timwinters
Ejection Handle Pulled
The "camping with a generator" discussion got me to thinking...dangerous I know...
The Jacks Fork River is the most beautiful stream in Missouri, bar none. There are no bottom fields for the first 24 floatable miles. It's basically a miniature box canyon.
A former tradition, that I've wandered away from for a few years, is to have a three day float (canoe trip) on the upper Jack. One person per boat, pack all your gear with you. Two nights of gravel bar camping with no one around for miles.
This trip has historically taken place the week before Memorial Day which, planning ahead to next year, would be the 20th thru 22nd. Early in the season is necessitated because The Upper Jack is not as well blessed with springs as other Ozark streams are and, on the average year, the upper section isn't floatable past early to mid June; the 4th of July on a good year.
This stretch of stream has always had great bass fishing but has become even better in more recent years since the MDC made it a "trophy small mouth stream." When the season is open (Memorial Day weekend) only 1 fish per day can be kept and it must be 18", as a result one can catch nice 1.5 to 2 pounders all day long and have a blast.
Are there any "stream people” (creek queers as we're called by the lake apes around here) who would be interested if I put a trip like this together next year?
It would be an easy shuttle from the Mountain View, MO airport (MNF) and I'd gladly rent a van for the weekend to shuttle folks who fly in. Canoe rentals and river shuttles are readily available.
We would float from Hwy 17 bridge (Buck Hollow) to Alley Springs, 24 miles and take three days to do it. Put-in Friday morning, take out Sunday afternoon (or Thurs to Sat if preferred). As far as I know, there is only one piece of private property on that entire stretch of river, Bunker Hill Retreat, it was formerly open to only Missouri state teachers but was opened up to the general public in the last year or so. Chris and I are staying there in a few weeks and floating.
Below are a few misc. photos of this beautiful stretch of earth. The Upper Jacks Fork...just a small stream that meanders near the edge of heaven.
Blue Spring:
Just another bluff:
Injun Cave:
Just another bluff:
Jamb-Up Bluff and Cave (the cave entrance is the tall hole centered and partially blocked by the tree) The water is really low here, must be the middle of the summer:
Jamb-Up from the inside, it's an easy boulder hop up to the entrance from the river (from MDC: Jam Up Bluff and Cave's river entrance of cave is one of the most spectacular cave entrances in state. Cave may be explored in daylight back to the lake which is plunge-basin for falls from upper part of cave.):
The "lake" inside Jamb-up. (One can swim the lake, shinny up the waterfall on the back side, and then trek through the upper cave and out the sink hole at the top of the bluff):
Looking upstream at "the entrance" to Jamb-Up hole:
The river map (and here's the mile-by-mile description):
The Jacks Fork River is the most beautiful stream in Missouri, bar none. There are no bottom fields for the first 24 floatable miles. It's basically a miniature box canyon.
A former tradition, that I've wandered away from for a few years, is to have a three day float (canoe trip) on the upper Jack. One person per boat, pack all your gear with you. Two nights of gravel bar camping with no one around for miles.
This trip has historically taken place the week before Memorial Day which, planning ahead to next year, would be the 20th thru 22nd. Early in the season is necessitated because The Upper Jack is not as well blessed with springs as other Ozark streams are and, on the average year, the upper section isn't floatable past early to mid June; the 4th of July on a good year.
This stretch of stream has always had great bass fishing but has become even better in more recent years since the MDC made it a "trophy small mouth stream." When the season is open (Memorial Day weekend) only 1 fish per day can be kept and it must be 18", as a result one can catch nice 1.5 to 2 pounders all day long and have a blast.
Are there any "stream people” (creek queers as we're called by the lake apes around here) who would be interested if I put a trip like this together next year?
It would be an easy shuttle from the Mountain View, MO airport (MNF) and I'd gladly rent a van for the weekend to shuttle folks who fly in. Canoe rentals and river shuttles are readily available.
We would float from Hwy 17 bridge (Buck Hollow) to Alley Springs, 24 miles and take three days to do it. Put-in Friday morning, take out Sunday afternoon (or Thurs to Sat if preferred). As far as I know, there is only one piece of private property on that entire stretch of river, Bunker Hill Retreat, it was formerly open to only Missouri state teachers but was opened up to the general public in the last year or so. Chris and I are staying there in a few weeks and floating.
Below are a few misc. photos of this beautiful stretch of earth. The Upper Jacks Fork...just a small stream that meanders near the edge of heaven.
Blue Spring:
Just another bluff:
Injun Cave:
Just another bluff:
Jamb-Up Bluff and Cave (the cave entrance is the tall hole centered and partially blocked by the tree) The water is really low here, must be the middle of the summer:
Jamb-Up from the inside, it's an easy boulder hop up to the entrance from the river (from MDC: Jam Up Bluff and Cave's river entrance of cave is one of the most spectacular cave entrances in state. Cave may be explored in daylight back to the lake which is plunge-basin for falls from upper part of cave.):
The "lake" inside Jamb-up. (One can swim the lake, shinny up the waterfall on the back side, and then trek through the upper cave and out the sink hole at the top of the bluff):
Looking upstream at "the entrance" to Jamb-Up hole:
The river map (and here's the mile-by-mile description):
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