OMP will again be conducting roll classes for those that want to learn or for those just wanting to practice. The classes once again will be conducted at the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch in Brighton, MO from 2:00-4:00 PM on the dates listed below.

In order to assure that we have enough instructors on hand at each session for the number of students, please pre-register between Monday and Thursday of the week you wish to attend by contacting Ed McClung at eddyguy912@hotmail.com or phone @ 417-766-7960.

Sunday, 2/12
Saturday, 2/18
Sunday, 2/26
Saturday, 3/3
Sunday, 3/11
Saturday, 3/17
Sunday, 3/25 this session only for those enrolled in the clinic.

See you there!

Hello, fellow paddlers.  Several years ago, we had a forum that was prematurely pulled down.  After spending several volunteer hours trying to restore the old forum in its original format with little luck, I decided it best to hang the hat.  One of the old forum’s more popular topics was on the local river ‘beta’.  I’ve posted the entire feed below.  You’ll notice the river and section is bold and the information about it will follow.  ~Christy

Beta/Buffalo/Hershey_Woolum Date- 1/19/08-1/22/08
http://www.buffaloriverandrain.com/cgi-bin/levelreporthttp://www.buffaloriverandrain.com/floatlevels.htmlhttp://www.buffalonationalriver.com/high.htmhttp://www.ozarkmtns.com/buffalo/canoe.htmlhttp://www.buffaloriveroutfitters.com/canoes.htm m Visual- Typical Awesome Buffalo. Nars & Skull, had an elk sighting, Very nice with the trees bare. Audio- One Bard Owl and very cool echoes off Skull at camp. Hype- Camped at Skull Bluff. Very nice gravel bar directly across from the bluff. Six miles. Long paddle to get there at this level. Allow plenty of time if you are going there to camp on the first day at lower levels or if you have little daylight. We did 4.5 hours of straight paddling. No lunch stops, group stops, Remember the pools! Not too great a camp site at the Nars, but doable, especially with smaller groups and awesomely scenic. The view is worth camping there. A nice big gravel bar a bit above the Nars to camp on river left. Short last paddle out from Skull. Couple of miles. Moonlit sky all night lit up Skull and the gravel bar across from it. The moon started in the sky just upstream of Skull Bluff, river right, and traversed almost directly over our heads through a crystal clear, cloudless sky. A lot of things came together to make this a huge experience in a relatively cold & harsh cooler canoe environment. It was seriously cold, no one got wet! Did breakfast in Harrison at the Ranch House at 0830/Day One. Inside town on Bus. 65 just before it takes a left turn at a light. Five Star Rib Sticking Good Place to eat breakfast, good prices. Makes a good staging area and supplies are available close.

Beta/James River/Delaware_Shelvin Rock River Beta Form Beta/James/Delaware_Shelvin Rock Date- 1/27/08
Non-Sponsored Trip Leader- none Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- Approx. 220 cfs/James River near Boaz http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/uv?07052250 Gauge Hype- No dragging at this level, but this level is about the bottom doable without having to drag. Light boats (Day Run) Map Links- http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl Search Delaware Access Road, MO Class at Observed Level- I Distance- Approx 5-7 miles Float Plan- Day trip No. of People- Approx 14. It was a gorgeous day! Shuttle- Mostly paved and very long to do on a bike. Visual- Audio- Overall Hype- Some friends took advantage of the beautiful day and did this run. They did not drag but said this was the lowest doable without dragging. They were in light, day boats. If this run was good, then Shelvin to either Jamestown or Hootentown and points below will be easily doable. Especially below the Finley River confluence.

Beta/James River/Rivercut Golf Course_Delaware Access Date- 10/13/07
Non-Sponsored Trip Leader- none Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- 2.4′ James River near Boaz http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/uv?07052250 Gauge Hype- The water level could have been a little higher and we had to drag a few times over some shoals, but for the most part it was an enjoyable day for everyone. Map Links- http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&g … &z=17&om=0 Class at Observed Level- I Distance- 7.5 miles Float Plan- Day trip No. of People- 8 Shuttle- No info available at this time regarding outfitters. Probably none, but is known to be fairly easy shuttle. Probably not bicycle-friendly Visual- The entire 7.5 mile run is typical Ozarks river with bluffs, pasture and lots of timber and very few boaters. Overall Hype- RiverCut is a nice public course that is right on the river. Being a public course, they have no problem with people launching from their banks. Right next to the Golf Learning Center is a parking lot that overlooks the river and has an easy shelf rock launch similar to that at Delaware. While planning River Rescue this past year, the park superintendent told me they would like to see more people use the river right there for picnics and canoe launchings and the like. The first mile or so of river runs next to the course and is littered with golf balls. Near the lower end of the course, the river runs over a jumbled rock ledge and drops around three feet. We lined through, but it could be fun in high water and the right boat.

Beta/Flat Creek/”EE” Hwy to Flat Creek Rd Beta/(River)/(Putin_Takeout) Date- 02-02-08
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- Non Sponsored Trip Leader- (if any) Bobby and Jennifer Thomas Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- (Gauge Reading for Put-In Day if possible) 4.46 ft 151 cfs at the time of the put in, Gauge was at Jenkins about approximately 12 mile upstream http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?cb_00 … o=07052820 Gauge Hype- (Any Dragging, Bumping Bottom, High Water, Current Speed, Hazards, Portages, Comments on River Level Conditions, etc.) No dragging unless you took the wrong path through riffles. Water was at a decent flow. Not sure of water speed. No hazards or portages. Good float level. Map Links- http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=fla … a=N&tab=wl Class at Observed Level- (I through VI on that Trip’s specific river level) Level 1 Distance- (River Miles) 4.5 miles, Pg. 71, A Paddlers guide to Missouri Float Plan- (Day trip, Overnighter, Cooler Canoe, Kayak, Raft, Whitewater, etc.) Day Trip, Canoe/Recreational Kayak, Flat water No. of People- 7 people Shuttle- (Hired Shuttle, Shuttle Length, Paved, Dirt, Mountain Bike Friendly, etc.) Self shuttle on paved road. Distance approximately 8 mile. Visual- (Points of Interest, Gravel Bars, Springs, Waterfalls, Formations, Historical, Bluffs, Wildlife, Wild Flowers/Plants, Other Boaters, etc.) Lots of large snow covered gravel bars. Small bluffs some maybe around 50 ft tall some with snow that made an awesome backdrop. Water was crystal clear and could see the bottom in pools up to about 6 ft deep. Several ducks flushed down river in front of boats. Two Bald Eagles about ½ mile from take out. Float started at with sunny skies about 45 degrees and reached to 55 degrees at take out. Big flat white rock slabs along bottom of creek and with the water were a sea mist green that made a glow in the water. One wave on a small drop about half way through the float. Kayakers surfed the wave for a small time. No other boaters on the river. See a small group of people walking along the shore about ½ way through the float. Audio- (Wildlife, Waterfalls, etc.) Cattle bellowing in the distance. Overall Hype- (Comments, Recommendations, Tips, Warnings, Weather, Anecdotes, Stories, Lying, Bragging, etc.) To keep from dragging this would be the recommended water level as the minimum although we have floated this section at 3.94. There was mention this river had surpassed the expectations of what was imagined. Was expecting floating through flatter land and no bluffs. Expected silty to mirky water. This section would be a very good run at 5.5 ft. Could be one of the best kept secrets of the Ozarks.

