A Little Closer To Heaven

This is where we had to bail out..we had already come through the worst part.

With the torrential rains we’ve been having, the Buffalo River has been up and moving for a while. That being said, on Friday, Sara and I decided to conquer the river. The level was a couple of inches below flood stage and we had no idea what we were in for.

Just about every rapid on the Buffalo was about a class higher than usual. We were tossed to and fro with the numerous whitewater rapids and hairpin turns, but we managed through it all. That is until…

Gray Rock Rapids, or Hell’s Half Acre, or the Haystacks…whatever you wanna call it. This is normally a solid class II, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t a class III on this particular day. We could hear the raging whitewater long before we saw it. When we rounded the riverbend we came face to face with the monster. “Sara, you might want to get low in the canoe, cuz this one’s gonna be rough,” I said calmly. Then, we entered the rapids. I got to my knees immediately and started paddling for our lives. The standing waves were easily 3 to 4 feet and were coming from every direction. I thought it would never come to an end as I paddled furiously to correct the course of the canoe that was being flung in every direction.

We would go over one wave, and another would be waiting. As we dropped over them…water would pour into the boat. Then, a wave would come in from the side and pour more water into the boat. This was an open canoe in a mess of waves. That spells trouble. The water we took in made the canoe especially tipsy, but we perservered and made it almost all of the way through…but then I realized I was all wet. No, I didn’t wet my pants…this water was cold and the canoe was floating below the surface of the water because it had taken in all of the water it could hold.

We bailed! My wife assumed the whitewater safety position floating on her back through the rapids. I, on the other hand, did not want to lose my canoe so I grabbed on for dear life and tried as best I could to fight the deep water, standing waves, and rapids to get to shore. Then, it hit me…the shock of the ice cold water. I couldn’t breathe! My lungs wouldn’t expand all of the way. “Sara, don’t forget to breathe!,” I yelled. She turned around and I saw the shock of the cold water hit her, too. She was forcing herself to breathe and had cut her ankle on a rock turning around to see if I was alright.

I finally got control of my breath. “Swim for the shore on the left!” I grabbed the canoe and swam furiously to the shore…grabbing Sara as I went by. We made it to shore, but our paddles were gone. Luckily… the paddles rested in an eddy about 1/2 a mile downstream and some kayakers grabbed them for me. We dumped the canoe and finished out our trip just fine. Thanking God the entire way that we had worn our lifejackets (something we don’t normally do on the relatively easy Buffalo river).

“So, what’s the Easter message?,” you ask. It hit me later that my life is a lot like this canoe trip at times. I try everything in my power to keep myself afloat and not tip the boat. Yet my strength and paddling abilities are no match for a raging river. I can try everything…but if the waves are higher than my canoe…it’s gonna go under.

I try to live life in my own power and yet I fail miserably. I try to do things my own way, to keep myself afloat…and I always make the wrong decisions. This world is more powerful than me and I am at it’s mercy when I choose my own way. Left to myself, I’d disappoint my family, my friends, my church…you name it. Yet there is something more powerful than the world. More powerful than my inability to do the right thing. That’s the power of God. The power of Easter, the power of the resurrection.

The Bible says that the same power that raised Christ from the dead, is the same power that helps me get through the day. You ask me if I could still be a Christian if the Resurrection, if Easter was a story, a myth? No way. But the Easter story is true…it’s not a fairy tale and if I’d just open my mind to the truth I’d realize it takes more faith to believe it’s all a lie than it does to believe that the Bible tells the truth.

It’s because of the resurrection that I can get through my days. That I can make the right decisions. That I can have power for daily living.

And you can have that power, too. Ask me how.

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Well, I apologize for not getting this out on Tuesday. The internet was acting up and wouldn’t let me on the site. So, without further ado…I now present you with “Top Ten…Wednesday?”

Photo Courtesy of Flickr user garybaird

10. Hideout Hollow

Hideout hollow is a short 3 mile round trip hike that sees very little traffic. Yet it is an absolutely beautiful place. It’s a peaceful walk, not too difficult and it ends at a beautiful waterall with a small cave behind it. The perfect place for a “hideout.”

9. Indian Creek

Indian Creek is a beautiful area just off of the Buffalo River. There’s no official trail, but it’s been walked so many times you can’t miss it. Indian Creek is a creek that is surrounded by beautiful bluffs and is home to many waterfalls. Check out some excellent pictures here .

Photo Courtesy of Flickr user Clinton Steed

8. Buffalo River Float Trip- Ponca to Carver

The Buffalo River is one of the most beautiful rivers in the United States. It’s surrounded by magnificent bluffs and 1800’s homesteads. The river itself is one of the few rivers with National Park status. It is also one of the few left without a dam, meaning the scenery is unspoiled and looks almost exactly like it did several hundred years ago.

As far as adventures go, canoeing the Buffalo is downright fun. It may not have the toughest rapids to navigate (unless you run the hailstone), but it has enough class II’s and a couple of almost class III’s to keep the adrenaline flowing. The upper river is full of technical moves and stunning beauty. If you can get away for a couple of days and float Ponca to Carver, it’s well worth the time off!

7. Fitton Cave

I’m almost ashamed to admit this…but I’ve never been here. Not only that, I call myself an outdoorsman and I didn’t even know the place exists until about a week ago. This cave is actually better-known from out-of-towners, than it is from locals. It’s the longest cave in Arkansas with 13 miles mapped out and many places still unexplored. Also, it’s full of several formations that are found no where else on Earth. I’m dying to check this place out. However, the entrance is gated shut and a permit must be obtained to enter. There are several more stipulations that I’m checking up on before I plan my trip. A Beautiful Photo of this cave can be found here .

