For the avid paddler and lover of rivers, living out of your canoe for a week on a beautiful stream is the ideal cruise.
What you'll see in today's feature is sort of a "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" report of a six-day, solo float trip on the Current River in Southeast Missouri, one of the most spring-fed rivers in the world.
For the last few years I've enjoyed choosing a river and floating the whole thing top to bottom over several days. I start at the highest practical upstream put-in point and canoe to the end, where the stream joins another river or a lake.
I got the whole-river float bug in 2009 the first time I floated the entire Buffalo River, from Ponca to the White River, a 132-mile trip that spanned six glorious days. Sure, you can put in above Ponca in high water, but Ponca is the highest upstream put-in for most trips.
Last spring I did the Kings River from the Marble access to Table Rock Lake, about 65 miles. I enjoyed four splendid days on the lovely Kings. This spring, it was the Current River. My trip was May 5-10.
I wanted to do the whole Current River from its source at Missouri's Montauk State Park to the river's end where it joins the Black River at Pocahontas in Northeast Arkansas. That's 165 or more miles, and too far for the time I had to do the trip.
So I settled on floating all of the Current River that lies within the Ozarks. That's the 125 miles from Montauk State Park to Doniphan, Mo. Not far past Doniphan, the Current River flows into the flatlands.
The trip was exciting in that the Current was uncharted territory for me. It had been decades since I'd been on it and had only seen a slice of the river. Last summer, some pals from high school and I did a day float on Jack's Fork, a tributary of the Current. That trip got me thinking about the Current as my next whole-river float. So in early May, off I went.
It really doesn't take much more gear to float for a week than it does to canoe and camp a single night on the river. Extra food is about it. I always pack some warm clothes in the event of a cool, rainy day.
I love the paddling and I love the camping. The gravel bars on our Ozark streams make paradise campsites. It doesn't cost a dime and, at least for now, no permits are required to camp on any Ozark stream. With river camping, you're by yourself. The quiet and solitude are wonderful.
It's great to float with a friend or a group, but going it alone has its perks. I like to keep a journal on these whole-river trips, and know I wouldn't do that if I was with someone. When you go it alone, all you have to worry about is you. The logistics of packing, travel and the trip in general are simple.
Living out of your canoe for a week isn't for everyone. You'll likely have to cover several miles each day unless your time is unlimited. You're outside for days in whatever weather comes along.
One morning on the Current was so cool I was in long pants and long sleeves. Most afternoons were sunny and hot. I had one rainy night, but it's great to be snug and dry in your sleeping bag and hear rain hitting the tent fly.
If you choose the Current River for a lengthy trip, plan it for fall or early spring. From Memorial Day until Labor Day, the river is crazy busy. But on my trip in early May, I didn't see one human being on the water or on land from Thursday afternoon to Saturday morning.
So, down the Current we go!
Outdoors on 06/26/2014