Beta/Bull Creek/Goodnight Hollow_Hiwy 160 Bridge River Beta Outline Beta/Bull Creek/(Goodnight Hollow_Hiwy 160 Bridge) Date-3/3/08
Non-Sponsored- Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- approx 8’ http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/uv/?s … 0065,00060 Gauge Hype- 8’ on the gauge is a non-doable level for play. Its no problem to run down but every feature that makes this run a good one is under water at this level. It starts getting good at approx. 5’ and caps at 8’. If it gets to this, you can bet Roark Creek in Branson is happening so you have an option close at hand. Map Links- Search Walnut Shade, MO Class at Observed Level- This is a Class II play run mostly. At Shady Rapid at high flows a Terminal Hole forms on River right. The last one down on river right. I have seen paddles, bones, and egos shattered in this hole. But at lower levels it is friendly and a sweet spot to surf. At lower levels the waves on river left at Shady Rapid are shallow and I cracked a helmet here. With my head in it! Distance- 5-6 miles Overall Hype- This run is mile for mile one of the best playboat runs in our entire area. It is close and the shuttle is short and easy. Sometimes the lake backs up into the river making for a slow paddle out, but not bad enough by any stretch to let that discourage you.
BULL CREEK I took the trip from Goodnight Hollow Rd. to Hwy. 160 Bridge, and unless I did something wrong, it was a much longer trip than 2-3 miles. It took me at least 4 and a half hours. Estimating, I would say that it is more of a five or six mile float.
Oops! Sorry about that, elduderino! As I recall I was thinking about the section from Shady Rapid down to the Bridge, which is, in my humble opinion, the best part! I tend to forget! Shady is all private property access, whereas Goodnight is public. I apologize if that caused any inconvenience and I’ll edit it to your estimate toot suite! Thank you for bringing that up so it could be made a little more accurate. I’ll also edit that in the permanent records I am keeping of OMP’s Betas. By the way? What was the level and how did you like it? I have heard Shady Rapid has changed with a gravel deposit causing the water to divert mostly to river left. A lot of people like that spot the best for surfing and supposedly this event might have made it better!
It was around 4.5, which by the way, i forgot to mention that right above the shady rapids road there is what looked to be a washed out road. I dont know whether this has always been there, but it was my first time down so it was new to me. I went down the ledge on river right, as the low water would have made it difficult to portage the road (underneath was all blocked up by downed trees and limbs) and put in on the other side. I am a newbie, so there was probably a way to do this, I just havent made it. No worries about the time. Quick question, about halfway between shady rapids and the take-out, there was a reasonably big rapid that i had to go through quickly because it was getting late. How does this stack up against Shady Rapid, especially at high water?
First, Shady Rapid has a ledge hole at the bottom on river right, which, I’m guessing, you probably saw. This hole at higher levels gets very nasty. I have seen paddles, egos, and boaters broken by this hole! I have been in it myself at higher levels and as long as you stay toward river center, it can be a good ride. But it has a tendency to suck you back toward the bank (river right/surfers left) into the meat and beat the snot out of you! I have seen boater, paddle, and boat recircing in this demon hole with the boater getting said snot beat out! Not a pretty sight! Even toward the center it is a hard hole to escape when you decide you have had enough ride and want out. For such an all-around friendly river, this is one of the worst holes I have seen at certain levels. But at lower levels this hole is pretty friendly and is good for side surfing and spins, but too shallow for tossing ends. I had wondered if there was some wood stacked up at the Shady Rapid Road bridge. Typically after a high water event there usually is. The waves on river left, as I mentioned, are some boater’s faves, but it is very shallow except at higher levels. I cracked a composite brain bucket in those waves one time and think I did some damage to my neck from which I am still having problems. I rolled up seeing little birdies whistling around my head, dazed and confused! I will be hard pressed to get back in them again. The rapid to which I think you are referring gets some nice waves at higher levels, but the eddie service is not the best and it is hard to attain back up to get in them repeatedly. It is a good “run & gun” surfing possibility. My personal fave spot is the low water bridge not too far above the 160 bridge, which at 4.5, I’m guessing you had to portage. Be careful of this spot when there is water running over the bridge. It can be a death trap if you are out of your boat above the bridge and a powerful suck hole/seive forms on river right that one could be sucked into. There are these sluice holes the length of the bridge. And you can bet that these sluice holes are always strainered up with wood. There would be no way you could be retrieved if you went into one and would certainly be “Goodnight Irene”. But below the bridge there is a sweet wave/hole that forms and is good for about anything at different levels. Plus it is deep enough that you won’t knock your head off if you find yourself counting fish! Not too far below that on river right is another wave/hole that forms and extends about 1/3 of the way out into the river. It, too, is quite friendly and a good place to learn the basics of surfing/spinning. Below the 160 Bridge and the confluence of Bull & Bear is another nice spot. But with almost no eddie service whatsoever. But if you can run & gun it, it is a nice ride. But when you flush, you will flush for quite a ways and it is hard to get up the bank for the brush. As a straight rapid it is one of, if not the best rapid on the run, but it is below the usual takeout (160 bridge). If you cross 160 bridge there is an access road immediately after the bridge (on the right) that runs down the river left side if you want to move your takeout down stream a ways. Be careful as this road floods in higher water as the river rises. If you are boating on a rising river you could return to find your vehicle is now a reef. As a disclaimer, I have not seen this river since the last big flood events and things may not be the same.
Terry, Shady is hardly recognizable these days. The violent ledge of old is all but gone. Btwn 7.5 & 6′ its a wave. The wave upstream(about 10′ upstream) are pretty good but shallow. The Wave river left has to be experienced to be appreciated. As good as anything you will find out there. If a little more water would flow that side ie the right side clogs up I think we’d have the primo play spot in the Midwest. It has a foam pile that is great. Though it takes a short aggressive play boat to appreciate it.
Man, ScottyD. I wonder if the floods shaved some of the bedrock off that ledge? I gotta get down there and have a look! I had heard that there was a gravel deposit that funneled the water towards those waves and as you said, they are primo! I will admit, I will miss that hole! That sucker is/was something to see!
yep bed rock missing a big chunk & the gravel bar that used to be upstream of the bridge is now down stream of the old ledge
bull creek because i am still new, i dont know how to anticipate rising levels in the river… especially the Bull. anybody have any tips?
Just watch the weather and watch the gauge, elduderino! Bull comes up fairly fast after a rain, especially if there has already been some rain lately, and the gauge is a pretty good indicator. I don’t know what the minimum doable level is, but I have played on it as low as 4.5. I think around 8 or so the play spots start to wash out, but I haven’t seen it since the floods.

beta/Bull Creek/ Red bridge to A highway in Ozark Put in- take 14 east through Ozark (about 4 miles) roughly.
Head south on Highway W (6 miles) it Y’s at the end go left on red bridge road. u will cross red bridge and you can park on the sides of the road. Put in under the bridge. Take out at A highway. Off of 65 you will head east on A about 5 to 6 miles pull out at the slab. water level-4-4.5 There really are not any good play areas as far as whitewater or surfing unless it up then its rapids thats about it. Google-south Ozark maps I believe this floats is about 5 to 6 miles You can definetly do it in a day. While on this stretch of the Bull like the rest of the river its very clear water with all gravel banks there are gravel bars everywhere and very nice swimming holes. Lots of wildlife beavers, deer etc. I guess the best thing about this float is that its a lot prettier than further down theres no body ever on it. just a very peaceful float just check it out!!!!! Steve Coble

Beta/Gettman Hollow Beta/Gettman Hollow/putin-30 minute hike in on foot, takeout-Bull Creek at Shady Rapids Date- 3-3-08
Non-Sponsored- Trip Leader- Jason Russell Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- No gauge, runnable only after locally heavy rain. Class at Observed Level- Probably II and III Distance- around 1.5 to 2 miles Float Plan- Whitewater, small creek No. of People- 1 kayak 1 ground support Shuttle- Two good legs shuttle service Visual- There were 3 or 4 waterfalls cascading down the bluffs into the creek, also there is an old house site with the crumbling remains of an old farm house. Okay, Gettman Hollow is a small little tributary creek that flows into Bull at Shady Rapids. This creek has hike in access only on private property, and it’s not likely that permission would be given to float it. The owners are long time neighbors of my parents and had given me permission to be on their land. (Probably had no idea I’d planned on kayaking a dry creek bed) The creek was really small, probably 10 feet wide on average, it’s widest point was about 20 feet and it’s narrowest about 4 feet. There were several drops and ledges. The biggest drop was two tiered with a total drop of about 8 feet. There was also a cool stairstep rapid with three drops in a row. There were a few flat spots but it was mostly non stop class II rapids with narrow routes and a lot of boulders and trees to dodge. There were a couple of good surf spots too. The water level was perfect this morning after all the rain last night, but by the time I convinced my brother he needed to come with me it was late afternoon and the water level had dropped about 10 inches. This made it pretty rocky, especially on the drops, but I still only had to portage twice, once around a fallen tree, and once around a fence across the creek. I paddled my kayak and my brother hiked along the creek for support and to take a few pictures. Overall Hype- I’ve only been white water kayaking for about a year now and this is one of the coolest things I’ve done so far.

Beta/Bear Creek/Hiwy 14 Bridge_Lake River Beta Outline Beta/Bear Creek/Hiwy 14 Bridge_Lake Date- 3/3/08
Non-Sponsored Trip Leader- none Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- 9’6’’ on the gauge at put-in time. At this level most of the good play features you go to Bear for are underwater. This level is just a little too high for good playboating. Bear starts to get to a doable level at approx. 3’ on the gauge, which corresponds to about 1’ on the bridge gauge. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/uv?site_no=07054410 Map Links- Google maps, search “Omaha, AR” and follow hiwy 14 west until it crosses Bear Creek. This is the Put-In. Go back up hiwy 14 to Orr road (on right), take it to Old Lowery road, then on to Lake shore drive which takes you to the lake and the take-out. Most all dirt road, could be done on a mtn bike in a pinch. Class at Observed Level- I-II+ Distance- Very short. Maybe 3 miles or so. At this level it was over in about 45 minutes and with no playing. Float Plan- Whitewater playboating

River Beta Outline Beta/(Flat Creek EE Hwy to Flat Creek Road Date- 3/1/2008
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- Non Sponsered Trip Leader- Gut-it Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- (5.15 Gauge Hype- No dragging water was running great. Not sure of water speed. No hazards, the tree we hit last time was covered, no portages. Had some good water to surf in and got a great demo from Terry and Janet. Craig also did a fine job. Map Links- Class at Observed Level- Level 1 Distance- 4.5 miles Float Plan- Day trip, Flat water No. of People- 10 Shuttle- (Self shuttled about 8 miles Visual- One bald eagle at put in and a couple more down river. Temperature for the day was at about 70 degrees. Only one other group of 2 were seen on the river. Beautiful bluffs and rock slabs in river that look sea green. Water was very clear and very enjoyable. Nice wave at about 1/2 way made for some good surfing demos. Terry and Janet put on a great show follwed by Craig. Audio- The quitness of the great outdoors Overall Hype- The water level was at a great level ,made for a wonderful float. It is a great river for a one day and could also be great for a short overniter at this level. We all had a realaxing time and had plenty of breaks down the river.

River Beta/Bear Creek/Hiwy 14 Bridge_Lake River Beta Outline Beta/Bear Creek/Hiwy 14 Bridge_Lake Date-3/4/08
Non-Sponsored Trip Leader- none Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- 3.5’/approx. 1.5’ on the Bridge Gauge http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/uv?site_no=07054410 Gauge Hype- This is a great play level and mile for mile one of the best surfing rivers in the entire area. Map Links- Google maps, search “Omaha, AR” and follow hiwy 14 west until it crosses Bear Creek. This is the Put-In. Go back up hiwy 14 to Orr road (on right), take it to Old Lowery road, then on to Lake shore drive which takes you to the lake and the take-out. Most all dirt road, could be done on a mtn bike in a pinch but would take a while. Class at Observed Level- II Play Distance- Very short. Maybe 3 miles or so. Float Plan- Whitewater Kayak No. of People- 3

River Beta/Richland (Lower) River Beta Outline Beta/Richland(Lower)/Richland Campground Bridge_Stack Rock Date-3/5/08
Non-Sponsored Trip Leader- none Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- 3.3’ http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/uv/?s … 0065,00060 Gauge Hype- This was higher than a normal run on the Lower and the Upper was definitely doable. The run had a nice amount of water and that made this section a blast. Map Links- Search Falling Water Rd, Ar. Where it crosses the Richland is the Put In for the Lower and the take-out for the Upper. This is also the confluence of Falling Water and Richland. Class at Observed Level- III Distance- 10 miles Float Plan- Whitewater Kayak No. of People-4 Shuttle- Long and forget bikes Overall Hype- This is not a run for beginners. You want to be sure you have solid Class III skills/experience.

