Looking for a great spot for a quiet evening paddle where you are almost assured of seeing a variety of wildlife?
Then take a paddle on Brown Bridge Pond. I guarantee that spending an hour or two paddling around this beautiful, backwater pond will renew your spirit and soul.
"It's like a little piece of northern Canada tucked away in northern Michigan," said Steve Largent, head of Grand Traverse County's Land Management Services. "A lot of county residents think it's a pretty special spot for both fishing and wildlife viewing."
Other than the dam and the landing area there aren't any other signs of civilization, unless you count the three benches located along the northern shoreline where trails lead down from the high bluff that dominates that side of the pond.
The lake-size pond runs southwest to northeast, and the landing is located on the southern shoreline on the west end of the lake just off Brown Bridge Road by the dam.
This past Sunday night I took off from the landing a little after 7 p.m. and spent a couple of hours just slowly paddling around the shoreline of the 191-acre pond. It's well over a mile as you follow the shoreline from the dam all the way to the eastern end of the pond. I figure the total paddle is around 2.5 miles, but distance isn't the point anyway.
Taking the time to enjoy this wonderful setting is what it should be about, and I will admit this was the first time I had done so. I've hiked the trails along the bluff and along the bottom lands for nearly three decades, and I've paddled the length of the pond numerous times over the years coming from The Forks down the river to the takeout at the end of the pond. But, I'd never taken the time to just enjoy paddling the pond.
When you hit the pond at the end of a river run all you can think about is how much further it is, and when that pesky wind will die down. This night I just enjoyed paddling on the pond, and what a delight it was. There were a few other row boats out with fishing couples. Bass, pike, perch and bluegill are popular pursuits for the fishers.
I paddled up the north side underneath the high bluff that runs the whole length of the pond. I could hear people talking very plainly from the two high viewing platforms along that side of the lake. Sound does carry over the water from that high up.
It was interesting paddling along the bluff. The lake bottom disappears very quickly as you watch it plunge into the depths. The water is all black along this side indicating good depth, and Largent said this was where the original river ran before the dam was erected in 1921. The pond is probably about 30 to 40 feet deep along most of the bluff.
When I reached the east end of the pond, where the river enters in a series of small channels, I spotted a couple of deer coming down to the edge of the pond for a drink. Spotting me they darted back into the woods a little way waiting for me to paddle on by.
Paddling down the south bank I saw an osprey as he flew low over the marshlands along this side of the pond. He flew quickly over the area a couple of times probably hunting for an evening meal.
At one point a head, which surprised me, popped up next to one of the many submerged stumps along the bank. It was a large snapping turtle, and it didn't stay up long. I could hear him as he sucked in air and quickly disappeared again.
The nesting loons were on their nest, and had at least one chick in tow. I couldn't tell if there were more, but the one was following the father around the nest in the water. The mother was still sitting on the nest. It was delightful to watch them and listen to that beautiful, eerie yodel-like call.
After floating for a while in the vicinity of the nest and having my own little private "Animal Planet" show, I paddled on towards the landing, and was rewarded with being able to watch a trumpeter swan forage in the shallows. These large cream colored birds with their air-horn calls and black beaks are slowly making a comeback in the area, according to Largent. A pair of trumpeter swans have been hanging around the pond.
"We think they are a young pair of trumpeter swans, and may be scouting out the pond for nesting," he said. "They typically don't mate until around five years old."
It is a special place, and I can't believe that it took me this long to find the joy of paddling just the pond; beyond paddling the river. If you haven't yet paddled it, or recently, get out and do so. Brown Bridge Pond may not be around forever, because of the very real possibility of taking out the dam, according to Largent.
"The final decision hasn't been made yet, but the disposal of the three Boardman River dams is a very real possibility, which means Brown Bridge Pond may well disappear in the future," said Largent. "With the county taking over the ownership the cost of repairing the dams is prohibitive even though many people say they would like to retain that pond. The question is, how can we afford it?
"We've recently been told that the earthen dam is probably leaking, and that we may have to lower Brown Bridge Pond even more to lessen the pressure," he added. "The pond was drawn down about a foot-and-a-half last year."
For more articles and columns on the outdoors, see record-eagle.com/outdoors.
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