Maddox Bay Saturday 1/8/11

[DeBo]

Several of you have expressed a desire to do some extra swamp paddling. I believe Maddox Bay has been mentioned? It looks like the weather report is now calling for sunny and 44 on Saturday. That is a little cold for me but if others are interested I could tough it out.

[texasannie52]

Since I have no idea where Maddox Bay is, I would like to say - let's go! lol... 44 degrees, hmm - that's partically a heat wave isn't it?

[DeBo]

Since I have no idea where Maddox Bay is, I would like to say - let's go! lol... 44 degrees, hmm - that's partically a heat wave isn't it?

Well, I don't have a whole lot of cold tolerance. As a teenager, I spent a day out in 20 degree temps and almost got frostbite. After that I became a wimp when it comes to cold. I can take all challengers when temps are over 90 with humidity, snakes and mosquitoes thrown for good measure but anything below 50 is difficult.

Maddox Bay is about 15 minutes north of St Charles on the east side of the refuge at Lawrenceville. It is a beautiful area. Those of you who have been before should expect lower water levels than last time. This could limit any bushwhacking we might try to do.

Any more takers out there?

[c8mb]

Sadly, I'm on a short chain this weekend. I still want to go to Round Pond.

[MikkiW]

Debbie,
Correct me if I am remembering it wrong, but did the route we took on our last trip take us from Maddox Bay with a R into Adams Bayou and a cut across the woods to Upper Eagle Nest lake than through a small slough to Cut Bluff Slough and back into Maddox Bay. I remember we had some difficulty finding deep enough water to make the cut from a small lake we passed through over to Cut Bluff slough. I also remember the whompas cottenmouth that I stumbled on and you so admired. Don't remember what the river level was when we made this float but it was a tight squeak in places. Lower water would take this route out totally.

Would there be enough water to go from Maddox bay up into Cut Bluff Slough for a ways or Pryor Lake? I know you don't usually like to go back the way you came in but these are two pretty areas I wouldn't mind looking at twice.

What ever you decide is fine with me. I have the opposite problem. LOVE the 30's and 40's weather but have a hard time with the mosquitoes snakes and high humidity of summer.

I want to tell you and Cowper how much the work you do to make these trips possible for us to enjoy with you is appreciated. There is A LOT of work that goes on before and during each trip. The scouting, the route checking, verifying water levels against past trips to make sure the way you choose will work for each trip, the chainsawing, the organizing of shuttles, remembering each members strengths and weaknesses and assisting where ever you are needed. One of the most important words I learned while working with the Yupiks in Alaska was "Quyana" (pronounced goo-yan-ah)
It means THANK YOU!!

[MikkiW]

Annie,
Here are the directions to the boat landing we will use if we make the trip. From your house: Hwy 1 across the bridge to Hwy 17. L on 17 towards Holly Grove. Follow 17 to Lawrenceville turnoff(Hwy 146) L on 146 and follow to Maddox Bay road. R on MB road and follow it around the lake. There is a small Tee towards the end of the road. Turn L towards the lake here and you fill find the landing a short way from here. There is a $5.00 boat launch fee. It is about 15 miles from your house to here. I will be coming from the other direction through Clarendon and Holly Grove

[DeBo]

Thanks Mikki, for posting directions and thanks for mentioning the work, although most of it doesn't seem like work. We love scouting and exploring and what we have here in Arkansas is so important that it must be seen by others.

We went to Louisiana last week to check out swamps. I had always believed it had the greatest swamps in the nation. What I saw was heartbreaking. The Atchafalaya basin; the largest and most important wetland in America is an ecological disaster. None of the forest within the refuge is more than sixty years old and the water is polluted. The hardwoods have all been logged, the ancient cypress are all dead or dying and the marshes are filled with sediment. Even the backwaters are covered with trash and crisscrossed with pipelines. And, all this happened long before BP. There is no longer a question of preservation but a desparate need of rescue and restoration.

We have some ecological problems in Arkansas and need to work hard to prevent the same kinds of things from happening here. The Arkansas Big Woods is the largest intact hardwood forest in the nation which still contains substantial tracts of old growth timber. I have not seen anthing anywhere else which can surpass it's beauty. It is important that as many see it as possible, appreciate it and want to preserve it now. I am driven to share it with everyone that I can.

I appologise for the sermon. I will meet you at Sweats Landing at 10AM. It will be too low to do what we did before. I am thinking about either seeing how far we can get up Adams Bayou or into Pryor Lake.

[Cowper]

Sweatt's Landing 34.5241 -91.1995

Yes, it will be a very different trip. I haven't checked notes, but Clarendon gage shows the river to be more than 10 feet lower than what I think it was on that last trip.

[MikkiW]

Do I need to bring a shovel to dig for water? Sent Debo an e-mail. Let me know if she got it. Thanks

[Minna Ulmer]

I would very much like to go,but gotta get packed to go snow skiing next week an also visit my daughter in Denver. Sounds like a great adventure and I hate to miss.I really love these floats. Thanks Deb and Cowper! Minna

[DeBo]

Sorry Al and sorry Minna, that you can't make it. There will be other opportunities I'm sure.

[Cowper]

Do I need to bring a shovel to dig for water? Sent Debo an e-mail. Let me know if she got it. Thanks

No shovels required. Still plenty of good paddling, just no "through-the-woods-any-direction-you-want-to-go" stuff.

It's 2:30 AM, and I've just been released from night shift, probably won't have to work tomorrow night after all. In other words, I've been at work, won't know if DeBo got the e-mail until in the morning. Will probably get home about 3:30, but probably will still be on call and miss the trip.

You guys have fun, and if you see some wildlife, please chase it for me, maybe even get a picture!

[DeBo]

It was a great day on the water with a small group; Mikki, Annie, Carl and me. Temps went up to 50 instead of the predicted 42 degrees. It was bright and sunny left Sweats Landing and paddled up Maddox Bay into Adams Bayou. After some portaging over beaver dams we reached the channel which leads into Eagle Lake. The channel was dry so we hiked the quarter mile to the lake. Several hawks were spotted flying over the lake. We hiked back to Adams Bayou and ate lunch. Thanks Mikki for the chicken and the green tea and thanks Annie for the bean dip and chips.
We paddled the rest of the way up the bayou until we ran out of water. Thanks Carl for helping me portage my boat. Lots of ducks kept well ahead of us and several Blue Herons were seen. Back at Sweats Landing a Barred Owl watched us as we paddled by.
Lots of beautiful scenery and great companions. Thanks for a super day!

[texasannie52]

I had such a good time - thanks Deb, Mikki and Carl.. You guys are just awesome.. now to figure out how to post these photos. The ones of you guys at Eagle Lake are awesome.

[texasannie52]

Here's some photos for you.. hope I don't do it twice...