Ozark Fall Rendezvous - Current River

I know this may be a bit early to start this conversation but with Rob not being able to paddle I’m bored to death and so I’m so ready to get out and paddle (doing a few trips with JoAnne and hopefully Margaret in August and September). It sucks that he can’t paddle but it is what it is. Plus with my new job I have to get vacation request in. Fall Rendezvous is typically the 3rd weekend in October, which for this year would be October 13-17, how does everything feel about those dates at the Current River? I plan to be there either Monday or Tuesday and stay until Sunday, I hope to take a week’s vacation as I haven’t had a whole week off this year since we had to cancel our Colorado vacation, and I’m ready. Rob is doing well, goes back to the doctor on 7/19 and then he will discuss rehab, so that we be happening soon. He is bored but again, nothing he can really do. He hopes to return to work as well, he can’t lift anything but he can help train a new guy, at least he’ll be doing something. We did get two new kittens back on 6/20, so at least he has them to keep him company, that is when they aren’t destroying the house, I forgot what it was like to have kittens. LOL
Hope everything is having a great summer and hope to see you all soon!
Pam

Sounds good. Marking it on the calendar. We had one trip up north for fishing, but so far that’s it. Trying to connect with the grandkids for a visit.

As it happens I was contacted by a friend (Bill W.) a few weeks back who lives out east and was organizing a trip on the Current River in October with four others. Bill and Chip W. have joined us at one or two prior Ozark Rendezvous. By chance the dates that they were looking at coincided with the dates that we have traditionally had the Fall Rendezvous and they were planning to camp at Pulltite Campground before hand.

They are looking at doing a downriver trip but would be happy to base camp at Pulltite and do a few day trips first. I have already reserved site 40 at Pulltite for October 13, 14, and 15. I believe the others in this group have reserved sites 38 and 42 for the same dates, which are the Wednesday through Friday. As of Saturday October 16 is the off-season and none of the sites can be reserved but if you have already taken occupancy of one you can of course simply stay and pay the reduced off-season price for the additional days.

So I will plan to be at Pulltite as of Wednesday October 13. If that is where and when the Ozark Rendezvous happens to be and if anyone is interested arriving on Monday or Tuesday to paddle the following day(s) I could certainly be persuaded to arrive a day or two earlier. At some point, possibly Sunday October 17, a group of six of us will depart Pulltite to do a downriver trip probably to Big Spring.

I’m in.
Good to hear Rob’s doing well. Amazing the amount of damage a couple cute little kittens can do. I think maybe puppies may be a bit less destructive, but its close to a toss-up.
Thanks for putting this up, and its not too early.
Gotten out for a few short overnighters here, but not much. Looking foreward to seeing everyone again in the Ozarks. I’m getting to miss hearing the accent drifting over the water and through the sycamores.

I’ve got it on the calendar. Am planning on doing the before or after floats. Be well everyone.

It’s looking more & more like i may make it this year. I believe i remember you from one of the 1st Rendezvous.
And since I’m there, an extended tip down the Current would be a nice contemplation given enough water.

Ok, I just booked site 23 starting on Monday 10/11, so if other folks plan on being there early I’ll be there. I’ll stay until Sunday the 17th. I doubt Rob will make it as he won’t be able to paddle yet from his shoulder surgery and not sure if he can sleep in a tent by then, right now he still can’t sleep flat. Looking forward to seeing everyone, I can’t believe how fast this year is going! Enjoy the rest of the summer!

I will plan to arrive sometime on Monday afternoon. I will be in site 40. I shall endeavor to arrive early enough to be able to walk down to site 23 with my chair so that I can drink a beer while I watch you struggle to erect a tarp.

It’s looks more & more like I’ll be there. Gonna reserve a spot for Monday also. If Judi comes along we will do the day trips. If she elects to stay at home the trip to Big Spring would be nice if the trip is open.

I hope Rob’s recovery is full and speedy. Miss being on a river with you guys. I’m going to try to be down there this fall with a boat. Dick

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Excellent! We’ve missed you. Try and drag Vic along, eh?

Not sure when I’ll arrive, but I plan to be there. I have trips to the gulf and Bennet Springs between now and then that I need to get past before I know how much time I’ll be available. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Finally made our reservations. Arriving Monday the 11th, probably mid afternoon.
Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Pete,
Don’t you mean help me put up the tarp, not watch. LOL You should have seen me and JoAnne putting it up at the North Fork last week at Sunburst Ranch (we tried another campground other than Twin Bridges), no trees, which we knew about but the ground was so hard we couldn’t get stakes in and the wind wasn’t helping, it was comical but we got the damn thing up.

Dick,
Hope to see you! Rob is doing well with recovery, but no paddling and no sleeping in a tent. Thank God I have JoAnne and Margaret to paddle with while he is recovering. LOL

Did you capture it on video?

And am I to understand that you do not find my supervision and constructive criticism help enough?

Sorry to disappoint you but no video. LOL

Pete,
There is currently (bad pun) about 9” of water above Ackers and falling. Is that going to be enough for good paddling or do we pole over the bones?
With no significant rain is there an alternative? North fork?

The river is seasonally low. The discharge on the Akers gauge is actually presently right about at the median flow for this time of year as averaged over the last 20 years.

I have never been to the Current when it was too low to paddle from Cedargrove down but at the present level it might mean a few scrapes and maybe a brief hangup here and there that requires walking the boat a few yards, at least until below the junction of Welch Spring.

A fellow posted some photos of a paddling day trip he just did on Saturday Sept. 25 from Baptist Camp to Cedargrove which is even farther upstream. He said he only had to get out of the boat a couple of times and walk 20 feet or less.

The Akers gauge on the Current has probably pretty much bottomed out for the year. I doubt it will drop significantly farther due to the contribution of the springs. The North Fork is low as well.

I was on the Current back in August on 19-21 and river was low at that point it was .88, we did not do Cedar Grove but we did do Akers to Pulltite and Pulltite to Round Spring and we had no issues, just had to follow the water. Right now it is showing .76 above Akers, so a little lower than a month ago. I was on the North Fork on 9/17 and Bryant Creek on 9/18, North Fork was at 2.55 now at 2.51 and Bryant was at 3.9 now 3.89, both were very low but Bryant Creek was better than North Fork, we did not do the Falls because of how low it was and we had to walk one spot on Bryant, so yes they are all low. We got two weeks, let’s start doing the rain dance. One thing will be an issue for the Current is if they shut down the government since that is a National Park. This happened before and we ended up at North Fork, which again was not awful when I was just there.