This year has been an insane year for everyone so the trip was needed more than ever. I selected Jack's Fork River in the Missouri Ozarks and part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. I had heard that it was much less of a party scene than the Current River which was nearby.
Our Girl's trips are only conventional in the sense that it's only females but after that is when conventional definitely takes a serious nose dive. We kayak, camp, get dirty, sunburned, maybe a little dinged, dented but we wouldn't have it any other way and we love every minute of it. The party scene was not our scene, nor are slumber party sleep overs, nor spa days, so to Jack's Fork we go.
I did research which included calling a outfitter several times to communicate our intent, gather Intel on river conditions, trip information, etc. Maps were ordered in advance from the National Park Service, websites study, weather forecasts, river levels and precipitation monitored. I even viewed the entire trip on the river via Google Satellite and watched YouTube videos.
We wanted an overnight paddling trip, but the outfitter wouldn't go any further up than Alley Springs due to typical low water levels this time of year (Mid August), so we had to put in at Alley. We could float to the end of Jack's Fork River and take out at Two Rivers, the confluence of the Jack's Fork and Current Rivers.
The outfitter site listed this as 15 miles and stated it was more of a day trip rather than an overnight. Six to eight hours I was advised to make the entire 15 miles but knowing how we like to goof off, stop for breaks to swim, eat, explore, etc. I figured we could make it an easy overnight trip with plenty of time for shenanigans.
National Park Service map lists the trip as just 13.6 miles....well that's confusing but I figured 1.4 miles wouldn't make that much of a difference if the outfitters site was correct vs. the NPS.
The plan was to find somewhere to make camp at the 7-9 mile mark, 4 hours roughly from what I was advised, which I would track using an app called Bivy. The next morning we could break camp and have somewhere between another 7-9 miles to paddle to take out, another 4 hours again roughly.
Over a months worth of planning and stalking forecasts, river levels, etc and finally it was time. There were to be 6-7 of us but we dwindled down to just 4. Three of us from Kentucky and one from Mississippi, we converged on Poplar Bluff as our jump off point.
We planned a restful stay in a hotel with a hearty meal before and yes a little drink to kick off the trip. The meal was excellent and better than I had hoped actually, the hotel was decent and comfortable but unfortunately none of us slept well in a strange place with noises we aren't used too.
Launch day dawned and we set out for the 1 hour and 15 min drive to our outfitters. Upon arrival I learned things were to go a little different than discussed on the phone. Originally I talked about having the outfitter pick us up at take out and take us back to put in, turns out you follow them to take out and they shuttle you back to put in. Okay, no big whoop, so long as we have vehicles of some kind waiting on our return.
We followed the driver of the shuttle to take out on a white knuckle boot legger style run through the Ozark mountains. I thought maybe he was trying to set a record, got paid by how many drop offs he did a day or something because it was all I could do to keep eyes on him as I followed with two other vehicles in tow, one pulling a heavy trailer loaded with kayaks. Mind you he also had a trailer attached to a large Ford Econline passenger van but he didn't let any of that slow him down.
We managed to keep a decent tail on Speedy Gonzalez and made to to take out. We unloaded our gear, our kayaks and with humor, advised the driver to take the lead weight off his foot with us on board.
The ride to put in was much better and we arrived unscathed but now had the task of packing all of our gear to the river across loose river rocks. The sun was blazing and the humidity already starting to crank up, making the task all the more difficult. I thought for a moment I was just in shit shape from being locked up most the year but then I saw others struggling and felt a bit better about myself. Our outfitter carried our kayaks for us so at least we didn't have to worry with that part.
We were amazed at the rafts, canoes, tubes, and kayaks absolutely stacked at put in. Not all were for immediate use, as only some were being prepped or carried to put in but even then there was an insane amount of people for my liking. Granted we didn't arrive at put in until around 9:30am, an earlier launch would've of afforded us a less crowded scene.
Our gear and kayaks on the shore of Jack's Fork River we began to load our gear onto our kayaks. We secured almost everything in case we should flip, figured out what should go where, where this or that would fit, got our river trash bags from the outfitter and once last check in before shoving off.
Off we went into a good current and almost immediately someone on a rental kayak flips yards in front of me. The river is moving fast, I'm moving fast, this guy is standing up and laughing at people on shore as he stands in my path with his back to me instead of moving. IDIOT! I scream in my head but manage to yell out "Coming through!". He doesn't hear me, he's still standing there like a goon dick in the middle of shallow rapids with a beer in his hands and in the only real path for anyone else!! Dumbass! My brain flashes, I rudely scream out "Coming through!" again, this time he hears me and manges to move just before my kayak rams into the back of his knees. "Good luck" he stammers as I sail past, finally clear of the oblivious goon dick. I don't even care he's ungrateful I didn't obliterate him, he's behind me now.
