Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

Going to Glenwood, Arkansas on June 1st with a group of ten. Anyone been up there on the caddo this year? We float tubes and canoe so perspectives on both would be great. I need info on what the river level is like, any cool hidden spots or secret swiming holes off the beated path. We aren't very familiar with the area and want to make sure we get the most out of our day. ((Im not sure of the exact leg of river. I do know that caddoriver canoe company on Highway8 is our rental place))

Thanks!! Arachel

Arachel,

You have come to the right place to ask! More importantly, you will be using one of the nicest&most knowledgeable outfitters! Ron Kurnik is the owner of the float service you will be using, and I really must differ to him on his recommendations, if you really want to take inner-tubes as well as canoes. In the grand scheme of things, taking a mix of inner-tubes and either kayaks or canoes can sacrifice the most pleasure of each by being either too long a float for a portion of your party, or too short for the rest. Normally I would suggest a float of no more than 2-4 miles in a day for tubers to keep from getting much too sunburned ,and belly or back rubbed raw, while a float, at present levels, for a canoe or kayak could easily be 5-10 miles on the Upper Caddo. The river is running pretty well so my suggestion would be 'all boats' so you could make a trip from The Narrows to Genwood ((about 7 miles) or from Glenwood tto Amity (about 10 miles).
You can always stop often to swim&play, and still please the majority of the group. If that just won't do, then again, I differ to Mr. Kurnik's advice.



Best Regards
Jim

Thank you for all the help Jim!

We have decided to do tubes this time and canoes next month. I am thinking about caddo gap to glenwood. A seven mile leg... how long would that be in hours. **on a tube** We like to go for long runs and usually go to the caddo below the DeGray dam in CaddoValley. We wish that we could find a trip a little longer than that particular leg. What are your thoughts on that???

Forgot to add to last reply >>> we don't use standard rubber tubes... we use inflateable recliners and tons of sunscreen so we don't mind spending a lot of time out there = )

Arachel,

Since you have floated the two mile section of the lower Caddo on tubes before, you know about how long that has taken ,so as a guide you can multiply that time X a factor of 3.5 to get the approximate time for the seven mile upper Caddo trip. Even then, the upper Caddo won't be quite like the lower which always has a minimum flow
and fewer long pools than the upper float. I know Ron does put people in on tubes on the Upper Caddo more and more, I'd sure visit with him for his suggestions. I think he has some shorter runs than seven miles.

I am with Jim on this one seven miles will make for a long day on tubes especially at the current level.

We had a group that canoed the Caddo Gap to Glenwood section this past Friday. That would have been one lonnnng day in a tube. You may get enough rain in the next few days to make a noticeable difference, but, I personally, wouldn't even think about a tube if the water level is under 6. I'd really want more than that.

Marc

I am so glad that I found this place, you have all been very helpful!!

We were Good Samaritans to a family that had done the Buffalo Point to Rush (about 8 miles) section of the Buffalo on tubes with no arrangements for a shuttle. They were tired and burnt and the wife was PO'ed to say the least when she found out that her husband had not arranged transportation. They were lucky we were still there because the last outfitter bus had just left. We gave him ride back to the Point while she and the boys remained at Rush.

I would be really hesitant to tube 7 miles. Check with the outfitter and see if he has a shorter float.

I called and they do offer a shorter trip for tubes, so that makes me feel much better.

That's excellent! I know Ron will take care of you. The rain predictions through the 1st are about nil, for the first time in quite awhile. At any rate, the Caddo is no 'great shakes' for boats right now, but certainly floatable :) , but will continue to drop to maybe 5.40-5.30feet by Monday. I think Ron has some trips of about 3+-4miles which is what I'd pursue at the most, since you like just a bit more than the 2 mile Lower Caddo section.
You all have a good time on your trip! Please let us know how it goes, and as well your boating trip later on. Thanks to my friends for also chiming in on this topic!

Best Regards
Jim

With tubing I would be more concerned about hypothermia. this spring has not been warm and the water is still cold
Hypothermia is a condition that exists when the body’s temperature drops below ninety-five degrees. This can be caused by exposure to water or air. The loss of body heat results in loss of dexterity, loss of consciousness, and eventually loss of life. A few minutes in cold water makes it very difficult to swim, even to keep yourself afloat. In addition, a sudden, unexpected entry into cold water may cause a reflexive "gasp" allowing water to enter the lungs. Drowning can be almost instantaneous.

Your body can cool down 25 times faster in cold water than in air. If you examine the chart below you will see that survival time can be as short as 15 minutes. Water temperature, body size, amount of body fat, and movement in the water all play a part in cold water survival. Small people cool faster than large people and children cool faster than adults.

PFDs can help you stay alive longer in cold water. You can float without using energy and they cover part of your body thereby providing some protection from the cold water. When boating in cold water you should consider using a flotation coat or deck-suit style PFD. They cover more of your body and provide even more protection.

Hypothermia does not only occur in extremely cold water. It can, and does, occur even in the warmer waters of Florida and the Bahamas.

Hypothermia Chart

If the Water
Temp. (F) is:
Exhaustion or
Unconsciousness
Expected Time
of Survival is:

32.5 Under 15 min.
Under 15 - 45 min.

32.5 - 40
15 - 30 min.
30 - 90 min

40 - 50
30 - 60 min.
1 - 3 hours

50 - 60
1 - 2 hours
1 - 6 hours

60 - 70
2 - 7 hours
2 - 40 hours

70 - 80
3 - 12 hours
3 - Indefinite

Over 80
Indefinite
Indefinite

Hypothermia is progressive - the body passes through several stages before an individual lapses into an unconscious state. The extent of a person’s hypothermia can be determined from the following:

1. Mild Hypothermia - the person feels cold, has violent shivering and slurred speech.

2. Medium Hypothermia - the person has a certain loss of muscle control, drowsiness, incoherence, stupor and exhaustion.

3. Severe Hypothermia - the person collapses and is unconscious and shows signs of respiratory distress and/or cardiac arrest probably leading to death.

Conservation of heat is the foremost objective for a person in the water. To accomplish this, limit body movement. Don't swim unless you can reach a nearby boat or floating object. Swimming lowers your body temperature and even good swimmers can drown in cold water.

If you can pull yourself partially out of the water - do so. The more of your body that is out of the water (on top of an over-turned boat or anything that floats), the less heat you will lose. Especially keep your head out of the water if at all possible - this will lessen heat loss and increase survival time.

So your saying that we can expect to get hypothemia if we go on the caddo?

I don't know what Dan is going on about we fished and swam last Sunday and it rained all day it is not that cold.

I am not going on about nothing. I was only suggesting that you use common sense and be prepared if you are submerged most of the time on a tube.