"I am losing the precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains and learn the news." - John Muir
As we all know, life can "get in the way" of true happiness. I invite you to follow my posts as I try to reconnect with nature as often as life allows. Then,
if so inspired, pick up a paddle or pack and join me on an adventure that makes everything else fade away. - scott@scottcoryell.me
Finally another trip to HCR! Left early Friday morning and headed down to drizzly a sky. It was sprinkling on and off but we managed to get in a few routes before the rain hit. Thankfully we were watching the radar and made it back to the cabin before the downpour hit!
Summer Rain (5.6) - L | Stiff Naked Fools (5.8+) - 1 | The Greatest Show on Earth (5.8)
Saturday we headed into town for breakfast and then hit the crag for a great day of climbing with beautiful weather. With Jeff and Andy training for 24HHH I worked on climbing moderates with John and Drew. The highlight of my day was climbing my first Trad Route (Flashbacks). This was the route I had seconded last trip so I knew it was an easy route. I had good gear placement and really enjoyed myself! Throughout the day Drew learned to clean and even lead a few routes! John continued to push himself as well. After dinner we headed back up and climbed a couple routes at night. I ended up cleaning Green Goblin in the dark, which was a bit freaky but fun at the same time.
Caught in the closet again (5.7) - L | Flashbacks (5.7) - L, 2 | Flashbacks (5.7) - 3 | 15-Degrees (5.7 PG) | Peaceful, but for gunfire (5.6) | Hanging Judge (5.6) | Deadman Five (5.7) | Leonid (5.9+) | The Hurricane (5.7) | Hangs a Little to the Left (5.8) - L | Green Goblin (5.8) - 4, 5 | Cotton Candy (5.6) - 4
Sunday we were all tired and only got in a few routes...but we still got to climb so it was a good day!
The Flying Daisha (5.6) - L | Man in Black (5.7) | Montazuma's Toe (5.8) - L
[A = Attempted | L = Lead | # = Note]
Notes:
1. First Rappel off a sport route.
2. My first Trad Lead!
3. Climbed again on top rope to clean after others topped it.
4. Climbed at night.
5. First route I have cleaned at night.
I had been wanting to go to the Current River for years because I had heard such great things about it but had just not made it happen. Early in the year I decided that this would be the year. I was planning on doing a 3-4 day trip, but this has been a busy summer and ultimately it didn't work out. So, when Kristin had asked when we were doing our annual family trip, I decided we should go to the Current and let her and Laura experience camping on a gravel bar for the first time!
Being that this was quite a bit further Southeast than we usually went I decided we should take Friday off and make it a long weekend. We left our house at about 10:30 Friday, August 10, 2012 and headed toward St. Louis. We turned off of I-70 at Warrenton and headed South toward Johnson's Shut-Ins with a stop at Elephant Rocks State Park.
Elephant Rocks was something I remembered seeing on-line but I did not remember the specifics, but since we were driving right by I thought I would surprise everyone with a stop there. It turned out to be really cool and Colin loved climbing on the granite boulders. You could easily spend a half day or more there, but after an hour and a half we got back on the road for the short drive to the Shut-Ins.
After seeing some YouTube videos of the Shut-Ins I knew Colin would love it. We arrived just after 6:00 and had about an hour and a half to swim until the day use area closed. After getting Colin changed we all headed up the trail under the impression that the water would be cold and the rest of us would just be wading. The water turned out being really warm and I ended up taking a full dip in my clothes...luckily I was wearing my synthetics! Colin had fun climbing up and down the small waterfalls and even went for swims in a couple of the bigger pools. As the sun was beginning to set we headed back to the car and down the road to the campsite.
This park is almost completley new because in late 2005 the nearby Taum Sauk Reservoir failed, flooding the park, and destroying the campground. After reaching a settlement with AmeronUE the state used a portion of the funds to rebuild the park. The campground was relocated down the road away from the flooding danger. It is fortunate that the flood occured during the week and in December. Thankfully no lives were lost. Because it has been recently rebuilt everything at the park is in excellent condition, and well designed. The campsites have large concrete pull-ins and pads for cars or setting up your tent on level "ground." I would highly recomend this park!
After setting up camp and having a quick dinner we headed to the amphitheater for a ranger program and the back to the camp. Colin spent a little time playing his DS and we looked at the stars before going to bed. It got a bit chilly at night but it was a very relaxing day!
The next morning we packed up camp and headed to Akers Ferry on the Current River. We checked in and headed down to the shore to get our canoes. They were very busy and we actually had to wait a bit for them to bring some more. We loaded up our boats; a Nova Craft Prospector 17 and a Coleman Journey 17. I was excited to try out the Prospector as it is the boat I am considering buying. I love my Wilderness Systems Commander 120, but it does not handle as well as I would like on winding rivers.
