‘River magic’: Inaugural paddle event celebrates the Fox after dam removal

Several dozen people paddled along the Fox River from Algonquin to East Dundee on Sunday for the first El Cardunal paddle.

The paddle stepped off at Cornish Park in Algonquin and finished near William C. Bartels Park in East Dundee, covering a distance of about 6 miles.

[ See more photos from El Cardunal Fox River paddle ]

Participants passed the site of the former Carpentersville dam, which was removed last year. The removal of the dam created a 10.2-mile stretch of the Fox River that’s now the longest free-flowing stretch in Kane County.

The paddle’s name comes from a combination of Carpentersville, East and West Dundee and Algonquin, according to the Friends of the Fox River website. The group hopes to have the paddle go as far as Elgin in the future, so it added “El” for Elgin, according to the website.

[ Removal of dam along Fox River brings 'unexpected challenges' ]

Bob Sutton, who is on the board for the Friends of the Fox River and was among the organizers for Sunday’s event, said the idea came when the dam was removed. He said some on the board thought about doing the paddle in the fall, but not everyone had wetsuits and other necessary equipment. The idea became to do it in the spring.

“Let’s open it up” and have a fun paddle, Sutton said.

He estimated about 100 canoes and kayaks participated, though a few people dropped out because of the extreme heat. Sunday’s high for the Dundee area was 95 degrees, with heat indexes of up to 105, according to the National Weather Service. Winds of up to 20 mph and gusts as high as 30 mph were in the forecast Sunday, according to the weather bureau.

Another reason for celebration, organizers said, was that part of the Fox River was designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a national water trail in 2023.

“Who doesn’t want to live next to” a national trail, Sutton said.

Sutton said the dam’s removal has changed the river, but it was “kind of fun” to see the changes. He said the river is going where it wants to, and even with a low volume seems to have a nice current.

“Rivers always change,” but the Fox is changing rapidly, Sutton said.

Suzanne Morrison, another board member and organizer, said officials put in measures to address Sunday’s extreme heat. She said East Dundee Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Marc Quattrocchi worked with federal officials to get a generator to provide misting fans for the paddlers as they got out of the water. She also said organizers planned for months with fire departments along the river to make sure the event was safe regardless of the weather.

Sutton said people were encouraged to stay hydrated, and electrolytes and ice water were available.

Gary Swick, president of the Friends of the Fox River board, said the paddle was a “wonderful example of river magic.” Swick said Sunday that the river takes care of people, shares its beauty and makes people happy. He said it is “very serene” on the water and it can feel removed from the suburbs.

Swick said he paddled the route Saturday, checking the wind and the heat. He said it was windier Saturday and while he understood wind can be challenging, it has a cooling effect.

The paddlers had the opportunity to stop along the way, and one of those stops was the Fox River Shores Forest Preserve in Carpentersville, just past the paddle’s halfway point.

Josh Libman, a naturalist with the Kane County Forest Preserve District, said there were about 100 watercraft in the event, and about half stopped at the forest preserve. He said everyone was in good spirits.

The stop provided “shade and respite” to people, Libman said.

Libman said fresh water is an important resource and in terms of ecology, he hopes to see a “rebound” in the mussel population in the coming years.

Mike Porter, who paddled the river with his family Sunday, said he hopes the event became a tradition for both his family and the organizers.

Shevon Porter, Mike’s wife, said it took the family about 2½ hours to complete the journey, but they stopped for a picnic along the way.

“We look forward to doing this again,” she said.