Caddo River, Norman to Swinging Bridge
December 2, 2023
by Kent Walters

TRIP-AT-A-GLANCE: Caddo River (Norman to Swinging Bridge at Caddo Gap)
DATE / TIME	2 December 2023 - Meet at take-out at noon
PUT-IN	Norman at 12:40 PM
TAKE-OUT	Swinging Bridge at Caddo Gap at 2:45 pm
GAGE	6.35 FT - 6.27 FT - Caddo River Near Caddo Gap, AR - 07359610
FLOW / DISCHARGE	785-712 CFS
AIR TEMPERATURE	56-59°F
PRECIPITATION	None
WIND	Occasional light breeze
PARTICIPANTS	Duane Hecklesberg, Kent Walters
VESSLE TYPES	2 Dagger Katanas
CLOUDS	Mostly overcast and scattered clouds
Paddling MILES	6.5

Our Goofy put-in photo

Duane and I met at the Swinging Bridge take-out at noon, moved a kayak and continued to the Norman put-in, where we prepped and both “seal launched” off the launch apron.  No mishaps, but that was a very easy and stable launch platform.  We noticed the water level was not high, but the flow was pretty good, and the sometimes-dramatic cloud cover made for very comfortable conditions.

Duane messing around with his cell phone GPS app at the Norman Put-In

The hardwood had lost most of their foliage, so birds were easy to spot.  Throughout our short 6-mile jaunt we saw a couple of great blue herons, kingfishers, ravens, and a pair of bald eagles, along with a juvenile of the same brand.


 “Surveillance” quality photo of a pair of bald eagles


This was an opportunistic trip, motivated by the recent rain and the resulting high, but rapidly declining gage/flow.  We were a day late in the cycle, but this is when we could go, so we did.  As is typically the case in these circumstances, we were kept busy finding viable lines and dodging rocks that became visible at the last second.

Clouds were fantastic on this little segment

Duane is workin’ it

As we were coming up on mile 6, Duane was asking me how we would recognize the take-out.  I told him I had missed it every time, but I was hoping to look river left early enough to catch a glimpse of the side channel that only shows itself after you have passed it.  We negotiated a rock shelf at the same time we were turning right, and suddenly we could see the bridges ahead of us.  I looked left and didn’t see a channel, so we kept going through a small riffle.  By that time, I was sure we were too close to the bridges and looked back again.  I could see two possibilities and started paddling upstream against a surprisingly swift current on the opposite side of the river from the channels so I could keep them in view.  I was pretty spent by the time I ferried across to the channel (the farthest of the possibilities upstream from us), and the water coming out of it was low enough that I had to get out to drag my kayak over a ledge and through some shallow gravel to the pools by the launch ramp.  This is where we usually see a large water moccasin, but he was busy elsewhere today.  Duane was walking toward me as I was calling him on my cell phone to see where to go looking for him.  We drove as far as we could to where he beached his kayak, and he fetched it up to the truck.

Here's what fighting my way back to the take-out looked like this time

Juvenile Bald Eagle with cool sky

All in all, a very pleasant and relaxing time was had by all two of us.

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Lessons Learned:

·         Double check that your take-out vehicle is locked before leaving (I remembered when we got to the put-in).

·         When you see any bridge, stop and look upstream, River Left.

·         Don’t do this segment at a lower flow.

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The author, Kent Walters