Old School Surfing Rapid..."the good ol' days"

[Prairie Tater]

I just found this video. There is or was a CANOE club from Texas which took annual trips to Arkansas and out East & West. I ran into them several times over the years. Their leader's name was Charles Smith...fine man and excellent paddler & instructor. Some of you may know him. Anyway, I was surprized to find several of their early 90's vids on Youtube. This one in particular really takes me back. The first few minutes are at First Ledge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgRBIqpLBdc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Deuce]

Super cool. Thanks for posting.

[okieboater]

Watching this video put a really big grin on my face.

Brought back memories of so many afternoons I spent at Surfing Rapid.

Some folks would set up there and spend the entire afternoon enjoying the fun.

That rapid would surf just about any kind of boat. I have even seen rafts surfing it.

It was great to see all the long boats (canoes and kayaks) surf till they got tired, peel out and immediately some one in line would take their place.

One of my favorite surf experts at the time, was a gentleman from little rock in a OCA. He could work that wave till the wave called out that it was tired and to let me rest! Always had a big stogy type cigar and reminded my of a coal fired train engine when the action got going. Watched him for years and never saw him flip. Good times for sure.

Been a while for me to run Big Piney, but in the time frame this video was made, any time it was running that would be the place to see most of the boaters in Arkansas and surrounding areas.

As the song goes "Thanks for the Memories"

[Prairie Tater]

Dave, that rapid was my main destination on several trips. I used to work weekends and was off during the week whenever there weren't very many paddlers there (if any) to hook up with. I'd drive to Long Pool, then paddle/portage the two miles up to Surfing Rapid to play and work on my combat roll. Ah...those were the days.

BTW, I see a few familiar faces in that vid. I think that's Walter Hudson surfing it up in the red ME at 25:40.

[okieboater]

I did that same upstream paddle my self a few times. If memory correct, when I got over there late in the day and missed the longpool shuttle setups.

In long old school style kayaks (Response being my favorite attainment kayak) I could attain most of the way. Just ferry from side to side to catch eddies. Would have to get out and walk a few shoals but it was not a big deal. I never asked but hearing from you makes me wonder how many of us did that upstream paddle.

Yup, I remember Walter Hudson as being one of the many expert open boaters in the ACC that were very active at Surfing Rapid those days. There were a bunch of kayaks and C1 as well. But to me it was the open boaters that put on the show.

[Tim Eubanks]

That was a nice level. No wonder Surfin' Rapid has changed. They wore it out that day.

[Gordon Kumpuris]

That was a nice video. Puts Go Pro nausea inducing clips I constantly see to shame. 1994 was the exact year I got hooked on boating. 21 years ago. Like many in the video I had a Mohawk OC-1. I paddled the crap out of that boat. I bought it from Kerry Moore at Moore Outdoor on Big Piney Creek for like $600.00 fully outfitted and promptly spent another 3 or 4 hundred dollars re-outfitting it. Most expensive boat I ever had!. :) That was indeed Walter Hudson firing up Surfing rapid.

I recall goobing down the Big Piney in a rented Moore canoe one day with a buddy and watching boaters like this surf. That was all it took. Hook, line and sinker, I was in LOVE!. The paddling heroes of the day were guys like - Max Whelhouse, Mike Beard, Walter Hudson, Dale Barton, Walter Felton, Stewart Nowland, Walter May and Tom Kennon. All open boaters abd most still around. There were plenty of others too. Kayakers were coming on in a hurry though. I remember meeting this punk kid named Lance Jones about that time and this guy with a name that I could not pronounce, Cowper Chadbourn All I was worried about at the time was having a boat in which I could carry beer securely. Boy times have changed!!

[James Canon]

Go Pro nausea inducing clips. Boy times have changed!!

Gotta agree.

[hilbili]

better boats and better beer. I've only done helton's once, and ready to get back up there to play!