By John Johnston
Enquirer staff writer

Brian Hogle of Fort Thomas, 12, paddles with his sister Emily, 9, (hidden from view) and father Mark on the Licking River. Photo by CRAIG RUTTLE/The Enquirer

On a lazy river, it's OK to loaf once in a while.

Which is why, on a canoe trip last week, I didn't feel guilty pulling my paddle out of the water and gazing at the tree-lined banks while my 13-year-old daughter, Sally, maintained our leisurely momentum.

When life seems to be moving too fast, my family of occasional canoeists heads to a river. The most popular among local paddlers are Ohio's Little Miami (which we've enjoyed several times) and Indiana and Ohio's Whitewater, both of which are gentle streams suitable for beginners. But this time we decided to see what Kentucky's Licking River has to offer.

"Every river, like every human being, is different," says Jim Thaxton, who has been renting canoes on the Licking River since 1978.

Some people know the Licking only as the waterway that separates Covington and Newport. Others may associate it with pollution and swimming advisories. (More about that later.) We found it to be a scenic home to wildlife.

Mark Hogle of Fort Thomas and his children also paddled the river for the first time last week.

Like us, they ventured to Thaxton's Canoe Rental in Butler, which is less than 30 miles from downtown Cincinnati. It was the first time Brian and Emily Hogle, ages 12 and 9 respectively, had been in a canoe.

GO ROW

Here are three nearby rivers with canoe rentals. Many of these businesses also rent kayaks, rafts and tubes. Licking (Kentucky): • Thaxton's Canoe Rental. 472-2000 or www.gopaddling.com. Little Miami (Ohio): • Little Miami Canoe Rental. (513) 899-3616 or (800) 634-4277; www.littlemiamicanoe.com. • Loveland Canoe & Kayak Outfitters, (513) 683-4611. • Morgan's Fort Ancient Canoe Rental. (513) 932-7658 or (800) 932-2663; www.morganscanoe.com. • RiversEdge Outfitters. (937) 862-4540 or (800) 628-2319; www.riversedgeoutfitters.com. • Scenic River Canoe Excursions. (513) 831-5552. Whitewater (Indiana/Ohio): • Green Acres Canoe & Kayak Rental. (513) 353-4770; www.greenacrescanoe.com. • Morgan's Brookville Canoe Rental. (765) 647-4904 or (888) 304-4904; www.morganscanoe.com. • Whitewater Canoe Rental. (765) 647-5434 or (800) 634-4277; www.whitewatercanoe.com.

WHAT TO BRING

Glass containers are a no-no on a canoe trip (broken glass in the river can be a hazard to waders). Here's what Morgan's Canoe and Outdoor Centers recommends you bring (liveries provide life jackets and paddles): • Picnic supplies in a non-Styrofoam cooler. • Trash bags. • T-shirt and shorts. • Change of clothes. • Sunscreen. • Tennis shoes for wading. • Hat and sunglasses with strap.

"They had a great time," their father says. "The kids would have liked more rapids, but since this was their first time out, that was a perfect trip for them.

"They want to do it again, and take their mom next time."

Hogle was impressed with the cleanliness of the six-mile stretch of river he paddled in Pendleton County. "It's unspoiled through there," he said.

But pollution concerns have needlessly scared many people away from the Licking, Thaxton says.

"It gets a lot of negative press because of the amount of fecal matter that enters it in the last five miles of river," near the urban areas of Covington and Newport, he says. The pollution is caused by combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows during heavy rains.

Because the 320-mile-long river flows north, "that stuff happening up there is not ending up down here," Thaxton says.

Still, some people hear about swimming advisories and assume the entire river is contaminated.

A recommendation against swimming, issued several years ago by the Kentucky Division of Water and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, remains in effect for the portion of the river from Banklick Creek (about three-quarters of a mile north of Interstate 275) to the confluence with the Ohio River

Those agencies also recommend against swimming in the river immediately after a heavy rainfall, especially in dense residential, urban and livestock production areas.

The river, which is fed by Cave Run Lake near Morehead, supports more than 30 species of mussels. My family saw plenty of those shells as we paddled a seven-mile stretch of the South Fork, one of three tributaries that enter the main Licking in Pendleton County. (On any given day, Thaxton's Canoe Rental directs canoeists to the best floats.)

Twice we marveled as a great blue heron gracefully glided close to the river's surface.

We also saw deer, geese and ducks, and lots of wildflowers along the banks. We ate a picnic lunch in one of the river's many alcoves, and amused ourselves watching crawdads scamper under rocks.

Much of the stream was knee-deep, although there were places where we wouldn't have been able to touch bottom.

We navigated through a half dozen places with minor ripples. Adrenaline-pumping paddling it's not, but it's a perfect place to slow down and relax.

As Thaxton says, "You're traveling at the pace of the human heart."

Next week is Licking River Awareness Week at Thaxton's Canoe Rentals, with free canoe lessons 3 and 7 p.m. Monday; free kayak lessons 3 and 7 p.m. Tuesday; half-off canoe, kayak, raft and tube trips Wednesday and Friday; and half-off tube trips Thursday. (859) 472-2000.

E-mail jjohnston@enquirer.com