It's spring, and our rusting muscles yearn to ply the waters again.  We want to show the world we survived the winter and are ready to attack the outdoors full force.  Unfortunately it is also a time when other people may be unprepared, unsafe and eager to learn paddling NOW.  As CIP members, we have an obligation to not only assure that we are prepared for paddling, but also that other paddlers will be safe this spring ... and not statistics.  

The following late-March headline from an eastern Iowa newspaper says it all:   

"Shenandoah man dies Friday after kayak capsizes."  

After inquiring, the Iowa DNR stated that this drowning involved a 32 year old man who had bought his kayak the day before and had his PFD, with store tags still on, sitting in his car.  An innocent enough mistake, and one we all know could happen to us, whether in the form of inadequate clothing, forgetting a paddle float, or any other of a myriad of safety oversights.  Let's not let it happen ... to us, or anyone else.  As part of our gearing up for spring, let's commit to thinking safety for all paddlers.   

We've heard and read the rules for handling our personal safety on the water.  But let's consider ways we can help others to be safe as well.  Consider these tips for assuring a safe and fun paddling experience for all:   

1.  Make it An Event  One of the ways we can avoid tragedies like the one in Shenandoah is to encourage new kayakers to learn by traveling with a group.  The CIP event calendar is a great opportunity for paddlers to learn through interacting.  Encourage people to sign up and attend a trip.  We learn from watching each other, plus it gives people a forum to ask questions.  There's nothing like on-the-water training, but doing so with a group offers security.   

2.  Get it in Writing  Sometimes when people "see it and sign it" they "get it".  CIP has just created an ASSUMPTION OF RISK, INDEMNIFICATION, RELEASE OF LIABILITY, HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT.  This is a form we encourage all trip organizers to have reviewed and signed by trip participants in any CIP paddling event.  It is more than a legal document intended to limit liability.  It is also a powerful way to get paddlers to understand and acknowledge the risks involved in a paddling trip.  When the person has read through the document, considered its import, and put pen to paper, it is an affirmative way to help the paddler think about safety.  And, it is a form of self-assessment.  Instead of only looking to others to judge competence, it can spur a paddler to ask "should I go on this trip?"  If you are helping organize a trip, and, as a regular step in the process, have participants review and sign the waiver before putting paddle to water, you may well be avoiding an accident or even saving a life.   

3.  Group Gear Check  If you have ever been involved in rock climbing you know that checking each other's gear and knots is standard operating procedure before calling "on belay".  You are not offended by another examining the knot you tied; it's not a social faux pas to give a tug on an anchor that someone else has set.  This kind of interplay should apply equally to paddlers.  Before leaving the putin, take a visual of the other paddlers.  Have they secured their paddle float and bailer?  Is their skeg up?  And, of course, the classic ... did they leave their sunglasses on the deck while getting ready to put in?  Especially when you're on a trip where you don't know a lot about the some of the other paddlers' skill levels, a quick check of their situation may make a great difference for them ... and you! 

An example:  I was on a weeklong trip to Ontario's Slate Islands, a remote area that involves a  seven mile open water crossing in the far north section of Lake Superior.  One day while exploring in the Slates, I paddled out from shore as others in my group were still suiting up to put back into the water.  I heard a distant call from one of our group, the last person to leave the shore, saying "did someone leave their PFD on shore?"  I had somehow managed to forget to put on my PFD.  Had that person not done a visual sweep of the shore before leaving, it might have turned into a dangerous day for me!

4.  Speak Up  None of us want to come off as a "know it all."  None of us want to offend.  But safety trumps modesty.  If you see someone being unsafe, you need to say so.  There are plenty of ways of being tactful yet clear, and when it comes to being safe, it's worth taking the risk.  Often the person being warned didn't realize the risk, and will appreciate the heads up. 

An example:  On an Everglades trip, a group of us were camping on Pavilion Key when we incurred a couple who had been dropped off by an outfitter.  The couple had short sit-on-top kayaks, no charts , and clearly no experience.   They had an ambitious- some might say ridiculous -plan to paddle a long way south to a distant Key.  Over a pleasant campfire visit with them we were able to discuss some of the challenges we had experienced over several trips to the area.  Through the discussion we slowly convinced them to drastically modify their trip plan.  I think we saved that couple from a very dangerous and unpleasant experience.

An example of failing to speak up:  One year in the Apostle Islands four of us went out in stirred up waters (my first mistake).  While making a sweeping turn beam to the wind, one of our group capsized.  Two of us began a rescue procedure while the fourth, and least experienced, member of the party looked on.  The onlooker decided to help and I saw him start to lean in to steady the capsized boat.  I knew it was an unnecessary and ill-advised move, but didn't want to offend the kayaker by telling him to back off.  I should have.  He, too, capsized.  Because of my being "Mr. Nice Guy", we doubled the danger, and ended up with two in the water.  I'm confident our fourth paddler would have preferred being offended to having to be rescued in cold Lake Superior Waters! 

Porthonotary Warbler

Your chance to see every stretch of the Des Moines River Water Trail in Polk County one Tuesday afternoon each month begins in May.  The Birding Tour on May 10th will be somewhat more organized, as will the history tour on July 19th.  The history tour will highlight the historical significance of many locations along the trail including the foundation of an old ice house hidden in the area of the old Crocker Woods--near modern day Prospect Park.  You will best appreciate the bird watching section with a pair of binoculars.  More detailed information will be emailed to members before each event.  Contact John Wenck at 274-5660 if you have questions, or email john@winninglistings.com.

