Float #156: Courtois Creek

Berryman to Huzzah Conservation Area

Courtois Creek
Crawford County, Missouri
Saturday, March 3, 2018
15 Miles

Temperature: 61˚/33˚
Wind: SE at 11mph
Water Level: 3.6 at Huzzah gage

It’s time for 2018 floating season, and I am already well behind on writing blog posts! Our first trip of the year was on March 3rd. We had some good rain earlier in the week and planned on doing Big Creek, but the water level dropped too much by the time the weekend hit. So we went to the Courtois instead. This was DW’s first real paddle trip since his shoulder surgery in fall of 2017. He did well, but was pretty tired by the time we were done! Our brother-in-law Henry came along with us on this one. The weather was pretty nice for early March and was one of the few days this spring with warm temps and sunshine.

Encountering a tree portage

DW and Ocoee

Clear water of the Courtois

We started our trip at Berryman access. Henry took his new kayak that he bought for his wife (my sister Emily). The new kayak has a bit of a keel, so it was hard to maneuver on the twisty Courtois, but Henry managed it alright. Except for the part where he dumped his new phone in the creek. Always tether your valuables to your boat or your person!

We encountered a few portages where a tree had fallen across the creek and was impossible to paddle under or around. But those were in the uppermost few miles and most of the creek was easily navigable. We had a decent water level too and didn’t have any low areas to scrape our boats on.

Juvenile Bald Eagle

We saw a fair amount of wildlife on this trip including one adult Bald Eagle and two juveniles. Henry raced a beaver in his boat (the beaver won). And we saw some deer, in addition to the usual array of birds and turtles.

It was a nice start to the paddle season. The cold, rainy weather and our busy schedules made it hard to get much water time in this spring. Our next trip was the annual Easter float in Arkansas, which was a lot of fun!

Critter Count: Turtles, Kingfishers, Herons, 3 Bald Eagles, Deer, Turkey, 1 Beaver

2017: Year In Review

2017 was a good year for paddling, even though we seem to be slowing down a bit in the number of miles we do per year. The best part about this year was taking my niece and nephew on their first overnight trips, and getting my sister Emily into kayaking a bit more. We had a stretch of warm weather early in the year and got to paddle the Eleven Point in the winter for the first time. The epic flooding in May tore up many of our Ozark streams and drastically changed parts of familiar rivers. DW did the MR340 this year, though we did not document it on the blog. He came in 9th in the Men’s Solo Kayak division, which is pretty damn good for someone paddling a stock plastic kayak!

Here’s a look back at 2017.

Float Stats

Number of trips in 2017: 16

Number of rivers floated: 10

Miles paddled: 223

Best critter sighting: A snake eating a fish on the Jack’s Fork

Best bonus prize: 2 cheap kayak paddles found on the Jack’s Fork

 

Best Photos

My favorite photo from each trip on the blog this year.

Bourbeuse River

Eleven Point River

Meramec River

Courtois River

Big Piney River

Mulberry River

Mulberry River

Jack’s Fork River

Jack’s Fork River

Eleven Point River

Eleven Point River

North Fork River

North Fork River

Mississippi River

Current River

 

Float #153 – #155: Current River

Pulltite to Two Rivers

Current River
Shannon County, Missouri
Friday, September 29 – Sunday, October 1, 2017
27 Miles

Temperature: Friday 82˚/50˚, Saturday 82˚/51˚, Sunday 81˚/48˚
Wind: Friday NE at 4mph, Saturday ENE at 6mph, Sunday ESE at 7mph
Water Level: 1.15 at Akers gage

DW and I managed to slip away for a weekend on the Current River for our wedding anniversary. We used to do a 4 or 5 day float on the Current for our anniversary every year, but we are much busier with work these days and rarely have time for a leisurely trip of that length. We took Friday off work, loaded up the canoe, my kayak, and our dog Ocoee and drove down to Two Rivers for our boat shuttle. Two Rivers outfitter has changed quite a bit since the big flood back in May. Their building was completely gone and they were operating out of an RV that they had been living in all summer. The people at the outfitter were friendly as usual and were upbeat and positive about rebuilding and getting things back to normal over the following year. We loaded our boats and gear in their van and were dropped off at Pulltite to start our trip a little before noon. The weather that weekend was in the low 80s, warm enough during the day but a bit chilly at night, but not really hot enough to do much swimming in the cold water of the Current.

