Maybe a novice on the Mulberry....

[GloryDaze]

So I might have the chance to kayak the Mulberry this weekend!! I have been kayaking a long time..as a matter of fact this year alone I logged in over 200 miles on rivers such as the Buffalo, Elk, Big Sugar, Current, Eleven Point.

I wouldn't consider myself a novice, but I am not sure what the Mulberry is like compared to those rivers. I have a Tsunami 125 ( I know not an ideal whitewater craft- but it has served me well) Do you see me having any problems on a river like the Mulberry??

I have read alot about it and can't seem to get a good picture of how challenging the rapids are compared to the rivers I float normally....

[Trismegistus]

"this year alone I logged in over 200 miles on rivers such as the Buffalo, Elk, Big Sugar, Current, Eleven Point, etc."

As it's only February I'd say you're certainly well beyond being considered a novice -- perhaps you're a fanatical freak of nature who simply never leaves their boat. However, with 200 miles behind you you should have no trouble on the Mulberry -- it's a step up and you'll need to wear a skirt to keep dry through some shoals/wave trains -- but you should be about ready to enjoy this wonderful stream.

P.S. Unless the river is at low to marginal levels you best make sure you have a good roll and wear a helmet for a spill or two should be expected.

[Susan Tinker]

The Mulberry is nothing like what you see when you are crossing it on Hwy 40!
A good way to test the Mulberry is at the White Water School around the first of May. Registration is in March.
I'm glad I waited on experieced people to go through the rapids and knew the river and what was ahead in the WW School.
It is probably one of the most beautiful rivers in Arkansas, a great secret. A lot of it can't be seen unless you are actually on the river!
Have Fun but don't go alone.
st

[Cowper]

A good way to test the Mulberry is at the White Water School around the first of May. Registration is in March.

I happen to think the Tsunami's are a great touring design, but the boat doesn't meet the guidelines for boat type for the Canoe School as found here:
http://www.arkansascanoeclub.com/school ... tType.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(Don't shoot the messenger.) So while you would be welcome at the school, you'd need to borrow or rent a different boat for the weekend if you choose to use Canoe School as your introduction to the Mulberry. I should add that the Tsunami is a perfect boat for the recreational paddling school, usually held on the Spring River, which teaches most of the same basic skills.

P.S. Unless the river is at low to marginal levels you best make sure you have a good roll and wear a helmet for a spill or two should be expected.

I mostly agree - and double-ditto on wearing a helmet for this type of water. But I would say the roll is optional; we don't require that as a prerequisite for coming to Canoe School, so you shouldn't consider that as a required skill for a first Mulberry trip. It's a good thing to be sure, but if you stick to intermediate or low water trips, you should be able to get down the river without turning over.

While your boat is not really "optimum" for this river, we should all try to remember that 25 years ago almost all whitewater boats were even longer than your Tsunami. So how well the boat gets you down the river will be totally dependent on your skills, not the boat. One of the differences between a whitewater boat and your boat is what happens when things go bad - your longer boat means you need to read the water further in advance, and if you get off line you are more likely to pin. If your boat broaches, or you swim for whatever reason, then the longer boat, lacking internal bracing, is significantly more likely to be damaged as part of your "crash and burn" experience.

In assessing whether or not you want to step up to the Mulberry in your current boat, you might ask yourself this question; when was the last time you swam? If swimming is essentially a thing of the past for you on the rivers you run now, then you might run the Mulberry and conclude it was only slightly harder than what you were already doing, and wonder what all the fuss was about. On the other hand, if you sometimes underestimate the strength of the current and find yourself ramming the bank or hitting things you were trying to avoid, then it is equally possible that you may find the Mulberry to be quite a handful.

Susan was right - go with others for safety.

[GloryDaze]

Thanks guys- I meant 200 last year.. but I wished 200 this year already. It sounds like I have the experience to keep my boat afloat hallelujah, but I should be sure I go with a couple of experienced padlers on the Mulberry.

I hope I get a chance this weekend- If I do, I'll let you all know how it went

[Trismegistus]

Paddle on!! :)

[Crane]

Experience is relative... 200 miles on Class I streams simply isn't the same as 200 miles on Class II or III... or 2,000 miles, etc. . Having said that, it does mean you are probably pretty comfortable in your boat, can keep it going straight, and have some experience in negotiating drops on moving water. Cowper is correct that you'll need to borrow another boat to take Canoe School the first weekend in May, but there are plenty of folks who have fleets of spare kayaks they'd be happy to lend for a weekend to a new, interestred paddler. It shouldn't be a problem to get you hooked up with a yak.

