Current River and Jack's Fork

by Paul Woodcock

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We had decided to run the Current River in Missouri over spring break. Mary Zaborowski spent a month gathering information from the internet. She had a problem finding any outfitter to shuttle us, as most of them ,didn’t open until Memorial Day. She had assembled a three ring binder with maps pictures and sights to see on the Current River. It was an impressive research project. Mary had met a lady in a grocery store line who had canoed the Jack’s Fork River and she had described its beauty. As we were headed to Eminence on Highway 19 and we saw a sign for a put in on the Jack Fork River, so we decided to drive over and look at it. It was beautiful with clear water high bluffs, much like a miniature Buffalo National River. I commented that the water was real low and it would be questionable if you could run it with out dragging your canoe.

We headed over to Two Rivers National Park where we met David Conger. He had arrived the night before. The Park was deserted. Ron and Judy Nunnelly arrived late that afternoon and we assembled our camp gear for a departure to the Current River the next morning. We had supper around a camp fire to ward off the chill.

The next morning the outfitter showed up and suggested that we might want to run the Jacks Forks River, as the water was high enough to paddle. He said that it is something that you can not do always and the Current River can be run all year because it is spring feed. We discussed it and decided to run the Jack Fork even though we had nothing but the funky outfitters map. He shuttled us to the Prongs, where we put in. The weather was starting to get cloudy, but it still was a comfortable day and we took the time to explore a couple of small caves. We passed a pocket park and in the early afternoon started to look for a campsite All the nice gravel bars that we had passed had seemed to disappear. We stopped at a couple of places, but couldn’t find a good camp. It was looking more and more like rain, when we finally found a gravel bar with enough level places to put up our tents. It started to rain. We strung tarps and pitched tents and had a good meal under the tarps.

As this trip was 10 miles shorter than had planned, we got a leisurely start the next morning. The sun came out. The rapids were all class ones, but they were constant. It was always moving water. That afternoon we saw a large bird flying and when it turned we saw the flash of its white tail, an eagle. I have seen one on every trip I have taken this year. As the tents were wet we decided to camp early to dry everything out (especially my sleeping bag.) Mary and David decided to fish, unfortunately they did not catch anything large enough for supper. After eating I walked back in the woods and discovered a trail and started to follow it. It went up a steep incline and about three rest stops later, I found myself on a high bluff overlooking the river just as the sun was setting. It would have made a great picture, but I hadn’t brought my camera and realized that I had not told any one at the camp I was leaving (another safety rule broken), so I started back. The temperature was dropping, so we had supper and retired to the tents. The next morning I had to start a campfire to thaw out my wet river shoes and socks, as I had left them outside the tent and they were frozen solid and I could not get them on. This day was just like the one before moving water and rapids. Beautiful scenery and easy paddling. Mary had the good fortune to spot a mink on the river bank. We were approaching a small rapid that was curving to the bank up against a rock. I was trying to do a pry, when I heard my paddle break. We were rushing toward the rock. Mary manage to draw the bow of the boat to the right, but as I grabbed my spare paddle we slammed into the rock. I leaned into the rock and tried to draw the stern with the bent shaft. It was not a strong stroke, but we managed to stay up right. I really don’t like to paddle moving water with a bent shaft and I spent the rest of the afternoon grumbling about paddling with Mary’s straight paddle, it was at least 10 inches short.

We camped at a horse camp that night and had a small shower, and ear mics and jigs in honor of St. Paddy. The next morning was beautiful. As we paddled down river, David pointed to the roots of a large tree in the river. About six feet up was a yellow paddle. I waded the waist deep water and pulled it out. 62 inches the perfect length and in good shape. The river takes away my paddle and the river gives it back.

As we paddled into Eminence the river finally broadened out and we passed a huge number of stalls. We later learned that there were 3000 stalls for the trail ride that they have there in the summer.

The next day Judy and Mary provide the shuttle so David, Ron and I could paddle a portion of the Current River. I finally got to see a mink. It ran along the shore watching Ron and I tandem the big red Old Town. We had the time to explore couple of caves by the river.

After lunch Ron and I started hiking up the road where the women picked us up. The shuttle out was a beautiful 10 mile ride through the forest on gravel roads.

It was a great trip and the bonus is we have all the planning done for going back and really paddling the Current River.

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