Paddling in Missouri April 19 – 26
Nine members of the club (Jocelyn Trepte, Fred and Judy Swartz, John and Angie Willis, Marv and Marlene Puska, Lois Goldstein, and John Heiam) left a cool and rainy Traverse City to meet spring in southern Missouri, and paddle the Current, Jacks Fork, and Eleven Point Rivers. These national scenic rivers feature many springs, caves, and bluffs along their banks. Most of us stayed in modern cabins at Eminence Canoes, Cottages and Camp in Eminence, Missouri. The cabins were clean, spacious and well equipped. One even offered a hot tub! M&M used their motor home for lodging, so Muffy the dog could come along on the trip.
Just before we arrived, the area had received a lot or rain, so the rivers were in flood stage. Since the park service closed the rivers on Monday, we piled into two cars and went hiking, visiting several beautiful springs and a canyon not far from Eminence. Many wildflowers were in bloom: redbud, dogwood, mayapples, violets, columbine, etc. That week in Missouri we saw every wildflower that normally blossoms from April 15 until June 1 around Traverse City. Of course the birds were all back from their winter homes. We saw indigo buntings, bald eagles, pileated woodpeckers, and others too numerous to mention.
Fire Pink
Red Bud
On Tuesday, we left a car at a take out and then drove to the uppermost access on the Eleven Point River in Thomasville. We launched at 10 AM for the sixteen mile trip down to Greer Spring. The water level was perfect, but there was a lot of maneuvering required in fast current, and lots of obstructions. Two people had unauthorized swim breaks. The air temperature was in the upper sixties and the water was shallow, so the rescues were fast, and our swimmers didn’t get cold changing into their dry clothes. We stopped several times to explore small caves along the river bank. We had headlamps, but not full caving gear, so we didn’t go in more than a hundred yards. We walked in water up to our knees, but when the cave ceiling got so low that we would have had to crawl in the water, we turned around. For those folks who had never explored a wild cave, it was quite exciting. Because the river was moving so fast, we thought paddling sixteen miles would be easy. It wasn’t! We had to work really hard getting around all the downed trees, and exploring the springs and caves took a lot of time. When we finally finished at 6 PM, everyone was beat! By the time we retrieved the cars and got back to the cabins, it was after 8 PM. We all slept well that night!
Judy and Lois along one of the many bluffs
After that tough first day, we needed something easier, so for Wednesday we planned a ten mile trip on the Current River from Akers Ferry to Pulltite. The big attraction to paddling this stretch is that we could paddle our boats into Cave Spring. There are two rooms in the cave, each big enough to hold a dozen boats. The water at the back of the second room is 120 feet deep! The air temperatures had warmed into the mid-seventies by that day, so we were enjoying the weather in shorts and tee shirts.
Lois entering Fish Cave
Marlene entering the second room (Note: flash was used for photo)
On Thursday we paddled a twelve mile stretch of the Jacks Fork from Bay Creek to Eminence. Of the three rivers, the Jacks Fork has the highest bluffs along its banks. The weather had warmed to the mid-eighties, so we tried to paddle right next to cliff faces so we could enjoy the cool shade. We stopped at Alley Spring for lunch, ate in a picnic shelter for the shade, and then floated on to our takeout.
Here comes the cold water!
Angie reacts to a lapful of cold water!
Friday we were all ready for the upper Jacks Fork, and decided on the 10 mile trip from Buck Hollow to Rymers, which allowed us to see Jam Up Cave. This is the largest cave on the river. Its entrance is imposing, and once inside you are treated to a small lake with a waterfall. Angie was brave enough to pose for a picture under a cold shower of water coming from the ceiling.
John Willis in the foreground - can you spot Angie and Jocelyn entering the "bowels" of the cave?
This is the view inside the cave (Note: flash was used for photo)
On Saturday we headed to the upper Current River from Baptist Camp to Welch Landing, a distance of 12.4 miles. This was the first day we encountered other people on the river. Medlock Spring is a beautiful spot on the riverbank (we had stopped there on previous trips), but with 20 people climbing around on the rocks, it lost its appeal that day. Welch Spring is another pretty spring which was the site of an old hospital, but we ended up skipping that one too. The river usage seems to be concentrated on Saturdays; we rarely saw anyone else the rest of the time. Getting around the 20 canoes of Boy Scouts (most of whom were grounding out on gravel bars) was a bit of a challenge, but did provide some amusing moments for us. By this point, all of us had honed our maneuvering skills in our boats that we all felt ready for anything that rivers will throw at us this season!
Bluff along the Current River
On Sunday we returned to the Eleven Point, paddling 11.4 miles from Greer Spring to Whitten. We tried to find the site of Turner Mill with the old water wheel, but were unsuccessful. We had happened upon it on a previous trip so I know it is there, but I don’t know how we missed it. There were a couple of caves to explore, and with continued warm weather, one of us even took a dip in the river when no-one else was around. At one point I stopped my kayak along the bank to get a photo of some flowers. I used my paddle to move some grass and I found this snake - a water moccasin.
I would highly recommend paddling these three rivers, and doing the uppermost stretches if the water level allows. The weather in late April is often in the 70’s and low 80’s. (Note – the following week it rained every day, and paddling would have been impossible; we really lucked out!) Everything is in bloom, and the rivers are quiet during the week. The cabins make a great home base. They also have excellent camping facilities if you would prefer to camp. If you want to plan a similar trip, feel free to talk to any of us.