Arkansas
23 March 2022
Trip Report by Kent Walters
|
Put-in
|
South-east side of Hwy 298 bridge, south of Sims, Arkansas (near Mt. Ida)
|
|
Take-out
|
Dragover (post-loop)
|
|
Gage
|
3.8' on the USGS 07356000 Ouachita River near Mount Ida, AR
|
|
Temperature
|
55 degrees F
|
|
Sky
|
Overcast
|
|
Precipitation
|
About 30 seconds of light sprinkle during final shuttle
|
|
Wind
|
5-10 MPH headwind most of the time
|
|
Coordinator
|
Kent Walters
|
|
Participants
|
Duane Hecklesberg, Kent Walters
|
|
Shuttle
|
Self-shuttle
|
|
Craft
|
Two kayaks - one Dagger Katana and one Jackson Karma RG
|
|
River Miles
|
8.4
|
|
Photos
|
One album in the HCC Photo Library - Ouachita River - Sims to Dragover
|
The Trip
We met at the Dragover campground/pre-loop river access (the one with a series of launch/un-launch rollers) at 09:30 AM near Sims, Arkansas. We moved Duane’s kayak to my car and ran the shuttle back to the 282 bridge near Mt. Ida, prepped our boats and got on the water by 10:10. This was another super-easy put-in with the natural launch path sloping from the road into an eddy. In fact, it was so easy that I got suckered into letting my kayak go from the road and it took off down the 20 feet or so of slope and kept going into some weeds at the far side of the eddy. Note to self: keep the painter in your hand, no matter how sure you are. After Duane recovered my boat, we got underway.
 |
|
|
| Duane and Kent at the Put-In at CR 298 |
|
Empty Kayak at the
Put-In Eddy |
We headed downriver under the cover of a solid layer of grey clouds. The serviceberries were in bloom, with their dogwood-like appearance (from a distance). The hardwoods have yet to leaf out here in Arkansas, but the evergreens behind them were, of course, green. We paddled downstream, watching all the rocks in the water and along the shore. Some were very interesting – layers folded multiple times in one block we passed.
Folded Rock Formation (it was much more impressive in person)
We saw a big juvenile bald eagle – a very impressive bird. We saw a bunch of swallows – not so impressive. The buzzards were a constant presence – I think they liked the wind that was coursing through the channel carved by the river.
We continued downriver, dodging rocks and ledges.
Presently we came to the Dragover Day Use Area take-out with its kayak/canoe roller contraption.
Kayak/Canoe Roller Contraption at Dragover Day Use Area
We spent a nice time eating our lunch on the water as the wind and current battled each other to claim us. The current won with about a 100-yard gain over the 20 minutes.
We were still insight of the parking lot as we continued into the 2.9-mile loop portion. This section of the river ratcheted up the attention-getters with pour-overs, more rock gardens and some flute-like situations, all with the wind in our faces. Quite the fun ride!
Duane paddling an obstacle-free stretch under threatening skies
As often happens on these trips, we chanced upon the take-out. It was nice and obvious, and not difficult to negotiate. We had 100% success.
Duane exiting the water at Dragover Takeout
This post-loop take-out was “special” because it was not where we left our return shuttle vehicle. Remember the place with the roller contraption? That’s where Duane left his truck. We were 2.9 river miles downstream from there, but only about a quarter of a mile across the solid part of the loop. While Duane was off on his cross-country trek to the truck, I dragged the boats up the little incline to where it was convenient to load and did a little maintenance. This is where we had our inclement weather - it sprinkled for about 30 seconds.
A quick reverse shuttle, boat and gear transfer, and we were done – on our way home by about 2:30.
Epilogue:
On the way home I scouted the Norman put-in of the Caddo River – still looks great for gage greater than 6 feet.