River Beta/Cadron Creek River Beta Outline Beta/Cadron Creek/Cadron Creek Outfitters_Hiwy 65 Bridge) Date- 3/11/08
Non-Sponsored Trip Leader- None Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- 4’ http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/uv?site_no=07261000 Gauge Hype- This is a pretty good level for playing. The eddie service to most of the play spots seemed a little flushy, but still good. This run is good from about 1.7 up to about 5’-6’. There is reportedly a dead zone from 3.5-4’ and 4-4.5’ where it is better either higher or lower. Map Links- http://www.cadroncreekoutfitters.com/Mapx.html This will get you to Cadron Creek Outfitters and the put-in. The take out is the Hiwy 65 Bridge. Class at Observed Level- II Distance- 3.5 Float Plan- Whitewater Kayak/OC-1 No. of People-2 Shuttle- The shuttle is very bike friendly and was clocked at about 5 or so miles. CCO also did a shuttle for $10. Just have a mtn. bike or at least not a road bike if you plan to ride down the CCO road to the camp ground. Visual- Cadron Creek is a very pretty little run. Some nice bluffs and visual stuff on the river, but really no gravel bars. Plenty of places to get out at the play spots. Audio- Had some Bard Owls singing to us. Overall Hype- Cadron Creek is a VERY fun play run. There is a spot right at the campground for park & play, even. They are and have been manipulating the River bottom to make this wave hole. There are probably 6-8 nice play spots with eddie service and innumerable run & gun playing all the way down the run. There is also very nice recovery below the play spots so if you need to come out of your boat there is really nothing that would eat you. The run is also done by flatwater canoe and there is really no huge maneuvering to do. Everything can pretty much be run right up the gut! Or in other words? You could Gut-It!! The only exception is that there is a lot of wood in the river, meaning trees, but again, no super heavy maneuvering is really required. This run is about 2.5-3 hours away from Springfield, MO

River Beta/Buffalo River/Erbie_Pruitt River Beta Outline Beta/Buffalo/Erbie_Pruitt) Date-3/15&16/08
Non-Sponsored Trip Leader- none Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- 3.35 & 3.15 http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv/?site_no=07055646 Gauge Hype- This is a very nice level for this run. No dragging, not even close, and everything is moving pretty good. No sweat with a loaded overnight boat. Map Links- Google “Erbie Campground Rd., AR”. This is South from Harrison AR on Hiwy 7. The bridge over the Buffalo River at Pruitt is the take-out. Just north of the bridge turn in and use this access for boats. Continue on over the bridge (south) past Ozark Campground to Erbie Campground Rd. Watch for signs. They are pretty obvious. You can also take out at Ozark, but Pruitt is only 2.1 miles below Ozark by river and is a much easier shuttle. Class at Observed Level- I Distance- 7.5 Float Plan- Day trips, Cooler Canoe No. of People- 5 Shuttle- approx 8 miles one way. Not too bike friendly and I wouldn’t want to be on a bike on Hiwy 7. Shuttle took about 45 mins. Total. Don’t know of any hired shuttles but some could probably be had from one of the local outfitters. Visual- The usual spectacular Buffalo River Scenery. Saw 6 Razorback hogs, two armadillos, and carnage! Audio- The Song of Nature was Rockin’, owls, woodpeckers, coyotes, etc. Overall Hype- Very nice run and Erbie campground is quite nice. Pit toilets and running drinking water available. Not so many overnight gravel bars and hard to get up high away from the river. Overnighters could be done, but a lot of the gravel bars are low so watch the weather above this section. A little rain upstream and you could be paddling your tent in the dark!

beta/ st. francis river./millstream gardens to d bridge/ 3 /12 /08
non sponsered/ no leader /10 people /3.2 miles/ roselle gage at 3.7 feet. this is a friendly level. 3 feet is probally the PERFECT beginner freindly level. 3.7 is also still friendly, just a little bit pushier water / class 2/3 at this level/ // it was confirmed from mwa members there is a undercut rock at cats paw. this is news to me. thought it might be to someone eles also. this is a link to pics and information on mwa board, http://missouriwhitewater.org/uieforum? … 1#lastpost

River Beta Upper & Lower Richland creek March 18, 08 flo Upper Richland creek after the flood of March 18, 08 River Level 3.8 Class III-V Scenery AA 1. Richland creek Rd 1219 to campground from the south is Rd block by boulders & trees must come in from north side of river to get to campground & bridge 2. Upper Richland creek has a tree down in it about a mile downstream from ledges run right under the tree it will fit a canoe-r 3. About a half a mile from the down tree there is a Boulder the size of a mini van in mid river leaving only 2 like Crack-in-the- Rock…. drops to get throgh they are blind (this is a New Boulder)….. (scout it ) 4. Nuckelbuster it has new Rocks in it. (the run is not like it was)… (scout it ) 5. Maytag has new Rocks in it (the run is not like it was)… (scout it ) Lower Richland creek after the flood of March 18, 08 River Level 3.1.5 Class II-III+ Scenery AA 1. Pinball rapids the last rapids where moust run to the right is now block with a good size Boulder eddy hop to the left of river or (scout it ) Paddle safe

Beta/Buffalo/Ponca_Kyles) Beta/Buffalo/Ponca_Kyles) Date- 3/22/08
Non-Sponsored- Trip Leader- none Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/15″of air space at Ponca bridge Gauge Hype- Great level for this section of the Buffalo. 5 inches lower would have made more obstructions to pick through in the rock garden. Map Links- Buffalo outdoor center web site Class at Observed Level- 1+ ( at gray rock a 2+) Distance- 11.2 measured by GPS Shuttle- Buffalo Outdoor Center- 11+ miles car shuttle. $42.50 Number of people-9 Visual- Waterfalls in places we had not seen them before, two large herds of elk, hemmed-in hollows 150-200 ft waterfall, at least ten to fifteen boats turned over and one six man raft (fully loaded). Overall Hype-Used a brace move for the first time, at gray rock, I learned it from hanging out with OMP paddlers !!

Beta / Hurricane Creek Beta / Hurricane Creek / Hurricane Wilderness Area to Access right before Ft Douglas Bridge over Big Piney Date – 4/5/08
Non – Sponsored Trip Leader – none Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links – Put-In Level – 5.33 / Take-Out Level – 5.03 USGS Gauge – http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv/?site_no=07257006 Ozark Creek Summary – http://www.ozarkpages.com/cgi-bin/crfind.pl?HurricaneN Gauge Hype – Not any draggin at this level. This was a good level with all the rapids easily runable. Some of the rapids in the “Canyon Section” would be pretty mean with more water. Map Links – No map as of yet but will get one posted. Class at Observed Level – II & III Distance – 9 Miles Float Plan – This is a good one day whitewater paddle or could be broken into an overnighter. No. of People – 6 Shuttle – No Hired shuttle that I saw. This is a long shuttle. Be prepared to wait a good hour and a half or more after take out to get the cars. Visual – This rank up there with Richland and Hailstones as far as scenery goes. There are a lot of little creeks and a lot of waterfalls that dump into this run. Audio – Only the sound of nature. So remote you dont here any vehilces until the end. Overall Hype – This has been one of my favorite “local” runs. The first half is easy class 2 some class 3 then it looks as though the river is slowing down then the last half picks up to constant class 3 maybe higher with more water. I would definately say the second half of this run is harder than the hailstones but not as remote. I would put on no later than 12 or 1 and that is if you arent planning on playing much. There is camping at the take-out as well.

Flat Creek (Cabin Fever Run 2008) Beta/(River)/(Putin_Takeout) Putin Hwy 39 Bridge Access, Take Out Flat Creek Road Bridge Access Date- April 19-20, 2008
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- April 2008 OMP Sponsored Monthly Float Trip Leader- (if any) Bobby and Jennifer Thomas Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- (Gauge Reading for Put-In Day if possible) 6.00 Ft at Put in and 5.86 Ft at Take out. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?cb_00 … o=07052820 Gauge Hype- (Any Dragging, Bumping Bottom, High Water, Current Speed, Hazards, Portages, Comments on River Level Conditions, etc.) The only dragging is becaus eof the spring flooding that has made some changes to the water flow and had to portage in two places. Not sure of the speed but at this level a person could drift along at a very good rate. Excellent Level and the water was clear with temps in the 70′s on the 19th and 80′s on the 20th. Sunny skies would recommend using sun screen. Map Links- http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl Shows approximate Put in and Take Out location and the route recommended for shuttle would be from the Putin go North on Hwy 39 to Hwy “EE” go East to Hwy76 then East to Flat Creek road then North to the bridge for Take out Class at Observed Level- (I through VI on that Trip’s specific river level) Class I maybe some Class -II Distance- (River Miles) 11.7 (According to Pg 71 in A Paddlers Guide to Missouri, Since this book was written I would say the changes in the river distance is not correct.) Float Plan- (Day trip, Overnighter, Cooler Canoe, Kayak, Raft, Whitewater, etc.) This was an OMP sanctioned overnight trip. Numerous big gravel bars for camping. Great shuttle with paved roads fromthe Putin to the Take out. Eight people for the over night and 1 extra showed up the next morning for the lower half and they put in at Hwy “EE”. No. of People- 8 for overnight and 1 for day float. Shuttle- (Hired Shuttle, Shuttle Length, Paved, Dirt, Mountain Bike Friendly, etc.) Self shuttle with paved roads. No outfitters in the area for shuttle. Visual- (Points of Interest, Gravel Bars, Springs, Waterfalls, Formations, Historical, Bluffs, Wildlife, Wild Flowers/Plants, Other Boaters, etc.) Nice small bluffs, some picturesgue bluffs that are shaped similar to a castle with a hole completely through, possible large eagles nest, turtles in the sand seemed to be laying eggs, full moon, no one on the creek Saturday apair of kayakers on Sunday, lots of vehicles at put in’s and take out’s Sunday, lots of purple wild flowers, redbuds and dogwoods in bloom, heard some coyote’s and owls in the distance. Audio- (Wildlife, Waterfalls, etc.) Coyote’s and Owls. Overall Hype- (Comments, Recommendations, Tips, Warnings, Weather, Anecdotes, Stories, Lying, Bragging, etc.) Would recommend floating this stream at this level. Good water speed. Westher was sunny and in the 70′s and 80′s. Would recommend sun screen wheter you feel like you are burning or not. Floated with the best group of people you would want to float with.

north fork, hebrum to twin bridges /may 18th 5.5 miles / gage 4.2 /
GREAT level /sporty riffles in curvy section, im guessing a few class 2 rapids. and even the long pools at least have moving water. river n is pretty high but not at all flooded. flowing at 10 miles an hour at this level. Its 3 miles per hour at normal levels .This section has a combination of curvy fast water, and LONG boring pools.