I had heard how beautiful the Current River was, but on the first day I was not impressed. The scenery was nice, but nothing more than what I'd seen on the Meramec. The river was crowded with partiers and a few families out for a day float. While the weather was nice and I enjoyed paddling it was not the experience I was looking for. We had been looking forward to seeing cave spring, but it was crowded. Around every bend was a group of loud obnoxious people. As we neared the end of our 10.2 mile day that all began to change. We were hailed by the guys pulling canoes from the water at Pulltite. "Akers takes out here!" they said. I proudly replied "We're heading on to Round Spring. See you tomorrow." They told us to have a nice trip and at that point the trip changed!
We had seen a few groups that were obviously planning to stay on the river, some ahead of us, several behind us. This was the first main difference in this river. On all my previous river trips in Missouri I had only seen one couple who had camped on the river, and that was on our last trip of 2011. There was a pair of fathers and sons. There was a large group of 20 somethings...whom we later learned do a 3 day trip together once a year (Good for you guys!). There were also a few couples. We, however, were the only group with a seasoned 4 year old!
I knew I wanted to camp just past Pulltite. It was just over half way, and it was just over 2 hours to sunset. Just enough time to make camp and dinner! So, as we rounded the bend I wondered how many gravel bars lay ahead? How many would be taken? How much daylight would we actually have when we found somewhere?
The first spot we came upon that looked good was at Pulltite Spring. It was occupied. The couple was nice and said there would be plenty of spots ahead. Sure enough, we rounded the next bend and found one of the nicest spots I've camped at yet. It was just past Pulltite Springs and had a small waterfall across and down river. Just loud enough to give a nice ambiance. We setup camp, made Mac and Cheese and Hot Dogs, and then played video games before bed. Kristin opted to try out my new Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 rather than sleep with us in the "snoring" tent. She said it was nice...I hope to try it out someday ;-p
I was expecting the usual cacophony of wildlife but was surprised at how peaceful it was. Even in the middle of the night the only thing I heard when I got up was a few insects...other than the distant howl of coyotes once in the night. Now this might be simply because we were within walking distance of the Pulltite campground, or it might say something about the health of the ecosystem. I suppose I will have to make some more trips before that can be determined. That being said, it was one of the most peaceful nights on a river I've had...except for being cold. I was not anticipating it getting into the 50's and had brought my Deuter Dreamlite 500. Don't get me wrong, this is a great bad...I am just cold blooded. Seriously, I use a down comforter all year long. This bag is great for those "hot" nights when you need to cover up slightly at 3:00 a.m. but it doesn't work for me at colder temperatures. Good to know!
Sunday morning we work up to a light rain on our tent. I went outside and picked up a few things I didn't want to get too wet and took some video of the river and our campsite. This is by far the best video of the trip and is the opening shot in the video below. The lighting was perfect with the sunrise on the river! Heading back to the tent I decided to let everyone sleep in for another hour and see if the rain passed. The river had been easy so far and I decided we would have no trouble making good time.
Sure enough the rain stopped and we got up around 9:00. I made oatmeal for breakfast and we worked on getting packed up. We were on the river by 10:30 and it had warmed up enough that shorts and a t-shirt were perfect. We paddled the remaining 9 miles only running into a few groups that had camped on the river, and a pair of Kayakers. It was cloudy, less crowded, and much more peaceful. I had seen another side of this river. Take away the crows and though the scenery is still not much different from some of the other rivers in Missouri the river takes on a whole new life. You do begin to notice, and appreciate, the lack of development along the river. I came to realize that to truly get everything out of the Current River you must spend time on it, and spend time on it when others are not. This is an excellent river for long trips, and the outfitters are well equipped to meet your needs.
As we neared the end of the day the rain began to fall lightly once again, though no one complained. We briefly stopped at the upper landing of Round Spring before learning we needed to continue to the lower landing. After another 1/4 mile we arrived about 25 minutes past the 2:00 pickup. Thinking we would have to wait until 4:00 we were pleasantly surprised to find a driver waiting patiently. A short shuttle back to our truck and we were on our way home...once again relaxed and ready for another week.
This trip to the Elk River on July 28th-29th started out as a bit of a gamble as I had not been able to contact the outfitter prior to our departure. Their message said to "come on down" but driving three hours without having a reservation left me a little nervous. The funny thing is it was the easiest shuttle I have arranged yet. We drove in to Cowskin Canoes and within 10 minutes were headed up river to the Mt. Shira Access.
Mt. Shira is the access point I had taken out at on my solo day trip the year before.
