Buffalo River-Sep 19-21-Canoe Camping-Carver to Woolum

[Eric Esche]

Has anyone reserved a camp spot(s) for friday night yet and how many do we need? I'll try to bring some wood with me if I am solo, but will bring saws, ax, and machete.

Eric

[Owl]

If I decided to go on this trip but didn't want to drive up until Saturday AM, when and where would one need to meet to set shuttle?

With forecast river levels for the middle Buff => 6' for the weekend and a corresponding current of at least 3 MPH combined with daylight until at least 7:00 PM I would think that accomplishing 13.5 miles wouldn't be a problem even with a mid-morning put on.

[Stan]

I'll be at Carver Friday evening.

"Stan"

[painterbob]

owl, our game plan is to shuttle cars from the carver campground as soon as everyones tents are dry, and that puts us ready to go as soon as you roll in! about 10am. ..... glad to see you, and stan join in.....

[sugarmtngal]

Sounds like a plan! I think I may be able to get up there by Friday. Can I bring 1 or 2 dogs? My male Shepard only would be great and in my canoe! Hmmm maybe / maybe not? Look forward to it!

[Richard]

My daughter Debra and her husband Kevin are coming from Fayetteville. They won't be able to leave until sometime after 5pm Friday but would like to carpool if it is practical.
They will not be bringing boats.

Springdale has the least expensive gas in the state right now.
http://www.arkansasgasprices.com/index. ... h=0&list=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Richard]

I will not have internet access between now and Sunday afternoon. If you need to get in touch with me call my Cell Phone 501-450-0217. My minutes are limited so we will keep the calls short. If I don't answer, leave a message and I will return your call. Reception is spotty in the Ozarks so if you call Friday afternoon, I probably will not have phone service from then until after we are off the river.

[painterbob]

you can save a few miles by cutting threw kingston to jasper. go up the hill in front of riverview motel, go past hasty to the "t" at that gas station, turn left to carver, the entrance is right after crossing the river.

[kayakrat]

You guys are camping up stream of Woolum, correct? So one could float on down to Woolum and take out if he wasnt able to spend the night Saturday night? Would I be banned if I brought a fly rod?

I need to get away from the office like nobodys business.

[Eric Esche]

Yes we are camping just above Woolum, so YES you could paddle on down, providing your car was one of the cars we dropped off on shuttle and not the one we needed to take back up to the top.

No, no one has an objection to anyone fly fishing as far as I know of. Will probably be others casting lines of some type. Just use common sense and pick your spots to cast away from anyone else and no one should object.

I'll be at Carver tonight late (probably after 9PM) as we are having to wait on Kevin and Debbie to get out of school at UofA before we can leave.

Got to run now as Pam just got here.

See you on the river.

[painterbob]

20% RAIN CHANCE TURNED IN A TO 80% GREAT TIME for this weekend FLOAT! sorry you missed it!.. you couldn't have asked for a better weekend, group! or water levels... oh, and the fish didn't just jump in the boat. you had to crankem' in!!! looking forward to the october trip...

[Richard]

It was the perfect weekend to do Carver to Woolum. Weather was unbelievable. So was the water. We virtually had the Carver Campground to ourselves Friday night. We did not see another person or boat the entire way from Carver to Woolum. Normally you will see someone camped as you pass by or you will see someone pass by as you are camped. No one. I find that incredible, given how ideal the water and weather was.
On this particular float we had a group of experienced paddlers. No babysitting required with this group.
Wonderful weekend. If you have ever thought about camping on the river, had the option to go and didn't, WOW!, you missed out.
A big thank you to everyone who came. What a wonderful weekend.

[Eric Esche]

Apparently my post of last night got beamed up into the ether, so here goes again.

We had a great time. Perfect air temperatures (59-78F), winds 5-10kts, mostly sunny, water rated by USPS as HIGH AND FOR EXPERIENCED BOATERS ONLY, which in plain language means it was just right and high enough not to drag anywhere. Delightful level to run and seriously not challenging for any in our group. The few snags and root balls we saw on this section were all easily avoided. Standing waves in the center of a blind turn rated maybe a II, but nothing of note beyond that for our loaded canoes. We had two tandem crews (Richard and his son-in-law Kevin, Pam and her son Jon), 3 solo opens - (Painter Bob, Stan, and myself) and then Debbie, Richard's daughter in her old school Dagger Crossfire kayak. Debbie zoomed all around us and looked good for not having been in a kayak in 2 years. She did alternate places with Kevin to let him try out the kayak and he did well, but decided to give it back after meeting Mr. EDDY below some standing waves.