Kings River (Spamtastic float ) Beta/ Kings River Putin–Rockhouse takeout— Trigger Gap Date- May 17-18 2008
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- OMP monthly float May Trip Leader- Catherine and Alan Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- At time of putin it was 4.5 Gauge Hype- The river was running good and there were a few places we had to get out and walk thru due to trees being down across the main river. The river had alot of nice gravel bars and good scenery. Over all the river was good, great level to float, trees were down due to recent flooding. Map Links- Class at Observed Level- Would classify it as a Class one maybe a few places Class 2 Distance- &.5 miles Float Plan- It was a overniter with canoes and kayaks No. of People- 9 people stayed over nite, 6 others floated out on the first day Shuttle- The shuttle is only 3 miles, bumpy gravel road and at the take out there is a 5 dollar parking fee per car. Visual- The gravel bars on the river were great, plenty to choose from and very flat with easy access to the river. The scenery was great and the weather cooperated with us also. It was in the high 70s and low80s both days. The water was still a little chily but was great for cooling off. Audio- Birds, frogs and the sound of fish jumping out of the water. Overall Hype- I think the overall trip was great. One suggestion is do not miss you turn to the put in because you might see alot of Arkansas you would never had seen. The Spam was great for a change of pace, as it was the meat of choice this trip. I think everyone recalled the days that they grew up on it. Overall a good trip with alot of good people and good times.

Buffalo River Woolum to Baker’s Ford Beta/(River)/(Putin_Takeout) Buffalo River Woolum to Baker’s Ford Date- May 24 – May 26 2008
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- Non Sponsored Trip Leader- (if any) None Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- (Gauge Reading for Put-In Day if possible) 5.2ft at St Joe, http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?07056000 Gauge Hype- (Any Dragging, Bumping Bottom, High Water, Current Speed, Hazards, Portages, Comments on River Level Conditions, etc.) No dragging or bumping, Slow speed, No Hazards, No Portages, River level was great. Map Links- http://www.nps.gov/PWR/customcf/apps/ma … al%20River Class at Observed Level- (I through VI on that Trip’s specific river level) Class I Distance- (River Miles) 11.1 Float Plan- (Day trip, Overnighter, Cooler Canoe, Kayak, Raft, Whitewater, etc.) Overnighter in canoe with a day layover on gravel bar. No. of People- 5 people first night 6 people second night Shuttle- (Hired Shuttle, Shuttle Length, Paved, Dirt, Mountain Bike Friendly, etc.) Self Shuttle of about 10 miles over dirt and paved road. Road is sometime to narrow for two vehicles be careful. Excellent gravel bar for put in and take out. Visual- (Points of Interest, Gravel Bars, Springs, Waterfalls, Formations, Historical, Bluffs, Wildlife, Wild Flowers/Plants, Other Boaters, etc.) Several Bluffs from 50 to 330ft, numerous gravel bars but a lot have very large rocks. Read the Buffalo River Handbook by Ken Smith to find the name of Bluffs, Blue Holes, and people of the area. Audio- (Wildlife, Waterfalls, etc.) One small deer in the middle of the road during shuttle, numerous buzzards, heard screech owl and whip-or-will’s. Overall Hype- (Comments, Recommendations, Tips, Warnings, Weather, Anecdotes, Stories, Lying, Bragging, etc.) This is the best section I have paddled to be able to take the time for the scenery. Long slow pools with sudden drops at some of 2 to 3 ft. The pools give a person time to look at the bluffs and points around them. Numerous small crags of all formation. Somewhere along the way is a 500ft deep cave that is closed from March 15 to October 15. Weather was scattered thunder storms that almost blew down the parawings. Recommended at the level. According to readings this section can be impossible to float during draught. One person claimed to see a bear until her husband said he had not given her medicine to her for the day. A very nice place about 7 mile down river with an island and the current made for some river reading classes and eddy catching.

Beta/James River/Shelvin Rock_Hootentown Beta/James River/Shelvin Rock_Hootentown Date- 6/7/08
Sponsored- Sponsored by OMP and JRBP. This was the River Rescue. Trip Leader- OMP/JRBP Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- Approx. 5.5’ on the “Boaz Gauge” http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/uv?07052250 You can link to this from the OMP Website- River Levels page Gauge Hype- This is just a visual report, the Run was cancelled on the James that day because it was too high for safe cleaning for the River Rescue. The Run was definitely doable and was quite high and ripping. A lot of fast moving water and would not require much paddling. My guess is that there would have been no still or flat water. As a bonus, the surfing at the Jamesville Bridge was in VERY nice shape Class at Observed Level- II Distance- Unknown but easily a day float. Less at this level. Probably approx 7 miles. Alternate take out is at Jamesville, just above the confluence of the Finley & James. Float Plan- Cooler Canoe No. of People- That day there were over 200, none of which put in on the James Shuttle- Hootentown Outfitters does a run from Shelvin Rock to their site in Hootentown. Unknown how much they charge. The shuttle is easy and not too long, all paved. I wouldn’t recommend doing it on a bike, but it could be done by the brave. Visual- No one put in. This is a visual report only. But it looked like a lot of fun at that level.

northfork river/round valley to hebrum June 22 2008 — 7 miles — tecumseh gage at 2.88 …. class 1 at this level ….
This is the lowest level this section can be floated with out walking in spots. we scraped bottom 4 or 5 times but could stay in boat. this was in kayaks with no camping gear. several trees across river you had to drag around. this is a real nice section, river is narrow and scenic. few houses ,had been only 1, but 3 new ones were built since last year(bummer)

Buffalo River Hwy 65 to Gilbert June 28, 2008 Beta/(River)/(Putin_Takeout) Hwy 65 to Gilbert/Buffalo River Date- June 28, 2008
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- Sponsored Trip Leader- (if any) Heather Hoggard Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- (Gauge Reading for Put-In Day if possible) 4.9ft http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?07056000 Gauge Hype- (Any Dragging, Bumping Bottom, High Water, Current Speed, Hazards, Portages, Comments on River Level Conditions, etc.) Plenty of water with no dragging Map Links- http://home.nps.gov/applications/parks/ … UFFmap.pdf Class at Observed Level- (I through VI on that Trip’s specific river level) Class I Distance- (River Miles) 4.2 Miles Float Plan- (Day trip, Overnighter, Cooler Canoe, Kayak, Raft, Whitewater, etc.) Day Trip, Cooler Canoe No. of People- 7 Shuttle- (Hired Shuttle, Shuttle Length, Paved, Dirt, Mountain Bike Friendly, etc.) Self Shuttle of about 10 Miles on paved road Visual- (Points of Interest, Gravel Bars, Springs, Waterfalls, Formations, Historical, Bluffs, Wildlife, Wild Flowers/Plants, Other Boaters, etc.) Lots of gravel bars for overnight camping Audio- (Wildlife, Waterfalls, etc.) Overall Hype- (Comments, Recommendations, Tips, Warnings, Weather, Anecdotes, Stories, Lying, Bragging, etc.) This trip was going to be an over night from Baker’s ford to Hwy 65 but the morning started with torrential rains in Springfield and Branson. The creeks and rivers up north were out of the banks so the decision was made to setup camp at Tyler’s Bend and do a day float for safety reasons. We had a very novice canoeist with us. The rain lighten and stopped about 1:00 P.M. just before the put in. It rain on us but not really big rain. Some put on rain jackets. Good level of water for floating.

Baker’s Ford to Hwy 65 Buffalo River June 29, 2008 Beta/(River)/(Putin_Takeout) Baker’s Ford to Hwy 65/Buffalo River Date- June 29, 2008
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- Sponsored Trip Leader- (if any) Heather Hoggard Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- (Gauge Reading for Put-In Day if possible) 5.6ft http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?07056000 Gauge Hype- (Any Dragging, Bumping Bottom, High Water, Current Speed, Hazards, Portages, Comments on River Level Conditions, etc.) Plenty of water with no dragging Map Links- http://home.nps.gov/applications/parks/ … UFFmap.pdf Class at Observed Level- (I through VI on that Trip’s specific river level) Class I Distance- (River Miles) 5.6 Miles Float Plan- (Day trip, Overnighter, Cooler Canoe, Kayak, Raft, Whitewater, etc.) Day Trip, Cooler Canoe No. of People- 9 Shuttle- (Hired Shuttle, Shuttle Length, Paved, Dirt, Mountain Bike Friendly, etc.) Self Shuttle of about 15 Miles on paved and gravel road Visual- (Points of Interest, Gravel Bars, Springs, Waterfalls, Formations, Historical, Bluffs, Wildlife, Wild Flowers/Plants, Other Boaters, etc.) Lots of large gravel bars for overnight camping, gigantic boulders in middle of stream water flow much better on this section than Hwy 65 to Gilbert. Audio- (Wildlife, Waterfalls, etc.) Overall Hype- (Comments, Recommendations, Tips, Warnings, Weather, Anecdotes, Stories, Lying, Bragging, etc.) This trip was going to be an over night from Baker’s ford to Hwy 65 but the morning started with torrential rains in Springfield and Branson. The creeks and rivers up north were out of the banks so the decision was made to setup camp at Tyler’s Bend and do a day float for safety reasons. We had a very novice canoeist with us. Very sunny day and made for a pretty day. Lots of boaters on the river. Park Rangers were at the put in and take out checking coolers and boats for illegal substances and glass. Twice I have done this section this month and twice I have been checked. Good level of water for floating.