We unloaded the car and watched our car drive off. I loaded the boat while Colin practiced casting his fishing pole. We paddled downstream through all of the day floaters. There weren't nearly as many as last year, but maybe we just got out ahead of them. Our first real stop was at the houses along the river in Noel. We stopped to swim in front of the Cabin that belongs to some old friends of ours...though we have not talked to them in years. Some of their neighbors were out and I had a nice talk while Colin played. After 45 minutes or so we headed back down river to our big obstacle. The Dam.
As we passed under the DANGER sign I hoped that it would be and easy portage. No such luck! I knew the water was low because of the drought, but there was virtually no water below the dam, just a bunch of pools. I saw a small stream on the opposite side, but it wasn't even floatable. We walked down the road through the River Ranch campsite until we found a part of the river that had enough water in it to continue. It was about 1/8 of a mile down from the dam. It took two trips carrying gear and one with the boat. Colin was very helpful and took the water bottles the first trip and his paddle and fishing pole the second. After 3/4 miles of walking we had the boat re-loaded, but were exhausted.
As we continued the water got really low and I had to walk the boat for quite a while. The cool, but dangerous, part was that most of the riverbed was not gravel, but bedrock. Unfortunately this was extremely slick and I fell right on my back once! Made me wish I had some of these to try out (J/K)!
Our next challenge...after all, floating rivers is just a series of challenges...involved livestock. We came upon a low and narrow section of the river that was blocked by about 30 head of cattle. There was no part of the river that was open, and I was not about to portage around a bunch of cows! I knew that cows were both dumb and that they were afraid of people. I had Colin walk behind me and I let the boat float in front. Most of the cows moved...until we cam to the calves. There were 3 calves that didn't see why the should have to move from the perfectly cool waters of the river. As the boat approached with me 10 ft behind their mother decided to let me know she was not pleased. I tried to reassure her but they were not budging. I pulled the boat back and walked out in front of it, instructing Colin to stay by my side. As I started to approach they finally moved and we were able to pass. Once we got to the other side she calmed down. We soon came upon the owners of the cows and they suggested a place about a mile down river called Cedar Bluff for camping.
After paddling for a bit more we came upon the bluff. There were three people swimming there and we introduced ourselves. Colin swam and played fetch with their dogs as I setup camp. After while they headed home and I began to cook our Mac and Cheese for dinner (Yum!) Colin helped me gather some firewood and we had a small campfire. He said he wanted a hot dog and I asked him if he was still hungry. He said no. I asked if he just wanted it because it was cool? He said he did so after whittling the end off a good stick I roasted a hot dog for him. We let the embers die down and he headed off to the ten to play his DS. I doused the embers and finished preparing camp for night time.
As the sun set we laid in the tent and played. He played DS for a while and then we watched part of Star Wars. I was practically asleep before him! It didn't feel too bad outside with a nice breeze but it was hot in the tent, even without the rain fly. He dozed off shortly after turning off his movie, but I tossed and turned for a while. I finally dozed off but kept waking up most of the night. At 2:00 a.m. I heard a large pack of coyotes not more than 1/4 mile away. Though a bit unnerving, I soon could tell they were headed away from us. At 3:00 a.m. I heard them again, this time well down stream. By 4:00 a.m. it finally cooled off enough that I needed to cover up and I slept soundly until about 6:00. I managed to go back to sleep once more, but by 8:00 it was already too hot in the tent...and time to get up anyway.
I started packing up and Colin opened his eyes and told me he was still resting. I finished packing as much as I could and began the oatmeal while he swam. After breakfast I joined him for a quick swim to cool down and then loaded the boat.
A short paddle down the river led us to another beautify bluff and a great swimming hole with large fish jumping nearby. Colin droped some of his granola bar into the water and soon the minnows were fighting over it. It was a good experience for him to connect with the wildlife a bit. The rest of the river was fairly shallow and wide surrounded by low farmland. We came upon two people fishing who had put in at the 3 mile float. Other than a family playing with their dogs along the banks they were the only people we saw on the river all day. We stopped for one more swim and he enjoyed playing with the dragonflies. They kept landing on his hand and he got a real kick out of it. We even saw a beaver out gathering sticks, but he scurried off before we could get too good of a look at him. It is these kinds of experiences that I hope will stay with him!
We cam upon Cowskin Access and there was a large group of people swimming. I asked one guy if he would watch our boat while we walked up to get our car. He suggested that I would probably get stuck and offered to haul our boat up in the back of his truck! We greatly accepted his offer and were soon at our car and on the way home. We stopped for gas in Neosho and then at McDonalds in Carthage so Colin could get a happy meal and the toy I promised him. The rest of the drive home was him sleeping and me trying not to. We got home, unpacked the car, and wen straight to the pool!
It was a good trip! Lots of work at times, but well worth the effort. In the end it was a very relaxing and rejuvenating trip.
