WYALUSING - It was a perfect Saturday evening at Wyalusing State Park. The air was warm, the sky was blue, and birds could be heard serenely chirping in the trees. 

A group of eager canoeists assembled at a boat landing along a Mississippi River slough. They were about to embark on what would be a peaceful sunset paddle. Peaceful, that is, until fate took a turn.

Wyalusing Naturalist Josh Kozelka and Ranger Jackson Uppena were ready to guide the group of 10 canoes through the picturesque river backwaters. The area is a well-known place for spotting aquatic plants, waterfowl, and other wildlife along the river.

Canoeists ranging from young children to adults set off on the water. Some of them were paddling for the very first time. For the first few paddle strokes, the water was calm and the sky shone blue overhead. However, the very edge of the sky was a creeping mass of dark clouds that foreshadowed what was to come.

Kozelka and Uppena began pointing out organisms that could be spotted in the water. Along the bank, the skeletal remains of dead ash trees loomed overhead.

“Ash trees are struggling a lot because of the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that tunnels into the trees and kills them,” Kozelka explained.

Just as he spoke, a bolt of lightning slashed through the sky with a bright flash of light, followed immediately by the jarring boom of thunder. 

The wind picked up almost instantly, and the crash of thunder was suddenly joined by the snapping of several dead ash trees into the water. The canoeists watched in disbelief as the large trees fell violently in front of them.

Kozelka and Uppena ushered the canoes back toward shore. Luckily, the group had scarcely passed the landing dock and some were able to steady their canoes by holding onto the dock. 

Other canoeists paddled fiercely toward the boat landing, as the water carried them swiftly down the slough. The formerly smooth, gentle stream had turned into a raging current with enough force to whip a canoe around with ease. It took a great deal of strength to dig the paddles into the water enough to counter its direction. All the while, there were more and more cracking sounds of trees snapping like twigs under the wind’s force.

With some difficulty, each canoe managed to land on the bank. The canoeists helped each other lift the vessels further inland and everyone got out of the water safely.

The group rounded up boats and personal items, taking care to avoid the forested areas as much as possible.

The sky grew even darker, as the storm not so much rolled, but catapulted itself upon the group. 

Dumbfounded, the canoeists watched the intensely stunning scene from the shore.  Most were packed and ready to depart by the time heavy rain started to fall.

While the unexpected weather caused more excitement than anyone had bargained for, the group made it out happy and unscathed with a Mississippi River adventure under their belts.