Pulltite spring

Fire Hydrant spring

DW preps camp

We spent the afternoon leisurely drifting down the river and casually casting out a fishing line. We didn’t make too many miles the first day as we were occupied with relaxing and the peace that comes with having nowhere to be and all day to get there. We scouted for camping spots in the late afternoon and found a decent one a couple hours before sunset. DW gathered firewood while I set up the tent and Ocoee napped on the gravel bar. That dog gets really worn out sitting in a canoe doing nothing all day!

Sinking Creek confluence

Ocoee gets a bath

Sunset on the river

The second day on the river was much the same as the first. We stopped for lunch at the big gravel bar on Sinking Creek. Ocoee got a much needed bath in the river, which he was thrilled about. DW and I spent about an hour laying in the sun and drifting in and out of sleep. We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves! After we passed Round Spring we began to look for a campsite and found a pretty good one on a large gravel bar with lots of firewood. We had a wonderful meal of camp burritos and watched the sun set over the river. It was one of the best sunsets I’ve seen on the river in a while!

Mink

The next day we had to hoof it, because we spent the first two days drifting along and not getting very far. I think we had 16 or 17 miles to do on Sunday! Fortunately we are both good paddlers accustomed to long trips. We paddled for a couple hours straight and managed to knock out the majority of the remaining miles. The fall colors were just getting started and we saw the usual array of waterfowl, deer, turtles, an eagle, and a mink. The mink was running along the bank and kept stopping to peek at us from behind the branches. I managed to get a photo of his minky little face.

We got off the river by early evening and did the 2 hour drive home to fall asleep and get back to work the next day. I’m glad we were able to get away for a couple days with just the two of us and the river. This was the last float trip we did in 2017. DW had shoulder surgery in late October to fix a few years worth of injuries from multiple dislocations. He was in a sling for a little over a month and is still in physical therapy trying to get back in shape before spring. Until then, I will have to paddle him down the river in the canoe!

Critter Count: Hawks, Herons, Kingfishers, Turtles, 1 Bald Eagle, Deer, 1 Mink

Float #152: Mississippi River

Wittenberg to Red Star

Mississippi River
Perry and Cape Counties, Missouri
Sunday, September 3, 2017
28 Miles

Temperature: 89˚/57˚
Wind: SW at 5mph
Water Level: 18.3 at Cape Girardeau gage

Long time, no posts! The past few months have flown by. DW and I have been very busy with work and then DW had shoulder surgery in October to repair injuries from several dislocations over the years. So we have not been paddling since September, and I am just now getting around to posting the last two floats we did this year.

We did our annual Mississippi float with DW’s Dad and a couple other friends. Last year we took out at Wittenberg, so this year we put in there and paddled down to Red Star Access at Cape Girardeau. The shuttle for this float is pretty long, over an hour each way, so we had some help shuttling vehicles from others who were not paddling that day.

Putting on at Wittenberg

Tower Rock

Dried mud field

The main sights on this trip were Tower Rock, which is just down from Wittenberg and a big sandbar a few miles down from there. Tower Rock is aptly named as it is an island composed of a tall rock with a channel that flows on either side. This landmark is a historic place, as it is mentioned as far back as the early French settlers in the late 1600s. Some years the water level gets low enough that you can walk out to Tower Rock from the shore.

We stopped at the big sandbar as well and did some beach combing. There wasn’t much to see except dried mud and a few birds. I did pick up a new barge rope for my dogs.

The water that day was pretty calm for the Mississippi and the weather wasn’t too hot, so it was a pretty pleasant day for paddling the big river. We did see quite a few barges and lots of people out in their speedboats enjoying the holiday weekend.

Cape Girardeau bridge

We stopped again near Cape Rock park just a little bit before the end of our trip. There is a nice little beach there where we watched some barges go by. I think I may have taken a shallow dip in the river, a little dirt therapy is good for the soul. We ended our trip in the late afternoon. It was fairly uneventful, but a pleasant paddle all the same. We’ve done the section from Cape Girardeau down to Commerce several times, so I don’t know where we will put in for next year. We may start farther upriver closer to St. Louis and knock out a few of those sections.