6. Hawksbill Crag

Ahh, Hawksbill Crag, the most photographed place in Arkansas. I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures before and dreamed of going there. It’s only a 3 mile hike…what’s stopping you?

Stay tuned next Tuesday for the Final 5 Buffalo River Adventures!

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That’s exactly what my buddy Troy told me as we stepped into my red Pelican Navigator, a rather tipsy canoe. It was New Year’s Eve and the high for the day was 50 degrees…no problem, right? Well, actually it was a problem seeing as we would be done with our float around 1:00 pm and it wasn’t supposed to warm up until late afternoon. Right now, it was in the lower 20’s and very chilly outside.

I was bundled from head to toe and properly layered. This 9 mile stretch of the river was nothing to worry about because I’ve ran it several times in the past. We paddled slowly, making our way into the first set of shoals…easy. The shoals were followed by a deep pool that was so still that the top of the river was frozen. We were actually breaking the ice as we canoed through it.

The canoe trip I took on Monday was absolutely amazing. It was a beautiful, yet cold, clear day. We had the river to ourselves seeing as anyone in their right minds wouldn’t be canoeing it. The only problem, aside from the cold, was that the water was a still a little to shallow to float and we spent a great deal of time paddling furiously to keep from getting stuck in a shoal. Also, the water level had caused a few drops that are not normally present on this stretch, each of which almost flipped the canoe.

The river itself was absolutely beautiful. It was unlike I had ever seen it before. The wildlife was abundant and we caught sight of several deer. One doe, in particular, that had just got done taking a dip in the the river, we got within 10 yards of and didn’t even frighten it. The Buffalo National River in winter is something that everyone should experience. It offers a whole new experience for those willing to brave the cold.

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We recently rung in the new year and I thought to myself this morning, “There’s no better way to celebrate on my blog than to do a year in review.” Since you probably don’t want to hear about every single trip I took, I’ll just highlight my top 10 outdoor adventures of 2007:

10. A fall hike on the Buffalo River from Ponca to Steele Creek and back.

9. Canoeing the Buffalo River in December through frozen water (I just did this on December 31, and I’ll post about it soon).

8. Watching the Elk in rut at the Boxley valley.

7. Being caught in the middle of a lightning storm at the top of White Rock Mountain still 3 miles from the car (My wife and I are lucky to be alive).

6. Hiking to Hemmed-In Hollow. I’ve done this hike tons of times and normally it wouldn’t make my list…but this year it was a goodbye hike with some close friends who were moving away. That made it extra special.

5. Hiking the only slot canyon in Arkansas and going somewhere Tim Ernst has never even been. Though I have to give him credit…he told me how to get there…I just made it farther up the canyon.

4. Backpacking the Buffalo River Trail during a freak cold front in April (It actually snowed on us and shot huge ice chunks out of the sky).

3. Canoeing the Buffalo River at night and having a black bear cross the river right in front of us (sorry…it was so quick and my adrenaline was pumping so much…I didn’t get a picture of this one).

2. Spring break trip to Erwin, TN that included rafting the Upper and Middle Nolichucky and the French Broad. We also went 3 miles back into a cave and hiked several short stretches of the AT in TN and NC.

And my number 1 outdoor adventure of 2007:

1. My honeymoon which included exploring Mayan ruins in Belize, Ocean kayaking at snorkeling in the Honduras, and romantic walks on the beach in Grand Cayman…what can I say? I’m a sucker for love stories.

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As promised, here are my pics and story of my first class IV rapid. It was only about a year ago when the youth group I was helping out took a trip to Tennessee to do a week of rafting, hiking, and caving. Needless to say, it was my first rafting experience. The first picture shows just how inexperienced I was. We floated the upper Nolichucky which is absolutely full of class IV’s. We had spent a couple of days doing class III floats so I didn’t think this one would be a big deal. My friend Troy, the one making the funny face, saw the camera man and pointed him out. So, we decided to stop paddling and smile for the camera. Big mistake! You can actually see the intense face of the guide as we head into the class IV rapid that we were not even paying attention to.

This next picture is priceless. It’s right after the first picture when we actually headed into the class IV rapid. My wife is in the back corner with the look of horror on her face. I’m directly across from her holding my breath. Not only were we headed into it…but we were headed for an undercut rock that could swallow our entire raft. The raft guide started yelling out orders quicker than we could carry them out. On top of that, we had a couple of Jr. High girls in the front who had no idea what their job as the front of the raft consisted of. “Paddle Back, Derek!” the guide shouted with an intensity unlike I had ever heard. We were headed right for that rock! “It’s too late,” I thought to myself. But I continued to paddle like a madman whispering prayers under my breath. Just as we were about to smack into the rock,we finally bested the rapid and missed the undercut by inches. “You’re gonna have to pay more attention and work harder than that if we’re gonna make it through the rest of the trip,” The guide told us as we headed out of the rapid.

The intensity settled. I looked forward to what lied ahead. Another series of class IV’s called the 1/4 mile. It’s called that because it’s 1/4 mile of class IV water. I took a deep breath and realized for the first time the respect that the river demanded. We made it through the rest of the trip with no troubles. It was an adventure I would never forget.

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