Day 57: Gala to Horseshoe Bend

I was on the water a little after 8:30 this morning from the Gala campsite at mile 11.8. The day started slow — a mix of easy Class I rapids and long, deep pools that had me pedaling steady.

A couple hours in I passed Eagle Rock and barely saw any signs of civilization from the river. Just me, the kayak, and a pair of otters playing in the water near shore.

Early afternoon I reached Gwyn Lock, an old canal lock dam that creates a fun little rapid. Ran it clean, then immediately pulled out on river left right at the end of a massive stone guard wall. Made that my lunch spot.

The late afternoon brought some of the best scenery yet — towering cliffs rising up around every bend, a few more Class I’s, and one straightforward Class II that gave me no trouble.

But the real highlight was the stretch where the railroad, instead of following the river’s crazy meandering oxbows, cuts straight through the mountain. Turns out those railroad trestles were originally built as aqueducts for the canal boats, so they could float through the mountain instead of paddling an extra three-mile loop. Pretty wild to think this whole upper section from here down to Buchanan was never finished — boats never actually ran through these canals before the railroad took over the right-of-way.

I pulled into Horseshoe Bend at mile 29.1 right around 4 o’clock. The campsite Twin Rivers Outfitters picked out for me was perfect — I could park the boat within twenty feet of my tent. Cooked up some lasagna, ate like a king, and quickly fell asleep.

Seventeen miles down, and the river just keeps getting better.