 

Float #150 & #151: North Fork River

Twin Bridges to Patrick Bridge

North Fork of the White River
Ozark County, Missouri
Saturday, July 22 & Sunday, July 23, 2017
18 Miles

Temperature: Saturday 96˚/73˚, Sunday 95˚/73˚
Wind: Saturday SW at 3mph, Sunday SW at 2mph
Water Level: Saturday 2.65, Sunday 2.64 at Tecumseh gage

This post is long overdue! Life has gotten busy and time got away from me. I’ve got a small stack of trip reports to write up from the summer, so here’s to hoping I get to them all in a more timely fashion.

This particular weekend in July was a hot one, as most of this summer has been. We decided to head for a cold river, but having just done the Eleven Point we opted for the North Fork, which is about the same amount of driving and just as cold. It has been a few years since we’ve been there so it was nice to get back. On this trip we were joined by my sister Emily and her family, her friend Taylor and their family, and my best friend Cassie. We drove down early Saturday morning to Twin Bridges access, dropped the gear and then DW and Henry drove the shuttle down to our take out at Patrick Bridge. The North Fork had been hit pretty hard with the flooding in May and many of the public accesses and campgrounds were closed due to the extensive damage. I had a hard time discerning what was and wasn’t closed from the information I could find online, so I called the outfitter at Twin Bridges and they helped me figure it out.

Putting on at Twin Bridges

Marge the Barge

DW and Ocoee run the low water bridge

Picnic table in a tree. That’s how high the water was in the flood.

The first few hours of paddling were pretty low water. We didn’t have to portage, but it was definitely scraping the boats in many spots (especially the canoes). There are no major springs until you get to Blue Spring, so the water was a bit warmer in this section as well. But it was still very clear and the scenery was beautiful. We saw our first sign of the flooding, a picnic table suspended in a treetop well over our heads. It is so surreal to see where the high water line was and imagine that volume of water moving through the landscape.

Hwy. CC Bridge completely destroyed from flooding.

What is left of the bridge.

Hammond Camp access

The picnic table in the tree was just the tip of the iceberg as far as flood damage on the North Fork. Soon, we arrived at Hammond Camp, an access we have used in previous years. It used to be very wooded and now it is scraped to the bare rocks. The new bridge at Hwy. CC was completely destroyed. The bridge was twisted up and washed just downstream, a massive hunk of broken steel and concrete. It will take many years for this area to recover.

Blue Spring

Henry and Silas take the plunge.

Henry shows off.

Emily and the girls take their turn.

Our camp for the evening.

Our first stop of the day was at Blue Spring, a nice spring hole that bubbles up on the left side of the river. We spent some time relaxing in the cold water, and many of our group jumped off the short rock ledge into the pool. The rest of the day was a nice, relaxing float. About 4 miles past Blue Spring Rainbow Spring enters the river. This is the largest spring on the North Fork, but it is private property and you can’t see the spring boil from the river. The water really turns cold once Rainbow Spring joins the river! We soon found a good site for our overnight camp, a large gravel bar with ample firewood. We set up camp, ate our dinner and enjoyed the evening under the stars. Henry brought his hammock to sleep in, but the only trees to hang it from were directly over the river, so that’s where he slept! Seems pretty damp to me, but he enjoyed it.

McKee Bridge

Cassie runs The Falls.

Destroyed cabins

The next morning dawned bright and hot. We sweated our way through breakfast and packing up camp and were soon headed downstream once again. There were quite a lot of broken trees and scoured gravel banks on this portion of the river. The next landmark is the McKee bridge, which we were able to float under. There are many nice homes along this area. It didn’t look like too many of them were damaged beyond repair from the flood. However, River of Life (an outfitter known for riverside cabins) was very badly damaged. All of their riverside cabins were a tangled mess of debris even though the structures were built high up on stilts. Soon after McKee bridge is The Falls, a small rock ledge that makes for a fun little drop. Everyone made it through without incident and we paddled onward toward our takeout.

A large log jam

Patrick Bridge

Whats left of the pit toilet at Patrick Bridge.

Althea Spring

We arrived at Patrick Bridge access around 4:30pm. This access was also a mess of downed trees and debris. Althea Spring is located a short walk downstream from here. At least, it used to be a short walk. Now it is a jungle of logs and vegetation that will take a lot of chainsaw hours to clear. Althea Spring was such a beautiful area and I hope it will return to it’s former glory.

We enjoyed our trip to the North Fork, though it was sad to see so many of it’s natural areas worse for wear from the flooding. Nature usually bounces back eventually, though the public access areas will take a lot of time and money to recover.