Dates Include: 

• Tuesday, May 10th (5:30pm) Meet at Bob Shetler Recreation Area to paddle overflow ponds and Rock Creek near Cottonwood Access Trail Head on Des Moines River  (Bird Watching)  
• Tuesday, June 21st (5:30pm) Tour Des Moines River: Sycamore to Prospect
• Tuesday, July 19th (5:30pm) Tour Des Moines River: Prospect to Birdland (History Tour)
• Tuesday, August 16th (5:30pm) Tour Des Moines River Harriet St to Pleasant Hill
• Tuesday, September 20th (5:30pm) Tour Des Moines River Pleasant Hill to Yellow Banks

Postcard of Bath House on Des Moines River circa 1909

Spring break in mid-March gave a few of us the opportunity to paddle several scenic and exciting streams in the Ozarks.  We were blessed with good weather and good water.  Weekend rains had raised the Mulberry River from 2.1 to 2.8 on the Turner Bend gauge giving us some fun rapids at moderate water levels.  We drove to the Redding Forest Service Campground on Tuesday, set up camp, and prepared to paddle the upper river down to our camp.  Participants were Juan Gamboa, Teresa Topf, Mark Metelman, Marcia Freer, and Ned McPartland.  Tuesday was a mostly sunny, cool day with temperatures in the 50's for our eight mile float from High Bank to the Redding Campground.  There were numerous rapids and fast water in this section of the river.  We paddled quickly due to the cool temperatures hoping to get off the river before temperatures started dropping.  Highlights of the trip were the many cliffs along the river and the long, narrow rapids and shoots.  The largest rapid was Whoop and Holler which is a river-wide ledge providing several drops with many large, standing waves.  Prior to paddling, we had gathered much wood from the forest for a big fire in anticipation of a cold night.  Indeed, the temperature plunged quickly after sundown and eventually settled in the 30's.

Wednesday started cloudy and cool, but the sun emerged at the put-in providing us with a beautiful, warm day with temperatures in the 70's to near 80.  We started at Big Eddy and finished at Campbell's Cemetery, also a Forest Service landing, a distance of eight miles.  This is a less paddled, middle section of the river, which is more remote with excellent scenery.  The river level was 2.6 and provided us with many fun rapids including Rocking Horse, Picture Book, Azalea, S.O.B., and Hamm's Falls.  Our lunch spot was a large, rock outcrop jutting into the river which provided us with a warm, sunny, and scenic spot for lunch.  After Hamm's Falls, the river rounded a curve and provided us with a roller coaster ride over some large standing waves.  We reached the Campbell's Cemetery landing a few minutes later. 

There are many cemeteries in the area attesting to the larger population that lived in these mountains at the turn of the century in 1900.  One of them is on top of a mountain above our river take out.  I discovered it some years ago on a cold day when we decided to hike rather than paddle.  We took about three or four hours to climb to the top of this mountain to find a small cemetery for four or five families.  There were no foundations, ruins or roads leaving us with the question of why the cemetery was in that location on top of the mountain.  About ten years ago, the Forest Service built a road to the top of the mountain so that one can now drive up there.  The area was heavily logged and clear cut around 1900 so when the government bought the land for a national forest, there really wasn't much forest.  Just about all the trees are second growth. 

Wednesday night, we built another large fire courtesy of an Oklahoma boy scout troop that had been backpacking and finished their hike at our campground.  Fortunately for us, they left a large pile of split logs in one of their campsites. This meant that we had a large fire every night for the rest of the week. Thursday, for a change of pace, our group minus Mark, got up early and drove to the upper Buffalo for an unusually scenic float.  There was 22 inches of air space at the Ponca low-water bridge so we caught the river before it got low.  This section of the Buffalo has many small class I rapids and shoots plus very clear water and towering bluffs.  We had a very relaxing day which was quite warm and windy with the wind mostly at our back.  We paddled eight miles from Steel Creek to Kyles Landing, and on one of our stops, hiked a short way up a creek to view a series of waterfalls.  Back at the Redding camp, Pam Egger joined us for the next day's paddle. 

Friday was another sunny, warm day with a high near 80.  Mark rejoined us so we had six paddlers and decided to paddle the lower Mulberry River.  This is a long and remote 13 mile trip that is rarely done.  Outfitters don't like it because there are no convenient access points for retrieving boats and equipment.  However, for the adventuresome the rewards are spectacular scenery and many rapids including Hell Roaring Falls, Rotten Rock, V Notch, Wrecking Rock, The Shoe, Stem Winder, and Bow Dipper.  Early in the trip, we encountered Hell Roaring Falls which at 2.4 on the gauge is a fairly moderate level.  The rapid is a river-wide ledge with some good hydraulics below it.  We spent some time scouting the drop to find the best routes through the holes and hydraulics.  The rapid was fun to run, and it was a nice spot to spend some time.  We had lunch on a gravel bar below Hurricane Creek which comes over a dam at the Shores Lake Recreation area.  After this spot, the action really picks up.  The mountains get closer to the river, there are many more cliffs, and almost continuous rapids.  At higher water levels, tremendous waves develop, and it is a very wet and exciting ride.  Our water level was much more moderate, but the rapids kept us busy with time to glance at the scenery in the short pools between the rapids.  It's best to do this section on a warm day because it is difficult to stay dry. 

Saturday proved to be a cool day, and we all decided to start back home.  Marcia and I stayed for awhile to paddle the upper part of the Mulberry with Pam before she visited  a friend in Arkansas that night.  We broke camp that afternoon and started the drive back home.  We did have a very good week with mostly above average temperatures and enjoyable water levels.  Finding good water levels on the Mulberry can be a challenge.  March, April, and May have the most precipitation in northwest Arkansas so that is the best time to find water.  At other times, there may be water for several days after a good rain, but then the water goes down very quickly.   

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