New Year's Day paddle in Cook County

The Forest Preserve of Cook County is inviting canoeists and kayakers to join hundreds of other adventurous people early on New Year's Day to paddle an intimate reach of the Chicago River long protected as part of the forest preserves.

Beginning below the Skokie Lagoons and finishing in Linne Woods, participants in the 26th annual event will paddle past deer, coyote, birds and incredulous humans. The event officially begins at 9 a.m., with staggered put-ins just below the Willow Road Dam. The end point is at the Linne Woods Canoe Access, located near Dempster Street at Ferris Avenue, east of Lehigh Avenue.

The last official trip starts at 11 a.m. Two buses will run continuously from Linne Woods to the Willow Road Dam beginning at 8 a.m. The shuttle will end at approximately 1 p.m. Participants should allow 45 to 60 minutes for the bus shuttle and two to three hours for the paddle itself.

Organizers recommend participants bring hot, nonalcoholic beverages and a change of warm clothes in a waterproof container, as well as a required personal flotation device. It is a bring-your-own-boat event. For more information, visit www.fpdcc.com.