Outdoors: White River explorers

Summer is a season of firsts when teenagers head outdoors.

Could be that first fish or first hike. A float on the White River below Beaver Dam was the first canoe trip for some of the teens on a trip hosted by the Beaver Watershed Alliance.

Summer delight

The White River below Beaver Dam is an ideal paddling destination, especially during summer. There is always water when other rivers are low. The water is icy cold and refreshing on a hot day.

Access points are at Beaver Dam, Bertrand Access and Houseman Access. The trip from the dam to Houseman is 8 miles. Dam to Bertrand is 3 miles. Bertrand to Houseman is 5.

Outfitters rent canoes and kayaks in Beaver Dam area.

About 15 young paddlers and their mentors from the Teen Action and Support Center in Rogers donned life jackets and slid canoes into the river July 9. They explored five miles of the scenic river from the Bertrand access to Houseman access.

The White River is a summertime paddling paradise. The water is ice cold because it emerges from deep down in Beaver Lake and flows through the dam to generate electricity. The chilly water cools gentle breezes that waft across the river to refresh paddlers on a hot summer day.

Trout fishing is good in the river, but enjoying the trip and learning how to canoe were the focus of this float trip. Hannah Spencer and William Dupree from the Pack Rat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville were expert canoe instructors. They shared paddling and safety tips to get the group ready for the water.

The river was bank full with good current. Both generators at Beaver Dam were cranking out the kilowatts. The flood gates were open a crack because of the high level of Beaver Lake.

Courtney Thomas with the Beaver Wateshed Alliance paired each teenager with an experienced paddler. The river cradled the canoes like a gentle hand and carried them downstream.

For Martin Platero, 13, the canoe trip was his first time in a boat of any kind. He moved to Rogers from Los Angeles about a year ago. By the end of the first mile he was paddling like a pro and liking it.

"It's fun paddling. I thought it would be fast and rough but it's not," Martin said.

Mist rose from the cold water on this moist, overcast day and added to the beauty of the White River.

Tony Payton was nervous about his canoe tipping over at first. That fear subsided with each paddle stroke as the teenager gained confidence in his new skill.

"I was so excited about coming on this trip that I couldn't sleep. I stayed up all night," Tony said.

The trip was a quick one, about two hours in the fast flow. Thomas fixed sandwiches for the group beside the river at Houseman Access.

"The goal of the trip is to engage youth and their families in outdoors recreation, to get them outside and develop an appreciation after they've experienced it," Thomas said.

The canoe trip was one of the events the Beaver Watershed Alliance hosted during Lakes Appreciation Month in July. Another was a cleanup of the Beaver Lake shoreline in the area of Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area. The park provided kayaks for the cleanup. Volunteers were treated to lunch and a souvenir shirt.

Both events "get people out to appreciate Beaver Lake and its watershed," Thomas said.

Sports on 07/30/2015

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