Critter Count: Bald Eagles, ducks, deer, herons, turtles

 

Float #148 & #149: Eleven Point River

Greer Spring to Riverton

Eleven Point River
Oregon County, Missouri
Saturday, July 1 & Sunday, July 2, 2017
19 Miles

Temperature: Saturday 87˚/63˚, Sunday 88˚/61˚
Wind: Saturday W at 4mph, Sunday SW at 4mph
Water Level: Saturday 4.15, Sunday 4.1 at Bardley gage

Independence Day weekend means Eleven Point float trip, so that’s what we did! We originally planned to do a 3 night trip from Cane Bluff to Myrtle, but there was rain in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday and Cane Bluff access was closed due to flood damage. So we just did our reliable standard from Greer to Riverton. This trip was just DW and me and our dog Ocoee. Since we’ve done this trip so many times before I won’t get into too much detail. More extensive trip reports for this section can be found on the blog. Just type Eleven Point in the search bar and they will come up.

We drove down early Saturday morning and set up a car shuttle with Hufstedler’s. The access at Greer was pretty crowded with people doing the same thing we were. After squeezing our boats and gear through the throng we were on the river by 11am. What a beautiful weekend it was!

Tree damage from flooding

Who wears short shorts?

River bank erosion from flooding

The Eleven Point was hit by the same epic flood that swept the rest of the Ozark Riverways back in late April. There was a lot of tree damage, some eroded banks, and the river had changed course or widened in a couple spots.

We started out our day with some fishing and both caught a few. I hooked a nice trout, but he jumped off the line before I got him out of the water. Those pesky trout tend to do that! DW made himself a really short pair of a swimming jorts (those are jean shorts if you don’t know) for the summer. I find them hilarious and he definitely gets some looks from people. One woman told him he was bringing back the 70s in an authentic way.

Me in Turner Mill Spring

DW jumps off Blackout Rock

We happened to meet a couple people that we’ve seen on the Eleven Point before. This trip is an annual occurrence for many. We paddled with them for a bit and caught up on life and river stories.

Our first stop was Turner Mill as usual. We dipped in the shockingly cold spring while Ocoee looked at us suspiciously and kept his distance. Ocoee is a smart dog with a good memory and he hates cold water and swimming in general (we may have thrown him in a spring or two before). He looks like a lab, but he’s all beagle at heart.

We traveled at a good pace even though we did not paddle much and mostly fished our way downstream. The river was up a little bit from normal and was moving at a good pace. We stopped at Blackout Rock (not the official name) so DW could dive off of it. It is called Blackout Rock because that’s where you finish your jug of liquor and then pass out before you get to camp. This story was told to us (and illustrated too) by the same people we see on the river every Independence day weekend. It’s a good name!

I saw a river otter on this trip. I’ve seen them on the Eleven Point before, but it is still a rare occurrence. This one popped his head up in the middle of the river and was crunching on some crawfish. River otters are fast and skittish, so I was unable to take a photograph. I don’t think I’ve ever been quick enough to catch an otter on camera!

The best campsite

Sunset on the river

Around late afternoon we started looking for a campsite. There had been rumors that some of the best gravel bars for camping had been washed out, but I didn’t find that to be the case. We were able to snag one of the best ones that we’ve camped at before. It’s a nice gravel bar with plenty of shade and firewood. The gravel bar was still mostly there, but the prime camping area had moved a bit from the original location. We had plenty of time to set up camp and chill out before nightfall. We built a nice fire and watched the sun paint the sky over the river as it dipped below the horizon. Soon hundreds of bats started their feeding and were swooping through the sky and zooming through our campground. I like bats because they are fun to watch and they also eat a lot of mosquitoes (mosquitoes like to eat me).

DW teases Ocoee at Boze Mill

Rockin’ the rapid at Halls Bay

Access damage from flooding

The next morning we slept in pretty late and got on the river sometime after 11am. We both had Monday and Tuesday off work for the holiday and it was so relaxing to have nowhere to be and all day to get there! We did some more fishing and swimming as we made our way downstream. We passed Greenbriar float camp, where we have stayed many times. It appeared to be completely washed out. There used to be a landing and some steps on the riverbank as well as a sign and a nice big sycamore tree. Now it is just a jumble of broken trees and mud. I hope they are able to repair it as Greenbriar was the nicest and largest of the float camps.

