I am depressed because I haven’t paddled since Fall Rendezvous so I figured I would start the discussion about Spring Rendezvous. Many of us chatted at Fall Rendezvous and there was interest in returning to the North Fork of the White this year for Spring Rendezvous. I just looked at Twin Bridges website and it says they survived the big flood of last year which is great news. Dates would be Wednesday, May 2 to Sunday, May 6, and we all know some people come early, some stay late. Would like to hear input from folks to see if the consensus is that North Fork will be the location for Spring Rendezvous or return to the Buffalo. My thought is maybe we do every other spring at the Buffalo; so spring of 2019 we would go back to the Buffalo. Hope everyone had a great holiday season and Happy New Year. Seems like the majority of the country is very cold so everyone stay warm and safe. Keep those spring thoughts in your mind and it will be here before we know it!
Speaking for myself & my better half; I think that switching every other Spring, from the North Fork to the Buffalo is a grand idea.
I personally prefer the Buffalo to the North Fork.
I’m not sure that distance would affect too many people, and I think the Buffalo river scenery is better than the North Fork.
The place we camped the last time we were on the Buffalo is a decent spot in my opinion.
If you don’t want to do any cooking, there are places to go that are not that far away.
I thought everbody had a “really good” time on the Buffalo the last time we were there…
I’m all for it - and Vic wants to do the Buffalo either before or after (and I’m good for either). Already planning ahead for this spring’s road trip, starting on the west coast before heading for the Ozarks. And no more tent camping - I just bought a small travel trailer so will be driving the “noisy” Dodge to annoy Tom!
Then again, we might want to just forget about the Buffalo…
The scenery as seen in photos is pretty crappy, and the campgrounds don’t have restaurants.
Having to cook once or twice a day is such a giant hassle, and requires so much planning, and effort.
Ah, youse guys are a cruel bunch what with all the photos. All I can say is “wherever” is fine by me and the quicker the time arrives the better. Its been too long I’ve been off the water.
So, just out of curiosity, has anyone been down to the Pulltite camp? Was it wiped out by floods or what? Is the new shower pavilion still there?
For general information, I recently read on a FB group that the floods last spring severely damaged the Army Corps of Engineers Tecumseh access to the point of being unusable as an take-out. Tecumseh is the last access point on the North Fork above Norfork Lake just after the junction of Bryant Creek. The owner’s of Dawt Mill will not allow take-out on their property under any circumstances (according to the same source) and allegedly turned away two girls who were wet and becoming hypothermic this past fall.
Although it was never among the most popular day trips, a number of us have paddled the stretch from Blair bridge to Tecumseh in prior years, which required a portage around the dam at Dawt. If what I read is accurate, the last usable access point for take-out on the North Fork at present is the highway PP bridge.
Pat C. - we all were at Pulltite for Fall Rendezvous - everything there is fine, just some trees missing near the river and more sand in campsites. There are changes in the river because of the flood, actually the flood took away some of what I considered “fun” spots but it’s still the Current and beautiful as always. I agree with Bob that the Buffalo is much more scenic but from the “talk” at Fall Rendezvous folks missed going to the North Fork/Bryant Creek, that is why I suggested every other year for the Buffalo. They are both great rivers, each has something different to offer.
North Fork this May sounds good to me. I also like the idea of alternating locations. Even years on the North Fork and odd years on the Buffalo sounds like a plan. I am still up for a few days on the Buffalo either before or after this spring’s Rendezvous.
I too have not been in a canoe since the Fall Rendezvous. After a few weeks of sub zero temperatures I am ready for springtime in the Ozarks. And although we reached 45 (above zero) today the forecast has us back below zero by this weekend.
Bob, you so crazy! I always hate to miss these. I can never make the spring version because of WW school, and I’ve been shut out of the fall version every year because of life. Maybe if some of you do decide to pre-party on the Buffy this year I’ll be able to swing that for a day or two. For future reference I will mention there are two very good restaurants near the upper Buffalo; Low Gap Cafe and Blue Mountain Cafe. Most of you are familiar with LGC I imagine, but BMC is a welcome addition to the square in Jasper and is staffed by warm, friendly folks and, unlike the Ozark Cafe which has sadly deteriorated to the point I’ll no longer eat there, also has pretty good grub, especially breakfast. There’s also a really cool place called JB Trading Company up the road in Compton that will sell you a mighty fine deli sammich, gas and necessities including firewood and top quality outdoor gear. They even have hats and t shirts and such. Worth driving right past Buffalo Outdoor Center IMO. Just sayin’.
Both trips last year rocked, buffalo was awesome! If anyone does buffalo and I’m not working I’d love to float it again… im currently off the 4th -6th… so whatever floats the boat sounds good to me.
Interested in paddling the Buffalo at this Spring’s Rendezvous. Was at the spring rendezvous for several days and plan on allocating more time for trips for the spring