With no one really needing looking after in this group, we stretched out on the river more for solitude in one's and two's and three's and stopping up from the front to count noses every few bends with Stan usually on point. Relaxing float. Bob was our only fisherman this time as I forgot to get a license. After leaving my pole and tackel box in the car, I found an Ugly stick and Zepco reel near our camp site. Rod was in great shape and I think the reel will clean up.

For a physic's geek, I consider Kevin to be very brave. I heard him discussing politics with Richard while he was in the bow of Richard's canoe. I seriously make it a point to NEVER talk politics while bird hunting with my father-in-law and we even vote the same party.

We saw nice fish, BIG fish and and an eagle who snatched up a biggun and then struggled to make altitude with his dinner. He did not follow Bob's example of catch and release, but I had spices, lemon juice, tin foil, and tongs in case Bob wanted us to taste his catches.

WE also saw turtles, otter, and a muskrat, plus several heron and hawks. and wild flowers - lots of wild flowers. I'm not a botanist, so I can only tell you a couple and then it degenerates in to colors, but bluets, new england astors, queen ann's lace, some indian paint brush, yarrow, sage, some small purple berrys, almost ripe persimmons, heart's a bustin, and some small orange flowers, and of course whole clumps of rag weeds. Fall colors this years ought to be spectacular in 3-4 weeks if the fall flowers are this vivid and fresh looking. Saw a couple of clumps of sumac that were starting to turn red.

This was my first time on this section and it won't be my last. Very pretty bluffs, musical drips and springs that were not always visible until you looked closer to see what you could hear, some low down by the river, some very high. Quite a few nice gravel bars to take your pick of camping spots. When we did pick one, everyone in our group pitched in to help gather drift wood for the evening's bon fire. Great fire and we still had hot coals for the morning and two batches of Richard's/Debbie's bisquits. Seemed really strange that we did not see one other person on the river or camped out along the way, but we had this section of river all to ourselves both days. We started snacking and sharing treats Saturday night and then we realized we were all too full to want to cook supper. All but Richard pitched tents. He put up his cot and mattress and slept out under the stars. We got up late, shared eggs, bacon, biscuits, strawberries, and Starbucks coffee and then packed up camp for a leisurely float down to Woolum. Got off thinking that it was really too short a float and that another day's float would be great.

This had to have been the cheapest float I have done on the Buffalo gas wise. I carpooled over with Pam, Jon, Debbie and Kevin so we split the $71.50 for 20.49 gallons of regular 5 ways. Not bad for a weekend of fun and a throw anything and everything in it Suburban. I learned a new treat from Pam on the way home. I already knew I liked to stop off at the truck stop in Marble for sandwiches as Tom Burroughs had had me stop there a couple of times, but Pam told me about their fried catfish hunks. DELICIOUS. One tray was enough to fill me up, but I could have been tempted for two trays, they were that good. Hard to beat fresh catfish chunks straight out of the fryer, and not the least bit greasy.

Only down side for the others carpooling may have been the music on the way home. I need music to stay awake while driving and Pam picked out CD's of mine that she and I knew the words to, so we sang or hummed most of the way back. Next time I will let someone else have their turn picking out the music.

My vote for "drool over gear" awards for the trip for river gear when to Painter Bob for his red royalex Bell Wildfire and to Stan for her cream Wenonah Voyager, a boat that seems really fast, at least when she is paddleing it and I am in my well loaded Endurall barge and using a single blade. Stan's new shuttle vehicle had us all ooowing and ah-ing. Cummings powered 3/4 ton with a really nice camper top and glass door arrangement and wide yakima bars for two canoes with stops. Classy truck!

Hope y'all get to go with us next time.

Eric Esche

[Minna Ulmer]

How was the trip? Minna

[Minna Ulmer]

OOPS! I didnt see page 2! I sure would like to go in Oct.I have a dagger approach rec. kayak so I will have to be a minimalist with gear.Thanks for the great report.That part about being the only ones on river sounded awesome. Minna