacles.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Very interesting trip report, TXRR, on a river most of us will never see. Thanks for posting it.

we finally settled on a clearing that was swamped, but doable. We hung our hammocks above 3" of water. I laid a tarp down in the mud so we could put our stuff and chairs down. Thankfully, I got a fire going

That's about he ugliest camping spot I've ever seen. Did you manage to scrounge dry wood in that expanse of mud and water, or did you bring some along in the canoe?

 

[Ralph]

I agree with Glenn, that's about the worst camping spot I've ever seen. Congratulations on completing the trip. At least you will have some great stories to tell. I hope that the trip doesn't turn your daughter away from canoeing and canoe camping.

 

[TXRiverRunner]

Very interesting trip report, TXRR, on a river most of us will never see. Thanks for posting it.



That's about he ugliest camping spot I've ever seen. Did you manage to scrounge dry wood in that expanse of mud and water, or did you bring some along in the canoe?

This area was a Pecan Grove. The nice thing about pecan trees is they are always dropping limbs. I was able to grab plenty and break them up for a fire and to use in my Solostove for making bacon and eggs the next morning. Pecan is also great for grilling. I grilled burgers Friday night, then used the grill as a platform for the Solostove the next morning. To start the fire I have a little Altoid tin that I keep cotton balls coated in Vaseline in. Those make great fire starters.

 

[TXRiverRunner]

I agree with Glenn, that's about the worst camping spot I've ever seen. Congratulations on completing the trip. At least you will have some great stories to tell. I hope that the trip doesn't turn your daughter away from canoeing and canoe camping.

You never know when you are paddling somewhere you've never been. We had not been able to find anything suitable and I wasn't sure if we would find anything better. However, the next morning we discovered that if we had just paddled 20-30 minutes more we would have found some much better spots. If I ever do it again, I will know better.

 

[Gamma1214]

...if we had just paddled 20-30 minutes more we would have found some much better spots

My son & I had that experience last Memorial day on the Conemaugh. In our case, the camp was good but better was to be had just downstream. In your case, I'll have to agree... that's a very rough-looking campsite but I'm glad it worked out.

Great memories for sure; thanks for taking the time to post it.