Shoal Creek July 5, 2008 Level 3.6 Beta/(River)/(Putin_Takeout) Date- July 5, 2008
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- Non Sponsored Trip Leader- (if any) None Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- (Gauge Reading for Put-In Day if possible) http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?07187000 3.6ft Gauge Hype- (Any Dragging, Bumping Bottom, High Water, Current Speed, Hazards, Portages, Comments on River Level Conditions, etc.) There was no dragging water would be a little better up about another foot or two but still 3.6 is a good float. Map Links- Class at Observed Level- (I through VI on that Trip’s specific river level) Class I Distance- (River Miles) 7.6 miles (A Paddlers Guide to Missouri) Float Plan- (Day trip, Overnighter, Cooler Canoe, Kayak, Raft, Whitewater, etc.) Day float cooler canoe No. of People- 9 Shuttle- (Hired Shuttle, Shuttle Length, Paved, Dirt, Mountain Bike Friendly, etc.) Self Shuttle Visual- (Points of Interest, Gravel Bars, Springs, Waterfalls, Formations, Historical, Bluffs, Wildlife, Wild Flowers/Plants, Other Boaters, etc.) Not very many gravel bars and the ones there are small. Reddings Mill Falls and Grand Falls Audio- (Wildlife, Waterfalls, etc.) You can hear Reddings Mill and Grand Falls from quite a distance. Overall Hype- (Comments, Recommendations, Tips, Warnings, Weather, Anecdotes, Stories, Lying, Bragging, etc.) A perfect day for a float. By the time breakfast was eaten at the Under Cliff the rain had stopped to give us a sunny day. The current was moving at a good rate and did not take a lot of paddling. Between Hwy 71 bridge and Reddings Mill there are a couple of tricky spots with downed trees. These places can still be paddled through or around if careful. There could be problems in lower water levels. The float is a little boring for the first 2 miles with only forest lining both banks. Once past Hwy 71 and the strainer areas the water start to pick up pace with a small wave at the top of Reddings Mill where the group played around for about 30 minutes. Reddings Mill Falls them selves were quite the spot for all to run after Terry price got to the bottom to shoot video of the group coming down. A few people pulled boats back to the top to make more runs. Terry got into Janet Prices whitewater kayaks and played some around bottom of the falls then pulled up to the top twice to make runs. After the take out we stopped by Grand Falls so every one could see them. Terry Price scouted the falls then begged on his hands and knees and promised Janet a very romantic night on the town if he could use her kayak again to run the falls. He ran them the first time without a hitch. The second run was a little meaner when he hit the lip and nose dived into the boiling water below. As Terry came out from under the falls he rolled back up with a big smile. We are hoping for the story from Janet as to actually how romantic Terry can be. A good day, good water levels, and good friends. Nothing better.

Grand Falls/Shoal Creek Beta/Shoal Creek/Grand Falls Date- 7/5/08
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- I tried, but no one would sponsor this particular run! In fact, the only thing that had any semblance to sponsorship was a couple of quick calls (from my so-called “friends”) to my insurance agent to see if Jantlee’s existing life insurance policies could be upped and all of my so-called “friends” could take one out on me. Trading in this commodity was so active that they closed the market early to avoid a run on the market! Trip Leader- There was a definite Trip Leader here, but I didn’t listen to her! If I lived? She wouldn’t make any money! She was mostly worried about her boat since it wasn’t covered in the fricking policy! I can’t tell you how much that instilled confidence! Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- 3.6 They said it couldn’t be done! http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/uv/?s … 0065,00060 Gauge Hype- The approach was the question, and I was in the water to scout above the lip. Kind of shallow up above on the approach, but still enough to float a yak and get at least ½ to ¾ of a paddle blade in IF you choose a good line on your approach. So, if you were paying attention to your “landmarks”, you could keep in enough water to have a good approach, and still get enough acceleration in a short amount of time to set up without grinding to a halt with ½ of your boat teetering over the lip and dropping with no control. There was nothing to whack you out above on the approach except shallow water. Above this drop is a Class I. Good scouting is the answer to making a good run just because it was shallow! Map Links- Class at Observed Level- Class I approach, Class VI trying to convince your beloved to borrow her boat, probably a Class III actual drop at this level because the approach is non-gnarly but you need to be accurate and make sure you drop over the right spot, and a VERY sweet minimum consequence pool at the bottom. But at this level. At high flows, it won’t be this way. Distance- 100 yards if you are successful at most! Top to Bottom! No way to know how far you would flush if you are not! Float Plan- Whitewater kayak definitely for me at this level! I ran it this day in a Mamba 7.5 since it was all I could beg, borrow, or steal! It could be ran in another boat, or even an open, but to run an open down this, I would have preferred a bit more flow to be deeper at the lip, and not to mention I didn’t have one available that was whitewater rigged! I was afraid of my cooler falling out if I ran my solo tripper off the drop! I did a review on the Mamba and for those who may be interested, it performed EXACTLY like you would like! It is a sweet ride, user friendly, and makes for a ride/landing just like you would hope for in a steep situation. Right On! http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/uv/?s … 0065,00060 No. Of People- There was one who ran, and 8 more who were watching out for me. And if I may? I got down to the bottom and found that they were all wearing PFD’s, had a throw rope in each hand along with an insurance claim form, had safety set for every contingency, and had 911 on the speed dial! In all of my Life I have never, and I mean ever, felt so good about a group of boaters to be with! I wish I’d have known that before I put in! Shuttle- None unless I missed! Then whatever ambulance service was available! Visual- It is a river wide rock ledge. All the way across! Above that is a man made dam of about the same vertical distance! A lot of drop in a short distance! Audio- It is a waterfall! It sounded huge and made me want to pee a lot! Overall Hype- Grand Falls is somewhere between a 12- 15 ft abrupt drop at this level. I would rate it at 25-30 ft for storytelling! Really? It is at this level a pretty sweet, easy, and fun drop but you really need to take a serious look at it. You definitely cannot run it just anywhere because there are some big honkin’ rocks at the bottom that will, if you survive, put your dentist’s/reconstructional surgeon/spine specialist’s children through college! Lower levels and more they will be prevalent! It is not really hard to tell the difference, but you need to see a good line from above. Stay out of the creases, take advantage of the sweet boof overhangs, and take a good look at the landings. At this level there are really no hydraulic problems at the bottom to have to deal with. But at higher levels there will be. My first run was picture perfect! My second was a bit more vertical than I wanted. It is hard to see the line from above until you are at the lip, which is, at least for me a little late to make a correction, and I got off by just about 5 feet or so 2nd time around. I took it on Faith and Oregon tucked! Got a strange feeling in my baldhead, but it was Hokay! I saw several good lines from the top, off the lip, over the drop, that would land in tragedy! Don’t be tempted! At this level (again it was 3.6 on the gauge) it is very shallow above on the approach. Which can hang you up and jack with you on your approach. But at this level, I found an obvious line, and it isn’t hard to hold, and was perfect to get at least a decent blade’s worth of stroke! It is Cake if you hit it and a blast! Hit the lip just so and you are catching air and a safe landing! Remember to lean forward and keep your spine safe! A little off and you are going to be a little more verticle and have to deal with that! No sweat, have a stroke/roll ready. If you can scrape over the lip, gravity will do the rest! Have fun, and definitely be safe’ and have a Buddy with a rope and a frosty cold one ready!

northfork river. hammond camp to blair bridge 10 miles.
but sure doesn’t seem near that long. / gage at 2.74/ only a few hours trip minus all the gravel bar naps and swim time. nice level with no serious dragging, scattered little class 1 -2 rapids and wave trains, the falls is on this section ,(just a 2 0r 3 feet ledge drop.)

Flat Creek Hwy 39 08/31/08 Beta/(River)/(Putin_Takeout) Flat Creek. Put in Hwy 39 approximately 20 miles south of Aurora and take out was Hwy EE bridge. Date- 08-31-08
Sponsored/Non-Sponsored- Non Sponsored Trip Leader- (if any) Bobby Thomas Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- (Gauge Reading for Put-In Day if possible) 4.63 at out in time Gauge Hype- (Any Dragging, Bumping Bottom, High Water, Current Speed, Hazards, Portages, Comments on River Level Conditions, etc.) Some dragging. Would not float at very much lower level. Map Links- Class at Observed Level- (I through VI on that Trip’s specific river level) Class I Distance- (River Miles) Approximately 7 miles Float Plan- (Day trip, Overnighter, Cooler Canoe, Kayak, Raft, Whitewater, etc.) Day Trip No. of People- 4 Shuttle- (Hired Shuttle, Shuttle Length, Paved, Dirt, Mountain Bike Friendly, etc.) Paved Road Visual- (Points of Interest, Gravel Bars, Springs, Waterfalls, Formations, Historical, Bluffs, Wildlife, Wild Flowers/Plants, Other Boaters, etc.) While sitting at a gravel bar eating lunch a very aggressive snake came up as if it were trying to get into the boat. Tried to get it to leave by splashing water at it with a paddle. It would come at you. The snake finally crawled under Allen Moore’s boat and when we moved the boat it was coiled as if ready to strike. Ended up killing the snake as it was trying to bite the paddle Audio- (Wildlife, Waterfalls, etc.) Lots of cows and crows. Overall Hype- (Comments, Recommendations, Tips, Warnings, Weather, Anecdotes, Stories, Lying, Bragging, etc.) Used to be a very quite float with no one on the river. Now there is a place to rent kayaks and canoes and now the river is getting full with hardly room to park shuttle vehicles.

