What do you do when your family asks you to take them on their first ever Buffalo trip? That’s a rhetorical question. So what if their number exceeds the capacity of your fleet? That just means you need to temporarily expand your fleet. Thankfully my friend John Dean was happy to lend me his red Super Puma for the day, and on Sunday the Arkansas Adventure Guide crew removed frames, installed thwarts, inflated and trailered rafts and prepared for Monday’s journey to the Mt. Hersey access.
Conventional wisdom and historical summer precipitation (as in no precipitation) patterns had led me to assume the only viable float options would be in the lower district, most likely below Spring Creek. However, we all know the old saying about assuming, and as the date approached I was thrilled to learn a Mt. Hersey to Woolum run was squarely on the table.
The End Result. On Our Way!
Destination having been reached and people, boats and gear unloaded it was time for that most necessary of evils in the life of a boater – the shuttle. Many of our bunch had never experienced a private float and as such were unfamiliar with the time honored custom of waiting for shuttle to be set. Once the drivers were en route to the takeout there was nothing to do but await their return. Things were touch and go there for a moment, but the troops found something to occupy themselves.
As long as we’re here……….Water’s fine!
Eventually we were off, making our way slowly (very slowly) to Woolum.
My Crew, For a While Anyway
We stopped below a chute for a swim break and watched for the kids’ boat which had fallen behind considerably. Turns out they had stopped to pull a tire from the river.
We continued down river, swimming, goofing off and playing musical boats until we finally reached Skull Bluff and found a few more minutes for shenanigans since the end of the trip was near.
The skull watches as Trevor jumps from its brow.
I find this particular reach appealing for several reasons. It’s typically less crowded than much of the river, provides miles of great swimming, a few haystacks (standing waves) for splashy thrills and features two of the most iconic sites on the Buff; The Nars and Skull Bluff.
The Nars is a fascinating and stunningly beautiful geologic formation on the river, owing its name to a dialectical pronunciation of narrows. In plainer terms, Nars is hillbilly for narrows. At this point I should mention that Here at The Gram we strive to be welcoming and inclusive, so should Hillbilly prove to be offensive please accept our alternative appellation, Mountainwilliam. We digress. The Nars is a bucket list item easily accessible via day float from Mt. Hersey to Woolum. Incidentally, quite possibly our favorite overnight float is Carver to Woolum, but that’s another post.
Just down river from The Nars is Skull Bluff, so named because, well, it looks like a skull. Y’all knew that was coming. There is a very deep, very cool swimming hole in front of Skull Bluff that is a mandatory stop.
Bros At the Bluff, Tim and Luke “Deuce” Coop
Speaking of pools, Mount Hersey to Woolum offers several. This of course means lots of paddling in places. I don’t see this as an issue. I mean, without a motor the options are rowing, paddling or staying indefinitely on the rio, but I understand perceptions can vary.
Case in point: The day following our excursion my sister recounted a dream in which she floated blissfully down a placid mountain stream toward a tall craggy bluff. Suddenly on that bluff appeared a scruffy white haired man shouting at her to “paddle paddle paddle!” My sister is given to poetic liberties and, some may say, dramatic excess, but take her point if you plan a Mt. Hersey to Woolum trip. Paddling will be required.
It’s an honor to help someone experience a first. When those someones are family and that first happens to be a signature Arkansas Adventure? Well, I have no words. But don’t get used to it!
See you out there!
Deuce
