PADDLING FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2013

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

Would like to paddle Brush Creek and the North Fork of the Ouachita Friday, both Class II. The NFO is very mild.

The South Alum Fork gage is showing 1.3 inches of rain fell today, so Brush will probably be there, NFO will definitely be running, Bear is a possibility, Little is probably not running. See class2arkansas.com for info on Brush, Bear, and Little.

Anyone interested?


Mike Coogan, alias Captain Aleve

[74broncogirl]

You know I'm interested! I just need to be back in HS by 3:30/4ish. I'm at work right now and should be getting out of here in just a bit. Holler at me.
Christy

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

Meet us at noon at the shopping center across from the west gate of Hot Springs Village on Hwy. 7.

We should be able to get several short runs in on different creeks.

Mike Coogan, alias Captain Aleve

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

We were shocked to find practically no water in the small creeks. That's odd since 1.7 inches that fell a couple weeks ago swelled them mightily and the gage was showing 1.3 inches fell this time. The leaves are out, adding more anecdotal evidence to back the theory that the trees draw a lot of water after that happens; too many variables exist for me to subscribe to that theory just yet. We went to the bottom end of the North Fork of the Ouachita, the river that all the small creeks we were looking at drain into. We paddled from the confluence of Big Branch on Mt. Tabor Road to Highway 298. There was enough water to scrape through the wide, shallow areas, and plenty enough for the rest of the rapids. Very pretty scenery, lots of small surfing waves, lots of eddies, some rocks to dodge, and truly beautiful on that day with the blue skies and all the different hues of green. The main channel branches into many smaller ones in places, making your descent a real exploration at times. It's a short run (slightly less than two miles) so take time to SAVOR the river. See my post of a trip report from the North Fork.

Mike Coogan, alias Captain Aleve

[Cadron Boy]

"The leaves are out, adding more anecdotal evidence to back the theory that the trees draw a lot of water after that happens; too many variables exist for me to subscribe to that theory just yet."

Not anecdotal, fact not theory-- foliage has a profound impact on water levels through increased evapotranspiration and most certainly underlies your observations. If you measure water levels closely throughout the state you'll even see that there is a daily pattern with levels dropping during the heat of a cloudless day and recoverying every evening. Some is attributed directly to evaporation from exposed surface waters but evapotranspiration is the biggest culprit. There are some great studies coming from the Savoy Experimental Watershed here in Arkansas that clearly reveal the impact of evapotranspiration on a daily discharge levels, for example, check out: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2005/5160/PDF/ ... 0part4.pdf

More foliage and solar radiation = greater evapotranspiration = reduced baseflow = diminished water levels.

Conversely, there are also a number of studies (example: http://iahs.info/redbooks/a096/096026.pdf) demonstrating that water levels go up during the summer when you clear-cut a watershed: no trees = less evapotranspiration = increased baseflow = increased water levels.

Sadly the best paddling in Arkansas is typically found in February and March when trees are still bare of leaves. Ironically most folks wait to June to July to go paddling when dense foliage counters the impact of precipitation in creating optimal water levels for paddling.

P.S. Love your endeavors in introducing folks to some of our state's beautiful "micro-creeks". Good stuff!! Moreover by increasing our paddling options you help more widely distribute our recreational pursuits across the state and thus minimize overall environmental impact to any one stream. Thanks Mike!

[Moniker]

Hi John,good to see you back.
So,are you recommending more clear cuts so we have more whitewater?Not sure if I can back you on that one.
Still looking forward to coming up with my daughter, paddling and sitting by the fire with a cold one in my hand solving all the problems of the world.
Don

[Cadron Boy]

Clearcuts good for paddlers -- bad for rivers, streams and wildlife. I'm going to have to side in favor of the latter.

Thanks Don, glad to be back among friends again and grateful to the ACC for the opportunity.