We stopped at Boze Mill for our mandatory dip in the freezing cold spring water. There were several people there including a couple locals we have talked with before. After a few dips and a chat we walked back to our boats. The spring was pushing out more water than usual and we were able to paddle our boats all the way to the stone wall. DW played around and surfed the wave coming out of the wall. Ocoee was not amused, as you can clearly see by his grumpy dog face. We then went through Halls Bay rapid which was bigger than usual and we were both thoroughly soaked. Some people were hanging out on the bank observing people coming through the rapid (it’s an excellent spot to watch people flip their boat). They said they’ve seen a lot of people wipe out in the rapid that day and were impressed that DW went through it perfectly while standing up! He is a pretty good canoeist (and a show off).

Riverton access came upon us all too quickly and we pulled off the river around 7pm. The access had its share of flood damage too. Some of the retaining walls had fallen in and there was some significant erosion. All the accesses and camping areas on the Eleven Point had been improved a few years ago so it is sad to see all that nice work destroyed. I hope they can get it repaired in a timely manner.

We left the Eleven Point feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and relaxed. It’s our favorite Missouri stream for a good reason!

Critter Count: Hawks, Herons, Turtles, 1 Otter

Float #146 & #147: Jacks Fork River

Buck Hollow to Alley Spring

Jacks Fork River
Shannon County, Missouri
Saturday, June 24 & Sunday, June 25, 2017
24 Miles

Temperature: Saturday 80˚/59˚, Sunday 86˚/56˚
Wind: Saturday NNW at 6mph, Sunday NW at 4mph
Water Level: Saturday 2.9, Sunday 2.8 at Eminence gage

We’ve done quite a few overnight trips on the Jacks Fork, but this one was special because it was the first overnight float trip for my niece (Celia) and nephew (Silas). They’ve been floating with us for a couple years now, but never camped out overnight on the gravel bar. We decided on the Jacks Fork because we had not been there yet this year, it’s a nice trip and my sister had not been floating down there since we were kids. The Jacks Fork and Current River area were our go-to family vacation spot for a number of years.

We paid Harvey’s Canoe Rental to run a car shuttle for us and drove up to Buck Hollow to unload all our gear. It’s a little bit of a walk from the unloading area to the riverside when you have a bunch of gear, but Silas helped carry the lighter stuff while the dogs ran around and Celia spent her time getting in trouble for throwing a fit because she had to wear sunscreen. We finally had everything situated and started paddling around 10:30am.

Ocoee oversees loading the boats

Emily and her trusty steed

Marge the Barge scrapes her way downstream

We usually stick to doing the upper portions of the Jacks Fork in the spring. There are fewer freshwater springs on the upper section, so it needs rainfall to be floatable. This late in the year it was just barely floatable. The kayaks made it through without scraping, but the fully loaded canoes had a bit more trouble. Especially Marge the Barge as she’s a heavy lady to begin with! This was probably the last weekend it was enjoyable for this summer unless we get a good amount of rainfall.

There was a significant flood back in late April/early May of this year that hit the Ozark Riverways pretty hard. It was one of those 500 year floods that happen every couple years or so. A lot of outfitters were wiped out and had to rebuild and the vegetation and riverbanks took quite a beating. We saw a few new scars from landslides, lots of rocks that had been displaced, gravel bars and banks scoured or relocated, and ripped up trees everywhere. There were some trees that had been stripped of all their branches, just a tall pole with a few new leaves starting to grow from the trunk.

A fresh new landslide

A tree stripped of branches

We stopped at Blue Spring for lunch and did some swimming where the spring water enters the river. Blue Spring had not changed much from the flooding, but Jam Up Cave was a bit different. Many of the large rocks and a couple boulders had been washed downstream from the entrance. It’s still jammed up, but not as much as it used to be. We also passed a river hazard warning sign, something I’ve never seen before on the river. There was a big tree trunk across the narrow river channel. I guess it was too big or too submerged to cut out. We walked our boats around it or pushed them over the log without any incident.

Blue Spring

Celia & Emily swimming in the spring water

Two dorks

Celia won

Flood damage

Jam Up Cave

River Hazard Sign

Eh, that’s not much of a hazard

By late afternoon, it was time to find a campsite. Henry was getting pretty tired paddling and scraping that heavy aluminum canoe down the river! With all the flood damage there was plenty of firewood available, but it took a while to find the perfect gravel bar that wasn’t full of large rocks. I paddled ahead and scouted several options. I know from experience that there is always a better site just around the bend! However, this time I found the best one, a large gravel bar across from a bluff with some sand to sleep on. We set up our camp and spent some time fishing while our fire got going. Celia and Silas really wanted to fish, but they have no idea how to cast a pole. DW let them reel his in a few times. He caught a small bluegill and let Silas reel it in. Then he cast the little fish out again so Celia could “catch” it too.