Even with your experience, I'd probably recommend you sign up for a beginner class at Canoe School for several reasons. First, it's a Moving Water course, by definition, and you need some training on moving water. Second, you'll be shifting from a recreational kayak to a whitewater kayak, and it will take a little getting used to a different craft. Third, there are a buncha basics that get stressed in the basic classes at Canoe School that sometimes get less attention in the more advanced classes... we all need to be exposed to the basics at least once, and I recommend twice, for you. Once at Canoe School and again a few weeks later at Rec School on the Spring River. Those two weekends coupled with the experience you already have should really prepare to to be safe and comfortable on most Class II streams around here... maybe Class II plus... and if you're really a hot-shot, ... well, you'll be a far better paddler from there on. A fourth reason to jump into two classes is that you'll meet a buncha folks who want to paddle and who are more-or-less at the same skill-level you enjoy. That means you'll have a list of folks to call or email when the heavens open up and the rain pours forth and the rivers rise to greet a new day...

[prophet]

paddling this weekend will probably mean about 2' on the gauge which is an easy level to check out the river. just know the water is VERY cold right now and dress for it.

i think there are still bad strainers if putting in at the Little Mulberry

[A Savage spanke]

Shoals? Dude no worries, when I was sixteen I was taking people down the mulberry their first time to sit in a kayak. Everything is super easy, right down the middle, no scouting. If you were in a canoe you'd need to watch out for sacoriliac and zekes headache, but if your a yakker you got no worries. Everything is pool drop so if you do swim you go right into a pool.

[AmyC]

Im with Tris get your paddle on! A few short years ago Amy and I took our first "boats out on the mulberry.We just couldnt wait to see what was around every bend! Our boats were 11 foot rec. boats which are hardly appropriate for whitewater. We also had no experience in kayaks on water whatsoever! With the help of a few boaters at the put in(thanks Spanke bros) we soon learned how to put on all our gear and embark on our 1st "whitewater" experience!We were hooked and did the whole mulberry(40 miles?) from highbank all the way to campbells twice on that weeklong trip! So if your a go-getter and you want it, then dont be a ,Go Git IT! Then if you get the BUG find some better paddlers and buy a whitewater boat and the sky's the limit.Besides I think I remember a story about a certain Arky fella takin a rec. boat down the Ocoee a while back just to spice things up! Not recommended, but in my opinion you probably wont get to bad on the Mulberry unless your a goob!JOEC. TEAMGREEN!

[A Savage spanke]

I agree with Joe, You arn't a goob are you?

[El Dino]

My first whitewater experience was in a rec boat on the Nantahala. No swims. The next day was rec boat on the Nolichucky- many swims. Got worked but was smiling big at the end of the day
So jump right in it!

[A Savage spanke]

Oh and the Mulberry is roadside for most of the river, you can drive right next to it, so take a ride and see that you are working it up to be bigger than it is!

[bmartin]

This time of year I would rather paddle a truck tube in a dry suit down the Mulberry, than any boat without adequate cold weather gear. Don't sweat the boat, rec boats are fine down the Mulberry, just make sure you have the gear to keep you warm if you get wet. Chances are you will not get turned over and swim on the Mulberry, but it is a real possibility, even for experienced boaters. Swims aren't bad on the Mulberry as long you do not try to stand in swift water and have the right gear to keep you warm. If you are not sure what kind of gear, just post back and you will get plenty of opinions. I wouldn't run it solo as a first timer in the cold either.

I'll second or third the class suggestions. The ACC provides excellent training.

[Fish]

So is the Mulberry a stream that's a lot harder than class I water on the Buffalo, etc. and you need to go to school for it, or is it a super-easy, no -worries, go-for-it river? The answer for you is somewhere in the middle I bet. Your boat will be tough to maneuver compared to a whitewater boat. I've taken a 17-foot touring boat down the Mulberry before and it ain't easy to get where you want sometimes, even if you know the river well and have a lot of experience on it. But it's a lot of fun too, and once you get the hang of it, you'll likely make it down with little trouble. This thread definitely has some good advice from both schools of thought. I'll just mostly summarize the best parts (my opinion).

Low water is definitely your friend with a longer boat - less flow to shove you around and not as much danger of being pinned in a boat where even a "mild" pin can be really dangerous. Scouting is also your friend - knowing what things look like and planning what you'll do gets more important the less maneuverable your boat is. Ditto following someone who knows the river well. Trees are your enemies - watch out for downed trees, especially in Chainsaw Jungle, where they are almost always present. With 200 miles of experience last year, you can probably avoid most of the rocks on the Mulberry in your boat, but likely not all of them. And that's why it's fun, right?! :) If you do swim, keep your feet up, swim for a safe looking eddy, and look for a rope (since you will be paddling with other boaters who will have ropes, right?).

So I recommend doing what we do at Team Stupid, Inc.: jump in and go for it while also striving to avoid having to call in search and rescue (most of the time)!

- Fish