Buffalo River – HW14 Bridge to Rush -Nov.14-16th,2008 Beta/ Buffalo River / Highway 14 Bridge to Rush Date- Friday November 14th, Saturday November 15th, SUNday November 16th
Non-Sponsored Trip – Just of bunch of 14 canoers and kayakers from Missouri and Arkansas who hooked up on the Arkansas Canoe Club site to make a trip together. Reason for posting here is that ONE person from OMP finally showed for one of these trips, ate my cookies, and had a wonderful time with us. A few of us belong to ACC, a few were from the Lewis & Clark Website. A few were very experienced, some in the middle, and a few while not exactly newbies, were closer to that end of the spectrum. Geographically, we were from Springfield, Missouri; Bella Vista, AR; Rogers,AR; Springdale, AR; Conway, AR, Little Rock, AR; and Hot Springs, AR. Common factor: We all wanted to have a good time paddleing and camping. I’d say we suceeded. Trip Leader- Well, the regular attendees and instigators of these monthly canoe camping trips refer to these trips as Richard McFadden trips, but we ALL sort of take turns leading various portions of these outtings at times, and first timers with us are as likely to be leaders as anyone else. This month turned out the same way – GREAT. Gauge Reading/Gauge Location/Links- (Gauge Reading for Put-In Day if possible) USGS gauge on HW 14 Bridge near Harriet AR went from a hair under 3.80 to 3.60 during the trip. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/uv?cb … o=07056700 Gauge Hype- (Any Dragging, Bumping Bottom, High Water, Current Speed, Hazards, Portages, Comments on River Level Conditions, etc.) The 3.8 to 3.6 level translates to the “Low side of ample” per the Park Service interpretation. In real life, it means that heavily loaded canoes scraped/bumped bottoms in 5 or 6 places momentarily, but nobody got stuck or had to get out and walk anywhere, and my 16′ Royalex with Kevlar skid plates Mad River Endurall cargo barge was loaded to the max. Current speed varied from almost dead to 2-3 MPH depending on width of the river. Hazards were few – mostly snags along the sides of chutes, water surface level trees, and root balls along the sides of channels that were easily avoidable. No one on our trip had any problems. No portages required or made. This is a trip any beginner could make, particularly if they went along with a more experienced paddler. We take first timers here all the time, but it is enjoyable by anyone of any experience level. Comments: Have done as much as a foot lower, and we had to get out and drag 50 foot to 100 yards in 6 places where it shallows out into wide shallow gravel bars. Was still worth it. This level was much nicer. Have also done 6 foot higher (right next to the USPS cut off at 10.0) which was much faster and also very nice. Factors affecting run: Cold and windy (17mph+ at times with higher gusts) with wind chills into the low 30′s to high 20′s, and actual temperatures in 30′s to 40′sF on Saturday with overcast skies. 40′s to 20′sF camping with dying winds, but windy enough to blow away tents three times before we could get them staked, or tied down to rocks and logs. All water jugs were slushy on Sunday morning, but still poured out enough to make coffee and heat up water to thaw the rest. Late start getting up Sunday allowed us to paddle as it warmed up to 60F in full sun. Full sun and warming temperatures allowed most of us to surf on a ripple below Rain bow arch. I was eagle watching and drifting with the current while they did this, but I had the heaviest and most loaded canoe. Map Links- don’t have one to post, but call me and I can give you directions. Class at Observed Level- (I through VI on that Trip’s specific river level) Class I – ripples in narrowed chutes, turns to get aligned, no waves trains larger than 4″. Distance- (River Miles) I think it is about 12 miles, but I loaned out my “Buffalo River Handbook”, by Ken Smith, to someone on the trip for his first time, and my waterproof National Geographic map of the eastern half of the Buffalo is still loaded somewhere in the Suburban. We basically did about 10 miles on Saturday to Brice Gravel bar, and camped out on the southerly middle part this time due to the better availability of fire wood there. Northly Middle part gets better early morning sun to thaw out with, but we wanted the wood and thought southerly middle might be more wind sheltered. Wind shifted around A LOT. We know from past experience that the northerly middle part of the bar has been picked clean of any easy firewood down to pencil size and we are fairly good firewood vacuums. Where we camped this time had ample dead and dwon firewood if you take a saw, axe, machete, or all three. Float Plan- (Day trip, Overnighter, Cooler Canoe, Kayak, Raft, Whitewater, etc.) We had two folks, Susan Tinker and Mike Beebe float this trip in rec boats as a day trip by going on down to Rush. 11 of us in 4 sea kayaks (Nick, Bea, Darren and Kyle), and 6 canoes (1 tandem crew with Gretchen Fieldler and Richard McFadden) and the rest of the mob – Carl, Painter Bob, Ryan Center, Terry, and Eric No. of People- Depends on how you count and from when. up to 14 momentarily. Most of us went over Friday night to camp out at Rush as the rain showers were ending that we drove over in. We had a good camp fire as 3 of us brought wood from home. Randy picked for us, and we all got to know each other while rehydrating around the fire. 4 more drove in Saturday morning, but Randy drove home sick. Bummer. We ran shuttle to the parking area at Rush and drove up the rest of the vehicles with boats and gear to run the river. We have nothing against outfitter’s shuttles and use them on occasion, but this seemed simplest when we had this large a group going in many directions afterwards. Shuttle- (Hired Shuttle, Shuttle Length, Paved, Dirt, Mountain Bike Friendly, etc.) As I said above, we set our own shuttle. It’s about 5 miles up from Rush to HW 14 and then about 10-15 miles to the HW 14 bridge put in. Last 2-3 miles into Rush are dirt/gravel and the Park Service maintains it to where any 2 wheel drive car will have no problem getting in or out as long as there is not too much water going over the low water bridges (one going in and one more if you go to the campoing area). Steep parts of unpaved section can get washer boardy, but go slow and you won’t slide. Also good to remember it is a two lane road and while narrow, you could meet someone, so go slow . I’ve heard of folks running shuttle on mountain bikes, but that ain’t me nor will it ever be. Visual- (Points of Interest, Gravel Bars, Springs, Waterfalls, Formations, Historical, Bluffs, Wildlife, Wild Flowers/Plants, Other Boaters, etc.) Every where you look on the Buffalo, around every bend, is a picture post card shot of something. All sorts of historical stuff on every section of the river. You can go with Richard McFadden who is a walking/paddleing encyclopedia of River knowledge, and or you can buy Ken Smith’s book “Buffalo River handbook”. No – I don’t get any royalties for mentioning his book, but my copy is showing a lot of wear and I’ve had it for less than a year. Bluffs are the big thing on this section. AS the ranger predicted when he dropped by our Saturday morning gathering at Rush campgound, we had the river to our selves. We saw signs of some other people who had left a camp fire going along the river on Saturday below Buffalo point – Terry was the hero who pulled over to put it out. Audio and Visual- (Wildlife, Waterfalls, etc.) Water was so clear you could see 10 feet down. Fair number of fish, saw several schools with 30+ fish in them, small mouth bass, suckers, catfish, perch, and others. Highlight for me on this trip was seeing 7 eagles, one for more than 20 minutes just soaring in circles over head as I lazed around in a sunny eddy, laid back all the way on the end of my boat soaking up the rays on Sunday afternoon. We heard dogs or coyotes, Friday and Saturday nights, in the distance. Spring, coming out of hole in the buff on left above Rush was musical to listen to. Suprise Friday night was 3 gunshots followed by a green lazer flashing around. Turned out there was a lost lady hunter on the mountain above us and to the side some. Randy and others were nice enough to go up with lights to guide her back down to the camp ground (and BRAVE TOO). Shots had seemed to come in our direction and the green laser was in our general direction too. Green lazer is a great signelling device that really lets folks know where you are and can pin point a location with it’s beam. Rush camp ground had some of it’s grounds completely covered with fallen persimmons. We camped away from the persimmons, but it had some folks wondering what was on the ground when they walked across them to and from the parking lot in the dark. Just that time of year. Windy enough both nights to have to stake all the tents down on all sides firmly. Got to see Rainbow arch for the first time, Water was reflecting off the backside of it and it really stood out. Gretchen climbed up to it through saw briars so Richard could take some pictures of it with her under the arch and came back down the up river side which had fewer hazards. Didn’t get to see any elk or deer but saw lots of deer tracks on Brice geavel bar in the sand. Bea and I saw two beavers swimming in the river across from Rush, just below the fenced off mine across the river. Overall Hype- (Comments, Recommendations, Tips, Warnings, Weather, Anecdotes, Stories, Lying, Bragging, etc.) Enjoyed EVERYTHING. Great bunch of folks who all pitched in to make it a wonderful cooler weather river campout and paddle. We took turns paddleing with everyone on our way down from HW 14 bridge. We stopped for lunch around 12:30PM and shared sandwiches, nuts, cookies, soup, tea, and hot coffee. We got to Brice gravel bar about 4PM. Carl was generous to haul in a guitar and entertain us around the campfire with his picking inspite of cold fingers. I wish I had skill and talent like he does. Everyone helped gather a load of firewood that never ran out. Ryan Center cut up all the wood we dragged down and then stacked it by size to make easier to put logs on the fire when it got dark. I think he likes playing with my ax, but nobody was complaining much when the chips were flying as he really fixed us up right with wood for the fire. We even had some left over that we stashed for another trip if it is still there next time. Ryan is a white water paddler of some fame, and a lot of skill as part of Team Stupid, but I think he will be back after his first trip on the Buffalo in an open canoe. Everyone had food that they shared, enough so that no one could ever say that they were hungry. Snack foods from multiple cheeses, to chips, to sausages, to nuts and candies were always being passed around or left out for the group. We managed to eat all 5 dozen sugar cookies. Nick and Bea cooked their dinners and several more for the rest of us in the coals wrapped up in tin foil. We passed around 6 steaks cooked on Richard’s portable grill, and had 2 more left over for breakfast. Ryan’s venison stew was good as were his sausage burritos for breakfast. Richard did a great job with his stove top camping oven on the biscuits which Painter Bob made fantastic with his raspberry crumple topping. Cheese eggs, bacon, oatmeal, 3 pots of coffee and two of tea rounded out breakfast. Gretchen was our early riser who got the fire blazing again to a back drop of heavy frost on everything left out exposed. Sleeping late is an option when you only have to go 2 miles down to Rush from Brice gravel bar, and some of our folks did not get up until after 10:30AM, but we saved them breakfast. I don’t know how late some of the group partied around the fire, as I crashed around 10:30PM Saturday night, but they were quiet enough that I dropped right off to sleep and never woke up during the night. These groups are always polite enough that we could and have had kids on several of our trips. We had one intrepit hiker/rock climber (NicK) who climbed up the bluffs on the far side to take some great photos from the rim. We had fun watching his progress up the ridge. I got to see the pictures with Bea while the others were running shuttle and we guarded the gear. We will post a link to them and to Terry’s and Richard’s shots when they send us the links. Terry took movies all weekend. I took a Zodi water heater for pressure showers, but it was cold enough that no one wanted to take one in the shower enclosure I brought to go with it. We used the enclosure as an outhouse instead, to go with the PETT system Terry brought. We had enough folks who had never used one before, that Terry gave us “the lecture” on how to use them and Ryan gave us (in fun) a lecture on how you can conserve toilet paper (which I think we didn’t need to resort to, or possibly want to know). Terry was a great person and paddler to be with on a paddle like this, as he constantly made himself helpful, and even volunteered to do cleanup in the kitchen, a hard thankless job in the dark and the cold. The Cabela’s gas cooker I brought to heat the water for the showers came in handy for cooking and heating water for meals and dishwashing. I may not bring the Zodi on winter trips again, and save it for spring summer fall trips when folks will want showers again, but the big propane tank gas cooker was worth the weight for a large group. My other “joy to find” for the weekend, besides all the new friendships, was that the APA Sherpa II MINUS 40F bag I got last year at a Lewis and Clark sidewalk sale, really was that warm. I like an “over rated” bag as I get cold easy having less than half a heart left and having been frost bit in the past, but I had never had a chance to use the super bag since getting it from Lewis and Clark last year. Now I am sorry I didn’t buy two of them as they are fantastic. I was toasty in it, even warmer and more comfortable than I am at home, thanks to the Base camp Maximum Thermorest pad under it. It has a breathable “tactel outside covering and is stuffed with Thermolite Extreme fiber, and uses premium slant tube construction and side walls and buffers. “WE” try to bring “some” spares on these winter trips, not just to be safe, but enough to also allow for beginners who have never river camped before in cold weather, so no one will have a bad trip or bad memories. The spares came in handy, as gloves were loaned for ones lost or misplaced, as were hats, extra layers of polypropylene, socks, and a minus 20 synthetic bag when a down bag got soaked from not using a dry bag. IF anyone got cold, it was from not admitting it or not asking. Also loaned out a pickle barrel dry container that was liked enough to have the borrower saying he wanted to buy a few of them. Sorry the rest of you missed out going with us this time, but there is always another trip and next time. We try to go about once a month when there is water where we are taking folks who want to go and try river camping. haven’t turned anyone away yet and when folks say they lack something, we try to come up with spares if we can or carpool where possible to reduce costs. Come with us sometime. Eric – you’ll never know if we have cookies or not if you don’t go on a trip