Celia & Silas at camp

Celia being silly

Henry, Silas, Emily & Celia

Safety dog always wears his PFD

After a good night’s sleep we woke up around 8:30am and started packing up while our breakfast burritos warmed on the fire. The kids went swimming within 10 minutes of being awake. One thing I have learned from this trip is you have to do shorter overnight trips with little kids. They are slow and want to stop and swim every 5 minutes!

Ocoee is so excited to be floating

The next day was pleasantly uneventful. We did a little fishing and a lot of swimming. DW saw a snake catching a small bass which was pretty cool. The snake hauled the fish out of the river and drug it up on the bank as it flopped around violently. Never seen that before! We also found two kayak paddles; both the cheap kind, but hey, free paddles! The river was still pretty low in spots all the way to the end. Once Alley Spring comes in the river gets more consistent water levels. We arrived at Alley around 6pm, which is kinda late for a Sunday, but those kids are more into swimming than paddling! The gravel bar at Alley has changed quite a bit. It is not as big as it used to be. The campground was pretty rough too. All the bathrooms were closed and there were only port-a-potties available. The park service has put in a lot of work to get things back to normal, but I imagine repairing all those bathrooms is a large job.

Celia, Silas and their dog Lucas

Twilight on the river

We had an excellent time on this trip. DW and I enjoyed taking our niece and nephew on their first overnight float trip and the kids enjoyed it too. I asked them if they had fun and if they wanted to do it again. Silas gave an enthusiastic “Yes!” and Celia said “Eh, maybe.” She’s a snarky brat like me!

Bonus Prize: 2 kayak paddles

Critter Count: Deer, Hawks, Herons, Turtles, 1 Snake

Float #143: Big Piney River

Mineral Springs to Boiling Springs

Big Piney River
Texas County, Missouri
Saturday, April 8, 2017
11 Miles

Temperature: 77˚/44˚
Wind: S at 15mph
Water Level: 4.75ft. at Big Piney gage

The Big Piney river is one of my favorites in Missouri. It’s a pretty river with excellent fishing and is usually not too crowded in the summer. This is a float trip we have done before, so if you want more detail about this stretch read Float #129.

We were joined on this float by our friends Lucas & Kristine and our brother-in-law Henry. Lucas & Kristine don’t float with us often, so it was really nice to be with them on the river. It was a sunny day, although a bit too cold for getting in the water.

Early to mid-April is probably my favorite time of year for floating in Missouri. Spring is starting to really get going. There is plenty of water in the rivers. Everything is getting green and the flowers are blooming, but the trees haven’t leafed out yet so you can still see into the woods. This section of the Big Piney has some narrow turns and moves at a nice pace. There are spots where the trees form a tunnel over the river so it feels a bit more like a creek.

We saw the usual array of wildlife. The turtles were out if full force sunning themselves on logs and rocks. We also saw a beaver. He was on the bank, but slipped into his den before I could grab the camera.

Toward the end of the journey Kristine wanted to try out my kayak, so I let her use my boat and I paddled the canoe with Lucas. She had fun in the kayak and did pretty well. Most women I’ve encountered enjoy paddling a kayak rather than stuck in a canoe with their husband! I enjoyed paddling the canoe and decided I should brush up my canoe skills this summer. It’s been a really long time since I’ve manned the back of the canoe and it will be a nice change of perspective.

This float ends at Boiling Spring, which is a mid-size spring that boils out of the main river channel. I have a mandatory policy of jumping into springs regardless of the air temperature. So even though it was kinda chilly I made the plunge. It felt amazing as always. I tell everyone that’s what keeps me young!

Unfortunately Boiling Springs Resort where we camped was completely destroyed by the historic flooding earlier this May. All of their cabins and facilities were washed away or destroyed. It was an epic amount of high, fast-moving water. I’m sure this river will look quite different for the near future.

