Wild and Crazy Big Creek Canoe Trip Report

The wild part was the fact that it was 19 miles long, full of wildlife, and it took 15 hours of regular and sometimes very heavy paddling. There were no open public access roads in the entire course and just about 3 private ones that probably lead to no one. Otherwise, it was 100-200 fts bluffs on either side. If the Buffalo River is wild, Big Creek is 4 x 4 wild. It should have been a three day float for us.

The crazy part was the fact that we got a hole in the keel of our borrowed canoe on the first day. We don’t remember where we got it and didn’t know we had it until making camp the first night and pulling it up on the bank. Every 45 minutes thereafter we needed to bank it, remove our overnight supplies and turn the water out to keep from sinking. The hole kept getting bigger. I was a bundle of nerves the last 5 hours and belatedly recall one should go canoeing with a good bailing tool, gum and duct tape.

Put in/take out: Warren Mountain Access Road through the WMA is closed off. Unless it’s a magical sanctioned hunting day and the gate is open, you need to go up to Low Water Bridge #3: Wilburn, AR SH101 and about 7 miles East on Tylar Road. There was 1.5 inches of water crossing the bridge and I wouldn’t float this again with any less. I read elsewhere that if there was a foot or more, don’t do it and I believe it. The take out spot is the bridge at McJester Baptist Church a little north of Pangburn on McJester. A prominent web review calls this the Old Iron Bridge, but that’s gone, it’s a new cement bridge. You can park past the bridge.

Fish: We were looking for smallmouth, but were surprised. Daren caught his largest fish yet; a 5 lb largemouth in the last 5 miles. He caught about 20 good size stripers , a ton of brim and only one puny smallmouth. We only had one rod and reel so I can’t add to the average. Other factors included a full moon, 75 degree sunny days and 40 degree night.

Canoeing: there is some white water. There are a few falls that take some thought. We had to portage around numerous recently flood felled trees that create long deep slow pools preceding them. Yet the trickiest and most treacherous part were the cypress groves that crept up the last 5 miles. White (cold clear) water shooting through a half mile stand of cypress and their knees was new to us. We got a second gash in our borrowed canoe which was already a sinking ship. The only way we found through was to walk it – each time thereafter.

Other Resources:

Bring your own canoe.

http://southwestpaddler.com/docs/whitear8.html

http://www.arkansascanoeclub.com/mb/

http://ozarks3xw.blogspot.com/2008/02/big-creek-natural-area.html

Mountain View, Arkansas' Severe Weather Season

In the span of three months, Mountain View has had a very bad time. In February there was the F3 tornado that flatened homes to the foundation and tore a part of the hospital out. Right in front of this tornado and right after it, there were record snow fall amounts. March 18-19 saw a 100 year flood. Jack's fishing resort on the White River was flooded several feet into its ground level. The restaurant and the rooms for rent were totaled and because they had no flood insurance, the community had to pitch in for the rebuild. (it needed it anyway IMHO) There are videos here of cabins floating down the middle of the White. Last week didn't bring this area tornados like predicted, but it did bring almost 5" of rain to the already saturated ground. Gail reports that this flood was worse than the one last month. The work done on Jack's resort was all for naught. Our neighbors and residents in the S. Sylamore Creek hollow lost their dogs, two horses, tool boxes and again, the picnic table. The water rose to their front steps. The tree below the Big Cabin (where we walked in to fish) is gone. The remaining soil is loose sand and silt and will quickly erode away - all the way to the rock bluff that once was 50+ ft from the creek. To compound the problems in our hollow, the front road access AND the back road access are completely washed out. The telephone lines are down and the water line to the cabins is kaput for the moment. The fence on our property has been knocked down by the high waters.

I neglected to mark it in the picture above, but the flood waters filled everything you see b/w the purple lines. (we know where NOT to build!)

"Extreme Tornado Danger"

In my lifetime, I've never seen those words for a FORECAST. Record breaking tornados are expected April 9th and 10th for our area. In fact, we're right in the hot zone. Storm chasers are gathering around here from all over. I'm hanging out at http://forums.accuweather.com/ staying on top of it. As a matter of fact and some excitement, I will be heading down to the radio station tonight and tomorrow night to seek shelter AND help DD with the severe weather updates.

First Spring Camp

Pure Bliss. My brother Ben, just back from deployment in Iraq, asked to visit our Ozark Oasis. He brought my nephew Moss and my other brother Adam in tow. The weather cooperated for the most part even though we had to hunker down and dodge a tornado one of the nights. Ben's new truck got a good work out and we got a lot of fresh air. If you've been here before, note the how much land got eaten away in the recent flood!(all three of us took the pictures below)








































not much to see in this video but it sure is worth a listen to hear a 6 yr old free style a campfure song.


first person to willingly jump in S. Sylamore Creek this season, I imgaine.