I have two doctor friends who have experienced quite a bit of outdoor adventure. Solo backpacking and multi-day four-wheel off-road trips, rock climbing, hunting and adventure racing. These guys are the real deal, or at least they were 20 years ago. They are part of a small group that is fun to hang out with and we try to get together as often as possible.
The three of us purchased kayaks a few years back in hopes of getting out and enjoying Oklahoma’s natural wonders. We were going to spend time on the many Oklahoma rivers hunting artifacts, fishing and camping and generally having a good time. Paddling and floating seemed like a great alternative to long, hot summer hikes.
As I mentioned, these guys spent a good portion of their youth climbing in Yosemite, driving from Oklahoma to New Mexico via dirt roads and exploring Arizona. But they had not spent much time in small watercraft. So, we have spent the past two summers on multi-day trips, camping and learning how to organize our trips. We have become pretty good kayakers given that most of our creeks and rivers are rarely more than knee deep. Is there a class “0” rapid? That is our domain.
The “Ark”, as the Arkansas River is referred to by locals, is rarely more than three feet deep and often only eight to ten inches is all that you must navigate. The river bed is so broad that you have to pay attention to the main channel or your boat will find its way onto a shallow gravel bed and you are then stepping into the water and dragging your boat to deeper waters.
This past weekend four of us, including our young friend Garrett who knows the Ark like it is his backyard, decided to explore a stretch of the Ark that we had not been on. It was an isolated section from the small town of Ralston to the smaller community of Blackburn in northwest Oklahoma. Getting into the river is not difficult; the trick is to find a place to park your trucks for a few days.
I thought we could leave them in Blackburn and ask a local to drive us back to our kayaks. The guys thought I was crazy because they are typically harassed by land owners who don’t want people kayaking through their property. But we were lucky, Blackburn is full of the best people on Earth.
We left our boats on the bank of the river near Ralston and drove the trucks downstream to Blackburn. We found an old rock and timber gas station (gas pumps long removed). Garrett, the more adventurous of us, went inside and proposed our plan to the small gathering of town folk. We were offering $30 for their trouble. All the men in the place gave that blank stare that makes you feel silly for asking. But Billie, the owner and chief sandwich-maker said, “Sure, we can help you boys out.” She indicated the mayor was next door and he could take us. She runs this town.
Blackburn has a population of 100 (doubtful) and was a “whiskey town” in 1907 with two banks and a post office. It once sat on the border of Indian Territory and was named after Kentucky Senator Joseph Blackburn. The town of Skedee is down the road and has 51 people and a nifty statute of Colonel Ellsworth Walters who worked with the Osage tribe in the 1920’s. Both are worth a visit but you will need to talk with a local to get the full history.
Blackburn has one great asset in town and that is Billie; she makes things happen in town and as far as I can tell, the mayor and all the men in town do her bidding. She offered us drinks and food, walked out into main street and yelled to the mayor who ran over to inform us his truck was packed full and he couldn’t help us. Billie looked down the street and found the next guy up. Ron said, “jump in” and we were off down the 20 miles to our boats. What a great town. Thanks Billie.
Soon enough, the four of us were on the Ark floating along, enjoying ourselves, and having a great time. The day was cool and crisp and we all wondered why it had been so long since we had last been out on the water. I mentioned to the guys that we should look for a campsite early enough to make camp before the November sun set on us. They were not impressed with my suggestions of getting off the river but we found a great site and started hanging our hammocks and setting up tents while we still had some light.
My friends have spent many nights under the stars, as I said, but they aren’t always great planners. Someone had packed twelve hamburger patties, cheese, buns and a large can of baked beans. But they didn’t bring a lighter or matches, a can opener or plastic wear. They had purchased a portable griddle but had forgotten to pack the spatula.
Fortunately, I had made some DIY fire-starters (one of my home projects) and I found a lighter deep in my pack. We made a fire and proceeded giving each other grief while the burgers cooked over the fire. They used a large knife to “flip” the patties. The burgers were delicious.
I collapsed into my hammock early that evening because we had stayed up the night before until the wee hours enjoying ourselves in the town of Stillwater. Morning wakeup had come early and after 6 hours of paddling and walking I was pooped. I think I slept 11 hours that night except when they woke me up looking for my bag of candy. I keep the candy handy to improve the mood of camp. You’ve seen those Snickers commercials, right?
Off and on that night I would wake up to the howl of coyotes or hoot owls. Animals were all around our camp; it had the strong odor of a Burger King. I do recall early the next morning, around 3am, I woke up to step out of my hammock and noticed the stars were so much brighter than they are in my backyard. The sky was pitch black, there was no moon and every star was visible. When I spend the evening in my backyard I can usually see about 25% of the stars I saw that night.
We always come away from these trips asking each other why we don't do them more often.
The next morning we found our kayaks just where we had left them. The Corp of Engineers had shut down the Ark waterflow and power generation for the weekend, and although we were on a wide flat stretch of sand, our boats stayed put. Typically, the water will rise overnight and you run the risk of having your gear wash downstream. All was good as I glanced at my friend and remembered our previous trip prank.
Last year John was worried as we made camp on an elevated sandbar that the river might rise over night and our boats would be slept away. The water did get higher that night and in the early morning light I noticed John had taken the rope from his boat and snaked it through a hole in his tent and tied it to his ankle.
Of course, we untied his boat without waking him (he also sleeps with those big headphones like the ones worn by the guys who work around jet planes). Garrett and I dragged his boat around the corner of the sand bar and pushed ours down a bit. I climbed back into my hammock and we waited for John to wake up. It was too much fun hearing him yell that our boats were floating away.
We enjoyed the early morning sunrise this trip and continued on our way to Blackburn, where our trucks were waiting for us. I wanted to buy a pop and a sandwich from Billie and thank her for helping us, but her store is closed on Sundays. I will try to stop in Blackburn sometime to properly thank Billie and the mayor and anyone else who might be in her store. All good people.