A couple of gals in the group thought it would be a good idea to bring Creek Coolers. I advised one in advance and both on shore that if they did they needed to tie them close to the back of their kayaks so they did not trail behind and get caught up or effect how their kayaks tracked in the current. Wellllllll one did not quite get what I was saying and did not heed my advice. Ten minutes in and we had a 20 min delay while she retrieved her Creek Cooler because it got caught up on a log, nearly causing her to flip before breaking free. That's okay though, just a little delay, no one was injured or maimed and a valuable lesson was learned.
We did unfortunately have to wait in a throng of people, not my scene but I made the best of it as we ran a gauntlet of people once underway again. Several times I used my oar to push a raft full of people away, trying to maintain distance between us for basic safety and pandemic reasons. Some risks I'm willing to take while I still mitigate others, besides I don't like being around sweaty, strange people, pandemic or not.
Two hours in we had ran several sets of mostly class 1 with a few class 2 rapids and finally the throng of people had dwindled. People were still around, just a whole lot less of'em.
There was a member of our group struggling. Her kayak was well, just huge. 12ft long, 70lb sit on top and she couldn't use her rudder because of the Creek Cooler. We offered tips and advice, she said she tried them and not much was working for her. She continued on, doing her best to navigate the rapids with debris scattered before, in, or after them and sometimes in all three.
The rapids varied from shallow and slow to fast and technical if you didn't want to flip or end up pinned into a pile of downed trees and debris. Strainers, downed trees, root balls, rocks, and branches all combined with swift moving water and even funnelling the current in places made this not just a casual float. There were real dangers, quite a lot of them and you had to be on point each time to avoid them. You had to know when to use the current to your advantage and when to dig out of it. How to get yourself clear of debris, shallows, and through current more powerful than you by more than just paddling. How to get yourself off anything you get caught up on, how to handle getting turned around and getting yourself back on track.
The rapids demanded your attention and you would pay the price if you weren't prepared, we saw it several times. Most of those were people who were on day trips and getting wet was apart of their fun but for us, loaded with camping gear for night, it was most certainly not apart of ours. Of course there's always stories where things go terribly wrong, the one where people miss their take outs, spend hours into the night on the rivers before being rescued or those where people flip, are pinned, unable to free themselves...some make it, some don't. I've heard them, a few first hand and I've seen the news articles on them. They are real and they can be terrifying.
Self doubt creeped into me many times before and even during this trip. One of the girls that had backed out cited self doubt of her abilities and previous experience on rivers in the area. I listened to the tales and I wanted to find an excuse to back out, but I didn't. I swallowed my fears, did my research and stayed on point.
Eventually the gal that had been struggling got caught up in a downed tree. The branches ripping her GoPro from its mount and narrowly missing her face. Other river goers jumped in, pulled her free and she dismounted her barge of kayak. Myself and another member of our party had floated through heavy current not far after the rapids that caught up our friend and we couldn't make our way back up river to her. Fortunately another member was handy and with work of children snorkeling retrieved the missing GoPro.
Underway again we began our scout for a suitable campsite. Two of us were hammock camping while the other two were tent camping. We needed trees and a flat area to accommodate everyone.
We hadn't stopped but for delays, a few other times to goof off and not for long even then. Once we finally found a suitable gravel bar, we had been on the river 7 hours, logging 10 miles and we were spent. I took a short break to drink a Coke and eat a Famous Amos teeny tiny cookie, as it was all my stomach could tolerate with the heat, before setting up camp.
After some time in the shade while hanging my hammock, that cookie and coke in my belly, I had enough energy to sit down and cook up some Top Ramen. Yup, I had packed backpack style to stay as light as possible on the water.
After eating I had to lay down in my hammock, I was absolutely spent after 7 hours in the sun fighting through rapids, dodging people, debris and after the previous nights sleep. The crowds gone and camps all set up, the gals either lounged or goofed off along the shore while I cat napped.
Feeling a bit better I rose from my hammock to finish tidying up my gear for the night and visiting while another member of our party gathered firewood. I wanted a fire for ambiance, nothing more, could honestly go without it and had little to no interest in helping make it happen. Yes, I felt guilty as I watched my friend work in the still humid air but couldn't bring myself to pitch in, my energy levels were still low. I felt good enough to be out of my hammock but not quite there for gathering wood. I could barley bring myself to walk on the river rocks to yank my GoPro off my kayak for the night.
