“There are some rivers that make your
life a song” (with
apologies to Lee Everson)
It has been
over 30 years since we paddled the Buffalo National Scenic River in Arkansas
and vowed to come back to explore the other streams in the Ozark National
Scenic Waterway. We made some sincere efforts; e.g. we had reservations twice,
but life got in the way. Our top priority was the Current River in MO. paddling
friends said it was the absolute premier waterway and showed us unbelievable
photos of crystal clear water, deep blue/aquamarine springs, towering rock bluffs,
caves, historic sites, wild horses, and the spanking current that gives this
river its name.
After almost
a year of medical issues and family demands we saw a window of opportunity for
putting another check on the Bucket List. Thinking that our long time “gang”
(aka “The Usual Suspects”) were unavailable, I opted to post the trip on
several canoe/kayak FB pages, but to limit the number of boats to 20. The list
was full within a few days. We agreed to
Base Camp at Eminence Canoe, Campground, & Cabins at Eminence, MO and to do
day trips on four sections of the Current and one section of the Jack’s Fork.
This worked well because we had folks who stayed in the campground, the cabins,
and the hotel. By mid-September we had 17 paddlers who had made their
reservations and were ready to go.
Butch and I
arrived in Eminence on Friday evening, 9/22. This gave us two days to check out
the access points and to gather information about the conditions as I had never
led a large group on an unknown river before. Our group (they named themselves
the “Lolly Gaggers”) arrived on Sunday afternoon. The owners at ECC provided us
with a pavilion for our first meet & greet, so we had Happy Hour followed
by a Pot Luck dinner.
The final 17
included: Liz Carter/Butch Horn (FL& NC), CJ Weinman/Jay Greenbaum (FL),
Linda Meadows (Fl), Tina Ciaramitaro (MS), Pam/Richard Sullivan (GA), Darcy
Douglas (GA), Kerrie Barloga (FL), Henry Dorfman (OH), Leigh/John Helton (AL),
Mike/ Usi Raffield (FL), Penny Greenier (OH), and John Lorenz (FL). Thankfully,
Mike Raffield and John Helton brought copious trailers which made it possible to
simplify our shuttles. Our fall-back plan was to use commercial outfitters for
shuttles but thanks to John and Mike, we didn’t have to do so.
It was
amazing how quickly everyone got acquainted and helped each other make shuttle
plans. Before bedtime canoes/kayaks were moved around, loaded, and ready for
the following day.
