Current River Trip March 12-13, 2005
By Chris Collins
We met at Tan Vat access about 2:30 PM Friday. Participants included Art Boileau, Gary Feist, Chris Collins, Steven Deyoe, Bob Hoopes and his friend Ruth. The shuttle to Akers Ferry took about two hours including changing a flat tire on Steven Deyoe’s Cherokee. We launched about 4:30 PM and set up camp 1.2 miles downstream across the river from Baptist Camp Access. This turned out to be a really great campsite. Sand and leaves provided a nice cushion and there was an abundant supply of firewood to help dry out Art Boileau’s paddle clothing.
Saturday morning, we waited till about 9:00 AM hoping that Dan Wilson finished striping a cotton field and would be able to meet up with us at Baptist Camp. We missed Dan and ended up launching about 9:30 AM. Except for rescuing Art, the day was uneventful and relaxing. I am sure Art was wasted by the day’s end. We took turns rescuing him, his boat and his paddle.
Art’s 14 ½ foot touring kayak was just to difficult to maneuver around the many tight turns, small rapids and strainers. He is going to try a short inflatable like the Aire Tomcat. Compared to Art’s touring kayak, the Tomcat will be much more maneuverable, more stable, self draining and won’t require a wet-exit or an Eskimo roll.
If you think you are too old to play with us, Art is 75 years old and despite about 6 swims he had a great time and is ready to go again. It is all about proper clothing! I think Steven was the only one under 50. We need more family participation on our trips. Paddling is such a great way to spend quality time with your kids or grandchildren.
Saturday, we visited the several sites along the river that included a homestead, closed cave, an old one-room schoolhouse and Welch Spring. The weather was perfect with sunshine and temperatures in the mid-seventies. Several people in our group were shedding their shirts to soak up the warm sun. We saw no other paddling groups on or off the river. It was pretty much ALL ours. We did share it with about a dozen very nice trout fishermen and one fisherwoman.
Our plan for Saturday night was to locate a campsite about 2 miles from Akers Ferry, finish the trip Sunday morning and head for home by Noon. We scouted about three potential campsites. None were especially inviting so we continued to Akers Ferry and then drove back up river to Cedargrove Campground where we camped Saturday night.
Sunday morning, Art helped Bob Hoopes and Ruth with a shuttle, and then hung around for some alone time with his camera and nature. The rest of us headed home. It was great to get home before dark. The total distance covered was about 16 miles and it took about 8 hours including breaks, rescues and exploring. The guidebook indicated a river trip speed of slower than 2 mph so we were pretty close.
For those of you that might wonder as I did, this section of the Current was almost exactly like the North Fork of the White River in difficulty and visual appearance. The big difference I noticed was the absence of private property signs and a few more spring strainers and traps that will probably be cleaned up once the float season begins. The Current is surrounded by government land. The caves were closed to protect the endangered Gray Bat. There were many abandoned buildings to visit. Apparently the government condemned properties for the National Scenic Riverway and gave many people a life estate so they could stay till they died.
We all tried to provide each other with entertainment, but Gary Feist gets the weekend Oscar. Instead of bringing only what he needed to camp two nights on the river, Gary brought about a weeks supply of almost everything and left his tent at home because he did not have room. We stopped at a “dollar” store in Licking, MO so he could purchase a ninety-seven cent 3 foot by 5 foot tarp which he unsuccessfully supported with a paddle and sticks. His sleeping bag was about 8 times larger than any other sleeping bag in the group and I would guess it must have weighed 32 lbs. His small sleeping bag completely filled a large NRS “Bill” bag. “But it was warm!” said Gary. He brought a whole case of bottled water, etc., etc., etc. He slept in his inflatable kayak both nights. The first night his boat went flat and his sleeping bag got soaked from water that was trapped in the boat, and the list goes on. Thank you Gary, from all of us. You added quite a bit of color to our trip.
All joking aside, Gary thanks for being the first to watch after and rescue your good buddy, and our friend, Art.
Carpooling makes these trips affordable. Gas was $2.09 in KS and about ten to twelve cents less in MO. Three of us shared gas, camping and parking fees. It cost $34 each.
In summary, you can believe all the hype about the Current River. This beautiful and outstanding river is a “must float” river for all of us.
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