Buffalo River-Nov 14-16 Hwy14-Rush - PICTURES UPDATE

[painterbob]

thats a good call richard, i can tell you first hand after swimming under the tanner street bridge for two day it's cold. and nothing worse than chipping frozen socks off the bottom of your tent to ware the next day!... make sure you have warm gear !!!. it looks like the levels will be low , so boots of some sort will be a big plus if we need to enter the river to push over low spots, it's looking like we are going to have a good size group, and some for the first time . we want everyone to have a good experience. something new... at this time i would like to ask you all to FILE A FLOAT PLAN... tell someone where your going to float, the dates of the trip ,and what time you should arrive home. and also leave a note saying the same on the kitchen table.as a back-plan!!!.....because( the best rescue is the one that didn't happen!)

[GutIt]

Greetings Everyone!

I have requested and received clearance for take-off, and it looks like I will have the extreme good fortune of joining you guys! The Rain Dances are flying for this week (I usually do those naked but you guys don’t need to know that!) and the Sun Dance will commence immediately following the rains for the weekend!

So I just wanted to let you guys know that I can bring the “Chuckwagon” (MR Freedom 17) if someone wants to go and would like a Tandem Seat! It will haul all of our beloved amenities as well as the kitchen sink! I don’t bark (well, very loud, anyway!) and I’ve had all my shots! I respect the fact that everyone in the boat is holding a weapon (which is why I have a helmet with lots of paddle prints in it!) and try to behave accordingly! I can paddle in both the “Back Seat Driver” as well as the “Hood Ornament” positions! And I’m definitely down with the “no reason for someone not to go if all one needs is a ride” philosophy. Shoot a pm and we’ll take it from there.

If not, then I’ll bring a different solo type ride, unless we need the additional carrying capacity of the Chuckwagon for overflow cookies or something! And if that is the case, I'll just solo the Chuckwagon!

Hoping to blow down Friday for the Pre-lim Festivities and I’m filing my Float Plan with painterbob. So therefore he has to live to tell my story!

I’ve been gunning for one of these trips with you guys for a while now and I’m looking forward to meeting some future new friends!

[painterbob]

terry, thats great news! i thought you might have been blown out to sea! ...haven't seen any posts since the big gun fight. but i'm glad to see you come over to the southern side

[lbaker]

Sorry guys, this newbie's bailing....just not equipped for that cold...no drysuit, no wetsuit, sleeping bag only good to 35 degrees. I was really looking forward to meeting you guys and I really hate to miss out on the tofu and beets, but my inner voice is speaking, and I must obey, I know my limits
Now that I've sacrificed, the weather will be sunny and warm....you can thank me later :)
Leigh

[Butch Crain]

who is responsible for delivering hot chocolate to each tent in the morning????

Don't know about hot chocolate, but last time with wind chill in the teens, PainterBob put a kerosene heater in the outhouse before anyone got up. Very nice.

Wish I could join y'all - guess I'll hold out until the December float - temps should be about right by then.

Have a great time. Sounds like a great group, as usual.

[Richard]

You are going to be fully aware it is no longer summer. Plan on it being COLD. Cold with a windchill.
We will most likely start shuttles around 10AM. Launch time will be noonish. Lunch about 1PM or so.

Still watching water levels. Trees have gone to bed for the winter, they are not drinking, so more rain gets to the river.
It still looks like the lower Buffalo is our best option but stay tuned. Water levels dictate where we go.

Essentials to staying warm at night this weekend:
Sleeping bag rated at 20º or better
If you have a fleece liner, bring it.
Wear comfortable longjohns
Wear loose fitting wool or fleece socks
Wear wool or fleece hat/cap
Sleep on self inflating or other insulating pad.
Eat something and pee just before going to bed.
ZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz

Don't forget a flashlight. It gets dark early this time of year. My favorite is a headlamp. I bring at least two.
One I keep with my sleeping bag so when I get the bag out as I am setting up camp, I wear the headlamp like a necklace. That way, no matter where I am when it gets dark, the headlamp is ready for use.

[sugarmtngal]

Richard, Please check your pm! I lost your cell phone #

It's raining because I've been dancing! Buffalo will be so nice to be on - we'll miss you Butch................

[denergyo6]

Hey Richard, gonna try and make it on Friday with Beef Jerky and a bit of canoe space.
Karl

[Eric Esche]

Looks like the dancers came through. Yeah dancers and mother nature.

Most of the Buffalo watershed got 1.1 to 1.2 inches of rain per the 5 gauges I looked at, which has the river rising on the lower half 2/10ths so far. Even if it doesn't rise any more before it starts it's fall back down, we should have High side of low to ample water to do HW 14 to Rush. I'd say Spring Creek down to Rush, but the days are getting shorter with only 10 hours of day light. I'm open to running other sections if they are chosen, but the water looks like it will be about like it was for last month's trip.

Weather forecasts of temperature, sun, clouds, and winds are still changing with the fronts blowing through, but right now, the ones I just looked at are saying above freezing both Friday and Saturday nights with highs in the 50's Saturday and Sunday. Forecasts I've looked at say windy on Saturday though with gusts to 29MPH. Guess we will ALL have to help gather firewood where ever we see it on the way down if we want a fire for both Saturday night AND Sunday morning. I'll bring my machete, saw, and axe.

Accuweather no longer gives hour by hour forecasts for free. Bummer.

Eric

[painterbob]

Susan Tinker wrote:
who is responsible for delivering hot chocolate to each tent in the morning????..... she's so funny!! but i'll tell you what!.... SINCE YOU BROUGHT IT UP... we all voted for you to do it!! ..... and what a nice touch this will be!! your a real trooper susan thanks soooo much!

[Richard]

PB, We were not suppose to tell Susan until Friday night! It was a secret vote! Remember?!?!?
Next time we have a secret vote we are going to tape your fingers.

[RandyJ]

Accuweather no longer gives hour by hour forecasts for free. Bummer.
Eric

Try http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lzk/.

1) Select, say, Yellville from the Point Forecast drop-down list of towns, then click Regular Forecast.
2) Scroll down to the interactive map. You can move the point of interest wherever you want.
3) Scroll down a little more to the Additional Forecasts and Information section. Select "Hourly Weather Graph" from the list.

If you have a favorite spot you want a forecast for (example: Deer, AR), locate it, then save the URL to your Favorites folder.

[Susan Tinker]

If I do make it .... everyone will be waiting a long time if they are waiting on me ... PB, you know I need help out of that tent! So, when you come by to help me, go ahead and bring that hot chocolate ... and have that port a potty nice and heated up!!! Oh, and let's have some more twirly water too ... make it a really exciting trip!

Hoping we get A LOT of sunshine Friday, when I'm making my decision .... that was a great trick I had pulled on me .. making me commit to coming when it was hot outside!

susan t

[Jim Krueger]

Cheese&onion-stuffed, bacon-wrapped, Hebrew National Hot Dogs, sprinkled with large pepper and grilled to perfection for brunch. Serve hot with German mustard.

Jim Moose

[Clif]

hmmmm

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 45. Northwest wind between 10 and 15 mph.

Saturday is far away.