Critter Count: Herons, Hawks, Turtles, 1 Beaver

Float #142: Courtois Creek

Berryman to Huzzah Conservation Area

Courtois Creek
Crawford County, Missouri
Saturday, April 1, 2017
14 Miles

Temperature: 59˚/40˚
Wind: ENE at 8mph
Water Level: 3.5ft. at Steelville gage

Courtois Creek is always a nice spring float. It tends to get pretty shallow in the summer so you have to hit it up when there has been some decent rainfall. It’s been a few years since we did this river and my sister Emily and her family had never paddled it before. We put in at the Berryman access (Hwy. 8 bridge). Since this is a repeat float I’m not going to get into specifics, but if you want more details, check out Float #63.

Berryman Access

Tree hazard

Henry navigating the tree hazard

Emily paddles Stable Maybel

As we put on the river the weather was overcast and a little chilly. Emily and I and the kids waited at the put-in while DW and Henry ran shuttle. Henry paddled “Marge the Barge,” his 19′ aluminum canoe with Celia and Silas. A 19′ canoe is quite the vessel to paddle down the tight turns of the Courtois, but they did just fine. There are a few tree hazards on upper section of this float that you have to duck under or portage around. The first one we had to duck under, Silas didn’t quite listen and bonked his head. He finally got the routine down by then end of the trip though.

Portaging the canoe and the kids

Marge the Barge on Wheels

The sun comes out!

On this trip we saw a fair amount of wildlife. There was a mink scuttling around on the bank at the put-in. Celia thought it was a hedgehog, so she was close, just the wrong side of the globe for hedgehogs. We also saw quite a few deer; a couple of them were swimming across the river. The usual assortment of birds and turtles were in attendance as well. The sun finally came out in the early afternoon, which made for a much nicer float and really brought out the colors of the water.

Henry’s big canoe is quite heavy and nearly impossible to portage easily. He has devised a canoe dolly from some milk crates with wheels that he attaches to the bottom of the canoe to get it from the car to the river. It also works quite well to get over low water bridges. They didn’t have to unload the kids either!

Celia shows off her paddle skills

Confluence with the Huzzah

We stopped on a nice gravel bar for lunch and built a small fire to warm up a bit. We stopped once more to let the kids out of the boat to play a bit. Silas tried his luck at peeing in the woods by himself. It was not a complete success and he had to get rinsed off in the river! Eventually we made it to the confluence with the Huzzah and then to our take-out. A 14 mile float is a pretty long trip for a couple toddlers, but Celia and Silas got out of the boat at the end and ran around the parking lot while we loaded up. So I guess they still had energy to burn! It was a good day on the river and nice to get back to the Courtois before the summer crowds.

Critter Count: Hawks, Herons, Kingfishers, Turtles, 1 Mink, 7 Deer.

 

Float #141: Meramec River

 

Onondaga State Park to Sappington Bridge

Meramec River
Crawford County, Missouri
Sunday, February 19, 2017
15 Miles

Temperature: 75˚/35˚
Wind: S at 9mph
Water Level: 2.85ft. at Sullivan gage

Another warm weekend in February means another float trip! This makes 45 miles so far this year. This trip DW and I were joined by my sister Emily, her husband Henry, and their two children Celia and Silas. Celia and Silas are some of my favorite canoe paddling friends. They are both preschool age and love to help their Dad paddle their big aluminum canoe, Marge the Barge. We all met up at Onondaga State Park at 8am and DW and Henry ran the shuttle to our take-out at Sappington Bridge, while Emily and I waited with the kids. Shuttle for this float takes about an hour round-trip. There are two other accesses we pass along the way (Campbell Bridge and Blue Springs) so there are shorter options on this stretch of river, but we enjoy this 15 mile stretch when we have the whole day to paddle.

Henry, Celia, Silas, and their dog Lucas

Celia and Silas paddle Marge the Barge

The Meramec was beautiful and clear, as it always is in winter. The day started out kind of chilly, but a few minutes after we started the sun came out and it warmed up quickly. We spent the day mostly paddling and picking up trash, with a leisurely break for lunch. No one went swimming, on purpose or otherwise. We didn’t see many other paddlers, but there were several motorboats toward the end of the afternoon. Celia and Silas regaled us repeatedly with their knock-knock jokes (they only know two). There wasn’t much wildlife to see beyond the usual birds. It was an uneventful yet pleasant day on the river, just as it should be.

Emily paddles Stable Maybel

Cave in the bluff

Critter Count: Hawks, Herons, Kingfishers, Turtles

Bonus Prizes: A Yeti Tumbler, a Rubbermaid trashcan and a 5 gallon bucket (with lid)