Eagles and Icicles, 2016

[kru1]

Well folks, the date has been set. Actually, the date has been set for some time we were just waiting to see if there would be water at the venue. Our rain that we got last night (Mon) was all that we needed to move our annual Eagles and Icicles from the White to the Kings River. Normally we host this trip a little earlier in the winter, but our lack of rain and scheduling conflicts has forced us to move it back this year. But alas, the trip is on.

Who: This trip is for everyone and anyone. It is a perfect trip for beginners and fun for advanced paddlers. There should be plenty of instructors (canoe and kayak) attending to help answer questions and maybe provide a tip or two. The Northwest Chapter will cover all costs associated with access. Ernie at Kings River Outfitters has graciously waived all fees for the put-in, but we will still have to cover the private take-out fee.

What: The Ozark Mountain Trading Company (OMTC) and the Northwest Chapter have co-hosted this float trip annually. In years past we have held it on the White, but we are moving it this year. This is a great introduction to paddling Ozark streams in the winter.

When: This Saturday, March 5th, we will meet at OMTC (https://goo.gl/maps/8ryRK86kA422) around 9am. We plan to transfer boats to OMTC's trailer and will head for the put-in on the Kings around 9:30. OMTC said that they will have coffee and doughnuts ready for us. The earlier you get there, the earlier we can shove off.

Where: We will put on at Kings River Outfitters (https://goo.gl/maps/DjxEvboHmUs) and take out at the Farm, a private access about 5 miles downstream. After we set our shuttle, we should be shoving off around 11:30-12:00. The float should last around 3 hours, which will include stopping on a gravel bar to eat our packed lunch (bring your own lunch).

Why: Why not? The Kings is a gem of a river, and I have heard that there are a lot of eagles (maybe even a Golden Eagle or two).

Feel free to post up any question or PM me if you want. Hope to see you Saturday,

Kristian

[kru1]

Beautiful day, hope to see you on the Kings.

kru

[kru1]

This year's Eagles and Icicles was another success. We had a total of 18 boats and 3 were tandem so 21 people joined us. We had several newbies, many intermediate paddlers and 5 instructors. The weather was perfect for floating but not very conducive for seeing icicles. Several eagles were spotted but no Golden eagles.

We floated from Kings River Outfitters to the Farm which is about a 5 mile float. Ernie at KRO ran shuttle for us, which wasn't expected but much appreciated. We spent about 4 hours on the river. Next year we hope to get it a little earlier in the season, but I didn't hear any complaints about the weather or venue.

Thanks to all that made this happen,
kru