Upper Kings River January 1, 2009 Beta/(Upper Kings River)/(Marble to Marshal Ford section)
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/uv/?s … 0065,00060 m Water level was 4.15 yesterday and the CFS per the USGS was about 500, but this gauge is way down stream and provides only a little correlation to actual conditions. Gauge Hype- (Any Dragging, Bumping Bottom, High Water, Current Speed, Hazards, Portages, Comments on River Level Conditions, etc.) [/color:1cks9t5u] Where we were, I’d guesstimate we had maybe 100CFS. A rule of thumb I would use for this stream is if it is green and the sky is sunny and the level is probably holding or falling, and the low water bridge at the put-in is dry by 18″ or more, go ahead and put on. Not sure I’d want to catch this stream if it was muddy and the skys were threatening to dump more and probably gets very exciting to flat out dangerous when water is high enough to be going over the low water bridges. The level that we ran at produced a half a dozen scrapes in 11 miles, but no get out and walks due to being too shallow. 4.5 on the gauge might have made for no scrapes, but who knows as there is little correlation with the gauge way down stream. Bob says he has run it with the gauge lower, but the river higher. Water was about 3-4 foot below the low water bridge we crossed at the put-in, but I didn’t measure it as I didn’t know to and this was my first time here, just following Painter Bob. Ok, I’m basically a slacker, but at least I am typing this up. Wish I had measured it. That’s what tape measures are for and how better river beta comes about. Guess I need to put a tape measure back in the Suburban or on my check list. River gauge would be a good idea here, particularly a recording and transmitting gauge. Steady mild current, less than half a knot, in the pools. At this level, class one all the way, with more water it would become Class II to even as high as V+ and much faster. Suspect it rises quickly and has the potential to flash as it gets tight in spots. Average width at this level 50 foot across, with some sections and chutes necking down to 5 to 10 foot, and curent pushing into undercut shelfs in a few places. Think Flat creek in Missouri with fewer snags, and better scenery, and Buffalo style Bluffs. Hazards include: snags – lot of wood on this section, but today, nothing to portage, although we had to swat limbs in places. Could change with any highwater event so you will never know from one run to the next. Suspect bottoms and channels shift as well. 60-100 steel chicken shipping containers and other farm debris. Looked like someone might have tried to build a bridge out of them or a retaining wall in the past and it got swept away in a high water event. Some of these wire cargotainers and feed troughs have have sharp metal exposed but none were in positions to be a hazard to us today. Could change on a future trip. I would classify the two low water bridges you must portage as potential hazards. The 2 required portages are both for low water bridges. First was an easy portage on left, but you need to be careful of exposed rebar. This “bridge” had not been used or maintained in a while and is made of concrete and pipe grates to cover the sections between the concrete. Parts have been washed away and large amounts of wood had washed up on top of it and underneath the pipe grate sections to make seives and debris down stream could be a potential sieve as well. At higher water one might boof it on center right if it looks like it is flushing, but I’d be careful and probably walk river left. Second required portage is a much better maintained and more modern low water bridge constructed of small metal drain pipes set in concrete and dropping maybe 2-3 feet while going under bridge, with about 6 feet of drop from the top of the bridge to the water below today. Bob said he had portaged to left in past, Susan and I liked the right this time. Would not try to boof this one if it is high and a horizon line, as I suspect it gets a bad hydrallic at high water judgeing by bottom scour behind it at low water. You know it is coming up as you can hear it, and you will cross under a foot suspension bridge over the river just before it. [color=#0000FF:1cks9t5u]Map Links-[/color:1cks9t5u] Sorry, don’t have any, but if you are on HW 412 and you get to the Marble truck stop going east, you went about a mile too far. Doesn’t matter as it is a great place to gas up and get food and drinks. The staff there is always friendly and the bathrooms are clean with real green marble sinks (and warm in winter and cold in summer). Susan is impressed by clean bathrooms and some of the other places on the drive over make out houses look good. The Marble truck stop’s catfish nuggets and hand made sandwiches are favorites of mine and many other paddlers when we come and go to the Buffalo as well. The turn off to the put-in is to the left (north) just after the bridge on HW 412 over Onion Creek, and there is a Bright Yellow/Gold house in a field to the left before the turnoff which is down and sort of blind. You go over the low water bridge this dirt/gravel road brings you to in a few hundred yards and then park in a dirt/grass/gravel lot on the left where there is a sign. GPS coordinates in Tom Kennon’s Guide book say 36.8612N latitude 35.623 W longitude [color=#0000FF:1cks9t5u]Class at Observed Level- (I through VI on that Trip’s specific river level) [/color:1cks9t5u] Class I, but it could/and would get higher with more water. Beginners might call it a II, because of the maneuvering around the snags, but it was nothing difficult if you paid attention. [color=#0000FF:1cks9t5u]Distance- (River Miles)[/color:1cks9t5u] 11 miles per Tom Kennon’s book “Ozark Whitewater”. 11.25 miles in his “A Canoeing and kayaking Guide to the Ozarks”. Didn’t take a GPS with us this time. [color=#0000FF:1cks9t5u]Float Plan- (Day trip, Overnighter, Cooler Canoe, Kayak, Raft, Whitewater, etc.) [/color:1cks9t5u] Day trip. Bob was in his 14′ Royalex Bell Wildfire, Susan was in her 14’5″ Perception Carolina sea kayak, and I was in my 16′ Mad River Endurall, aka the cargo barge. Bob and I did not have any floatation and Susan did not have a sprayskirt. At higher water, sparayskirts and floatbags would be a good idea if not a necessity. You might could overnight this if you picked a secluded spot to pitch camp and didn’t stand out with bright colors, but the river is surrounded by private farm land in most spots when it doesn’t have a bluff right next to it. Not as many gravel bars as on the Buffalo, although the scenery is mightly nice. Allow 5-6 hours to float it and maybe longer at low water. WE did it in 4 or slightly less including a leisurely 30 minute lunch break on a gravel bar across from a bluff, but Susan was paddleing fast with my Lendel Powermaster racing stick to stay warm in her sea kayak as she wasn’t wearing a dry suit, and I forgot to pack her sprayskirt. Bob and I were paddleing all out to keep her in sight in our canoes. You laugh, but she is fast in that boat with that paddle and has less wind resistance than our canoes and it was windy/gusty at times today. Started out in low 40′s and didn’t get much warmer. Shady curves still had Icicles on the bluffs over the water, and icecubes falling off of branches I batted out of my way didn’t noticably melt in my canoe. [color=#0000FF:1cks9t5u]No. of People-[/color:1cks9t5u] 3 [color=#0000FF:1cks9t5u]Shuttle- (Hired Shuttle, Shuttle Length, Paved, Dirt, Mountain Bike Friendly, etc.)[/color:1cks9t5u] We ran the shuttle ourselves. About 12 miles. Was easy and would have been 2 wheel drive friendly as it is mostly paved, with only short gravel segments at either end, on well maintained roads. To get to the take out for this section at Marshal Ford Road from the put-in, cross back over the low water bridge and go west 6.2 miles (and not east as in Tom Kennon’s book) on HW 412. Turn right (north) onto HW 127 when you see the sign for ALABAM and stay on HW 127 for about 1.5 miles. Turn right onto Marshal Ford Road just before the fire department and go to the bridge at Marshal Ford. It’s about 4 miles, once you leave HW 127. Park on river left side of bridge, but do not block the takeout to old low water bridge remains and stay out of areas marked private property. Carpool if possible as there isn’t much room for parking, legally. I wouldn’t rate the shuttle as mountain bike friendly as HW412 is up down curvey and has too many folks who do 55MPH+++ and the shoulders are not meant for foot traffic or bicycles in many spots, but i am not a mountain biker. NOTE: Arkansas State Troopers do patrol this section of HW 412 heavily, along with county sheriff’s department. We saw one at an accident scene and another having pulled over a speeder on the shuttle protion of HW 412. I think and I have heard this is a “zero tolorance” section of the highway for speed limits and heresay is that they are tough on DUI’s there and will assume you have beer if you have boats, so don’t have an open container while driving shuttle. Painter Bob said he had heard the same and he too always sees troopers sitting, on patrol, or with someone pulled over in this area. Thefts at the Put-in are not said to be a problem, but Bob locked the boats up with a chain and padlock to be sure. Some reports of thefts and break-ins at takeout but we did not have a problem. Lot of local law enforcement and firefighters said to float and play on lower sections of river in warmer months on regular basis, so that may help. [color=#0000FF:1cks9t5u]Visual- (Points of Interest, Gravel Bars, Springs, Waterfalls, Formations, Historical, Bluffs, Wildlife, Wild Flowers/Plants, Other Boaters, etc.) [/color:1cks9t5u] Rich scenic value all day long on this section, enough to be distracting when you should be paying attention to the current, and you are always having to catch up if you are taking pictures. Bluffs on both sides of river are very pretty in the sun and also in shade with icicles hanging off of them. Bluff sections are interspersed with farm land, but nearly as many bluffs as on the Buffalo, just not as high. Not many gravel bars. A few springs and seeps. Didn’t see any waterfalls, but wouldn’t surprise me to hear there are some close by off of the river. Don’t know anything about the historical or geological background of this area, but it was rich with wild life. We saw at least a half a dozen eagles who kept flying farther down stream and perching on low limbs, before finally over flying us on their way back upstream. We saw otters, beaver sign, a Horned owl, several hawks, a couple of Osprey, Red headed, Downy, and Hairy woodpeckers, Mallard ducks, Grey herron, kingfishers, squirrels, and the banks were covered with coon, skunk, opposum, deer, herron, and duck tracks if you looked. Bob and I found 8 “friendship rocks” (rocks with holes in them all the way through) on the gravel bar we ate lunch at. We left the Duckpin bowling ball sized one as Gretchen already has one of those. Saw a few small mouth and black bass, but the water being a milky green makes them hard to spot, unlike the lower Buffalo. Not many plants blooming this time of year but the winter remains around some of the seeps and springs indicate that the fern population must do well in the spring and summer. This is a mostly hard wood forest in the surrounding lands with some cedars. You will see reeds, river willows, and tamarisks along the sides in groves in places. We had the river to ourselves, and only saw two landowners on the lower half who had come down to the river to exercise their dogs and sit in lawn chairs. [color=#0000FF:1cks9t5u]Audio- (Wildlife, Waterfalls, etc.) [/color:1cks9t5u] Just the usual herron and woodpecker calls for this many birds, and the sound of the second low water bridge to be portaged. Squirrels were barking at us, but the owl refused to talk with Painter Bob when he tried to converse with it. [color=#0000FF:1cks9t5u]Overall Hype- (Comments, Recommendations, Tips, Warnings, Weather, Anecdotes, Stories, Lying, Bragging, etc.)[/color:1cks9t5u] I’d recommend this trip to others for it’s scenic beauty. It was well worth it and pretty enough to be distracting. Susan was so engrossed with looking at the light play on a bluff with the reflections of the water, that she didn’t realize in time the current was pushing her underneath a 6 foot overhanging shelf, only waist to head high and sharp at the start and shallower farther underneath it, in one of the narrow stretches with current. That combined with my forgetting to pack her sprayskirt, gave us our first swim of the year as she bounced along for 50 feet under the shelf where it was about 6″ off of the water, hanging onto her boat and paddle and sputtering instructions to me until we got her on the end of my canoe and Bob got her kayak. Really wasn’t room to roll up under that shelf anyway, and she paid more attention to the water after that. In hind sight, all she might have done besides paying more attention and not being there in the first place was to lean into or turn into the rock, but it was sharp and in her face, and she had lost her situational awareness. At the level we did it, this was all an easy class I, maybe II for beginners. Tom Kennon’s book says it can get dangerous above 6 feet. I believe that, BUT the gauge is so far away down stream as to give it little correlation other than maybe how it has been dropping over time. Make trip decisions based on weather history and forecast as well as the USGS gauge. I’ll add a link to this beta for pictures when I get the camera unloaded. Susan gave me a Pentax Optio W30 for Christmas and this was my first river trip with it. Don’t promise any great shots as I haven’t finished reading the manual yet, but I shot a few that should give you an idea of how pretty this section is. We will go back there again. And for the record I didn’t take any cookies, but I did have 3 thermoses of hot tea and a barrel full of dry clothes and emergency gear to complement what Painter Bob took. I need to lose some weight after the Holidays. I will make them if I know a bunch of y’all are coming along. Maybe someone can chime in with the grology and history of the area. Sorry y’all missed out on this great New Years Day Trip, and hope to paddle with you in 2009.
Re: Upper Kings River January 1, 2009
And here is the link to the photo’s to go with the upper Kings River trip of 1-01-09 With Painter Bob and Susan Esche http://community.webshots.com/album/569 … VQ?start=0 Will try to do better in the future – first time on river using my christmas present from Susan and haven’t finished reading the manual yet. Eric

