Sunday, April 27, 2025
Weather Conditions:
High: 77
Low: 64
Skies: Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible.
Wind: SE 5 to 10 mph
Today’s mileage: 13 miles
Total: 13 miles
Where we traveled: Pruitt, Arkansas, to Below Carver Campground across the river from Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area.
8:16 a.m. CT
The alarm blared at 6:00 a.m. After a fitful night of sleep, I was ready to get up and start our trip. I took my last shower, for who knows how many days, before we met Gary and Linda for breakfast.
What was dry last night is soaked this morning. We wondered how last night’s rain would affect the river levels. The Buffalo River is relatively narrow, so the water level rises and lowers quickly.
We are on our way to our launch site. We will unload all we need to live for two weeks. Gary and John will perform the shuttle shuffle—drive both vehicles to Buffalo Point, leave one there, and return to Linda and me at Pruitt.
10:10 a.m.
The rain last night raised the water levels a bit. Probably a good thing, so there will be enough water to float over the rocks instead of pulling/lifting our boats.
The canoes and gear are by the water waiting for Gary and John to return. They didn’t load them before they left because the boats would be too heavy for them to carry to the water. We will put the canoes in the water before placing our possessions in them. Linda and I waited for the guys because they have a certain way they want the gear packed. (John even has a gear-placement picture of ours from our upper Mississippi trip. It’s amazing how easily you can forget how you do something.)
Linda and I are watching the clear blue river. The water’s hue makes me think of ponds that have had bluing added. The other shore is a tall bluff. I can’t even guess how high it is. The striations representing different time periods of the earth’s history are too many for me to count. Trees grow from the meager dirt through the cracks in the stone. John says he can’t even grow an apple tree in prepared soil. Hmmm… nature is a better gardener….
We are encountering more people (day trippers and a few groups of overnighters) on this river than we have on any other—an indication of the beauty awaiting us? We are the only ones launching here right now. A couple kayakers asked as they floated past if this was Pruitt Landing. I’m glad there are no location signs on the river because they would annoy me since they intrude on nature.
7:00 p.m.
Three hours later, Gary and John returned, loaded the gear into the boats. We were on the river by 2:00.
It didn’t take long for us to get our feet wet. Literally. Class 1 rapids are EVERYWHERE!!! (The most I have paddled.) Gary and Linda paddled ahead to probe each scenario. Within five minutes, they were called on to do their job. They chose left and met a difficult situation, causing them to change to the other option on the right. The reason they didn’t choose this way first was because the water was too low to float over the rocks. Out and drag. We experienced the same result when we followed them.
We stopped about 3:00 for lunch and to catch our breath after maneuvering the rapids and pulling the canoes.
John and I hit one tree when he told me to draw. Unfortunately, my mind told me to switch. Crash! No flipping, so all is good.
People we encountered on the river:
Two men fishing out of rubber boats. One guy had a platform built for his black dog on the front. Pretty cool set up.
Man and woman fishing by one of the two bridges we paddled under. Woman caught a small mouth bass.
Wildlife:
Green heron
Blue herons
Lots of turtles
After living through the dicey (I mean fun) areas, we landed at our campsite about 5:30. This is one of those sites that looked better from the river. It had a ledge to keep us elevated in the event the water level rose. The pebble beach looked more accessible than it was, so we had to carry our gear farther than we prefer, but doable. (Gary’s rule is “Don’t pass the good in search of the perfect.”) Unfortunately, as we were deciding if we were going to stay, John and I missed the perfect landing choice. The current won as we tried to paddle upstream. For a minute, we thought we would be camping at a different sand bar. Fortunately, we found an eddy at the end of the beach and landed. Glad to be there even if we had to carry our gear farther.
Just saw an eagle fly by and land across the river. Good omen.
Sitting here after a macaroni and cheese with veggies and chicken dinner with apple crisp for dessert, we are enjoying a glass of wine and bourbon. When John was cleaning our dinner dishes (I cook. He does the dishes.), he lost our brown Pampered Chef scrapper. He set it down by the water. When he looked for it, the multitude of flat brown stones surprised him. This is the second scraper he has lost. The other lives in the Mississippi River now.
We are finding it hard to remember our routine. Especially when tired. Unlike the photo of how we pack the boat, we don’t have a list of our past routine. I’m sure it will return by the time we pull out at Buffalo City in who knows how many days. We are on river time.
9:00 p.m.
In bed now.
As we were storing things for the night, we heard a strange bird. Based on the song, we think it’s a Whippoorwill. Unfortunately, it stopped singing when John and I walked hand in hand to the beach to move the boat.
Tomorrow is another day. Will the water be lower?