Several years ago, I participated in a small adventure with John Matthews and the Winers in the retrieval of a fine club picnic table that had floated downstream during one of our routine floods. John had taken the time to explore some of the large debris wash area downstream of the Little Falls dam and had found the table. Armed as we were with socket wrenches and screwdrivers, we made short work of dismantling it and carrying the pieces of it back to our cars. At the island we reassembled it and it is still in use today.

I've been trying to find the time to re-build the swim float, which requires some specialized hardware (the float drums and step ladder), which will take some time to be ordered and delivered. "What if I could find either of the last two swim floats downriver," I thought optimistically. "I could unscrew the flotation, return it to the Island and save the club both time and money."

So it was with a light gait and brimming with purpose that I struck off from the towpath into what I estimated would be the upstream end of the great debris field. I was soon engulfed in high grasses, large boulders and uprooted tree trunks strewn in every pattern. It was treacherous bushwhacking and the going was slow. Unlike a well-developed trail, every step you have to look down to see where you are stepping, and only when you've achieved a stable footing, can you bring your head up to look around. I gave it about two hours in the hot sun before I headed back to the canal and home, sadly, without the satisfaction of finding either of the last two swim floats.

The yellow "X" marks the approximate spot where I found the battered remnants of the swim float ladder purchased last spring (spring of 2008 that is). The lime green line is what I believe was my path through the debris wash.