crooked creek /kellys slab to yellville jan 3 2009 //
just 2 and1/2 miles which took 1 hour of very leisurly paddling. winding interesting, and fun float. senic ,but not as senic as the buffoloe river near by. up to maybe class 2 rapids . water was super clean. i hear in the summer its not that clean. was a fun, senic and interesting float , i liked the creek much more then i was expecting too. the 2 people and 2 dogs in the canue give it a thumbs up. the gage is no longer there, bummer.

northfork river/twin bridges to hammond camp 2/28/09
water level gage 2.82 This section is 5 miles long. we scraped bottom a couple places. i would say this is the lowest water level with out having to get out of your boat at all. scenic, narrow winding section of the northfork. be aware twin bridges charges 3 dollars a boat to put in there. class 1+ at this level

buffaloe river/. pruitt to hasty / gage 4.1 and 6.1 march 21 and 22./
omp sponsered float. /saterday-pruitt gage at 4.1./can float with camping gear with out walking at this leval. but much lower at all and you would be dragging.sunday pruitt gage at 6.1./ world of diffrence. river up and flowing real good. can drtift most the way and just steer and still move at decent speed.

This month’s member float is being hosted THIS WEEKEND (Jan 28) by Dawn Whitener on the Buffalo River. This will be a Saturday day-float with camping at the take-out so everyone is close to their gear, blankets, and extra clothes! Show up Friday to camp with the early birds or come down early Saturday to catch the shuttle. Allen Moore is on deck with firewood, so everyone is sure to keep warm for this one. Our trusty float leader is keeping us in the loop on the OMP Meetup page, so check there for the latest and greatest information on this month’s member float.

Saturday, December 10^th
OMP Annual Christmas Party hosted by the Peace’s

This year, we’re gathering at Mike and Susie Peace’s for Ed’s famous deep fried turkey and burnt ends from Three Pig’s Barbeque. Bring a side dish, your mess kit, and a cooler of your favorite frosty beverage to enjoy out by the fire. There’s plenty of floor space for bags and tons of room to pitch a tent for those who want to stay put and enjoy the holiday spirits. Come early to lend a hand; we’ll start serving just before 7 p.m. Hope to see you there!

November 10th at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center
This month’s member meeting features a recognition ceremony of this past year’s star volunteers alongside a chili contest! So show up hungry with a crock pot of your favorite recipe and check out the cool swag and river essentials people earned this year.

Winning recipe to be featured in the Sertoma Chili Cook-Off February 18th! Plus, the winner will get a sweet traveling trophy.  You bring the heat, and we’ll take care of the cornbread and coffee.

Date Change

Some work schedule changes forced us to move the monthly float to Saturday, November 19 instead of the 12th.  We hope this will not be an inconvenience for any of you who might have been planning to join us.

We’re excited to paddle an old-time family favorite, the Eleven Point River.  We’ll arrive at Greer Crossing on Friday evening and camp both Friday and Saturday nights.  Please meet us there by 8am on Saturday morning, prepared to drop your gear and run the vehicles to the take out.

Greer River Access, Eleven Point River

We’ll do a group dinner Saturday evening for those camping with us at Greer.  Bring your favorite Mexican dish.  We’ll provide shredded chicken to compliment tacos, nachos or fajitas.  We’ll also provide some home-made salsa.  Please RSVP to c.claybaker@mac.com or comment on this post so we can work out any remaining details.

This is an 11-mile stretch of river with beautiful blue-green and very cold water.  You can read more about it here if you’d like.  Non-members are invited to join us for an introduction to the club; I’ll have waivers available for them to sign if they do.

We hope to see you there!

~by Michael Baird

I would just like to say that soon be I’ll be providing more details about the incentive program, revealing a new t-shirt design, and sharing some other things the board has been working on this year. If you haven’t submitted your events, we’ve extended the deadline to October 13^th. This month’s meeting will be your last chance to report points, as awards are set to be handed out during the November meeting. Let us know how you contributed to the club this year! All OMP sanctioned events, like the Iron Man or the Wonders of Wildlife Canoe Clinic, COUNT! We have tech tees, super comfy fleece, Nalgene bottles, and 50/50 blend t-shirts for our star volunteers and participants.

You’ve earned it!

Thursday, October 13^th, 7p.m.
@ the Springfield Conservation Nature Center

As the weather turns cooler, we begin packing our boats with cold-weather essentials like neoprene and wool. This month, our guest speaker will show us how to rig a boat for winter paddling, as well as share a few tips about dressing for success out on the winter water trail.

Do have a few of your own tricks? The floor is open to anyone who has gear advice for wet and cold weather paddling.