A bit later another member wanted to know what time we could go to bed and it still be considered a decent bed time instead of a laughable old person time! We both agreed 8:30pm was our goal!! Yeah I realize that's still not late but it was good enough for us.
A fire flickered to my left, down past my feet a soft glow eminated from the two tents of my friends, and a soft rustle came from yet another in a hammock behind my head. The humidity had eased off but still enough clung to me that I didn't want my sleeping bag. I laid there for sometime, listening to the sounds of the night, the babble of the river, and the glow of the fire before finally taking my contacts out and calling it a night.
The next morning we scarffed down quick easy breakfasts of granola, cereal, etc. I estimated 4-5 miles at most to take out, shouldn't take more than 2-3 hours at most. We finished loading our kayaks as one member wandered off to handle some business before launch when a herd of goats descended into camp. Yup, random goats in camp. It made for a delightful start to the morning.
Paddling on we assumed from others had told us yesterday that the rapids wouldn't be nearly as bad, but quickly found that to be false. I found myself facing some of the most technical rapids I'd ever attempted. Mind you these were still class 2 but definitely higher class 2 if possible....is there a 2.5? Ha!
One set a branch divided, it appeared a bit shallow on the left and rougher but runnable on the right. I began setting up to go right when I saw the rougher water was caused by quite a large branch that spanned the entire right side. I immediately had to dig and cut straight, calling out to my friends behind me to follow. We all made it unscathed.
Another set demanded I ride right under branches hanging a little low. I rode in on the current, a few paddles to set my speed, and threw my straw hat in my lap to avoid loosing it before getting back to paddle to dig left out of the trees once clear of the shallows.
Yet another set was funnelled by debris, causing a swift current with shallows on the left/middle and rapids on the right that dumped into a snag of debris. I set up right again, rode the current past the shallows then dug hard left out of the current to avoid the debris. This effort cause my kayak to turn to hard left and attempt to roll right on me. I shifted my weight and used my paddle as a rudder to stop the movement. My ass got a little wet but that's as bad as it got.
One gal was right on my stern the entire time, keeping up rapid for rapid, stroke for stroke while another laid back with our struggling friend. Our Pelicans, Argo 100 and Trailblazer 100 were agile and fast in the current, allowing us to turn quicker and dig out easier. We always stopped and waited when we lost site of our other party members to ensure no other issues arose. Other people were few and far between this early on this section of the river so help wasn't as readily available should something happen.
We saw lots and lots of turtles sun bathing in the early morning sun and then.....otters!!!! A family of them, quickly darting into their den to avoid us but they didn't go completely undetected to our delight. They chattered back and forth, and peaked a head out at us before disappearing.
We pressed on to the 13.6 mile mark with no sign of our take out. Eyes peeled we paddled to 15 miles and spotted a campground with people near the bank. Stopping we inquired to the name of it, only to learn we were just at Shawnee Creek. The campers advised 4 hour float to Two Rivers from there, less time in kayaks. Still I was floored, hours left to go and I had to be at work the next day with a 3.5 hour drive home.
After a snack and gathering ourselves we continued, more rapids, more debris and I was getting tired again quickly. 17 miles, 10am, still no sign of take out. My mind flashed for a moment that another night on the river was in store for us, but reasoned we'd still make take out by Noon.
Finally after rounding a bend and large gravel bar we spotted the obvious confluence of the rivers. The muddy color of the Current swallowing the Emerald Green of the Jack's. We paddled into the Current and in more than one way. The current was strong in the confluence and required considerable effort to paddle out of. We all struggled but managed to make the landing with great relief.
Two gals headed up to retrieve vehicles and when they reached a fork in the road they turned right...into a campground, not where we parked. One soon quickly returned with the report of our vehicles not being there, some confusion set in. I mentioned passing a campground on our way in, asked if there was it was possible to go left at the fork and was told yes but with a disheartened look that said energy levels were lacking to make the effort. I couldn't say anything, I felt it myself, 18 miles we paddled, landing around 11:30am after another 4 hours on the river, 11 hours over two days. Luckily the other gal that had gone to find our vehicles had found some help and a ride to the vehicles to after which on the ride out I felt ridiculous about. They were literally .25 miles from where we landed, 300-400 yards from the fork in the road but at the same time I didn't care. I was just grateful to be back to my vehicle, able climb in, and crank the air conditioning as we navigated our way to a hot meal and a cold drink.
