Canoe The Ozarks

It’s early afternoon as we arrive at our put in site at Baptist Camp access by the new bridge.  There’s a small yet striking little bluff that overlooks a good sized pool that’s just a little upstream from the bridge.  This place has all the attributes of a favorite local swimming destination.  And sure enough, we saw a few kids taking the plunge.  But Yikes!  It’s early April and it hasn’t even hit 70.  I swear I could hear the chatter of teeth from where I was standing.
I put on my vest before we finish loading the boat J

We shove off some time before 2.

Eager to revisit a splendorous section of the Big Piney River that we hadn’t experienced in almost a decade.
Eager to renew, to revitalize an old romance that might have somehow been neglected.

It wasn’t long before the courtship resumed…

On the Upper Section of the Big Piney River

The bluffs along this upper stretch are lacking in height, but the rare beauty of their unusual formations brings pause and awe on the river.

We’re looking at rockscape scenes from a sculpting process that began 300 to 400 million years ago!
Sandstone, dolomite limestone, and shale.  “Alche-mystical”  mix that lies below and rises above these clear cool waters.

short bluff line on the Upper Piney

Handiwork of the River Gods.

And I’m still more wide-eyed with wonder as I ponder the geologic history of the Ozark Highlands.  It was the last region on our continent to appear above the receding waters from the last submergence(beneath salt water seas from the early Cambrian period).

And the last will be first.  God knows I love the Ozarks country.

The mid afternoon sun  is softly warming our backs.  Our canoe might have solar sails as we surely glide down from the upper realms, from the source of this ancient river.  I’m feeling an easy peace as I’m drawn into a meditation of the river.  I can hear the water dripping down the edge of my slow, occasional paddle.  It’s a favorite sound that soothes, and it seems my gratitude is rewarded with an unexpected wonder…

We soon drift into the sounds and sights of “Dripping Springs Natural Area.”

Approaching “Dripping Springs Natural Area”

It’s a very tiny spring(s) with no significant water flow, but it drips incessantly from the top of a bluff throughout the year.  On a hot day, it would be nice to paddle up to its cool relief albeit small.

 
This natural area is accessible “only by canoe or boat” on the Big Piney River.
Yet another reminder to “put yourself out there” to witness the natural world in ways that most people will never experience.

 
It’s not much farther down the river when we pull up to our campsite.  We’ve hit the jackpot!  There are numerous piles of wood(from spring flooding) and much of it is right “in” our campsite.  And there’s a huge root wad that’s perfectly  perched above a recessed area in the gravel.
It’s beggin’ to be torched!

And with temperatures plunging down to the high 30’s tonight, we’re grateful to have this huge supply of firewood and we won’t expend much energy to gather it.

 
But it’s time for supper and it’s going to be a special feast on the river tonight!  Four Wood Ducks marinated in my dad’s prize winning teriyaki marinade cooked over fire, along with fried rice and veggies.  I ate like a Viking!
With a little help from Andy Griffith, “ummm, ummmmmmm!”
(and my compliments to Dad and the Chef)

 
It’s already dark as we set fire to the huge root wad.  It just seemed a matter of seconds before the flames were reaching ten feet high.  And only minutes later, the flames were 25 to 30 feet high.  As I’m still backing away from the heat, I look up at the shadows of firelight dancing across the face of the bluff.  It’s an unforgettable sight.
Pretty soon the Whippoorwills are calling just beyond the light.

 
It was well past midnight when we retired to our sleeping bags.  It’s a bit nippy, but dressing in layers and wearing a good stocking cap will suffice.
I hear another Whippoorwill calling from above as I drift into sleep.

 
Peace on the River

by William Hughes.