We are so fortunate in this area to have the spring-fed Current River and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
I have been to many parts of the Current River at different times in my life.
When I was growing up, we didn’t have air conditioning in the house and even when we finally got one window unit for an eight-room house, we weren’t allowed to turn it on unless it was 100 degrees.
When it was hot and humid outside my parents often took us to the Current River float camp near Doniphan. It was a great day trip and my four brothers and I absolutely loved the cold, clear water and seeing who could skip a rock all the way across the river.
Later in my life I was blessed to be able to purchase a cabin on Current River and we now spend most of our weekends in the summer bowfishing, floating and just relaxing on a gravel bar.
In the back of my mind I always thought it would be so cool to continuously kayak all the Current River in the state of Missouri, from Baptist Camp/Montauk area to the Missouri/Arkansas state line — 136.3 miles total.
In early 2017 I finally decided to start planning the big Current River trip, so I sent a message to several of my river/hunting buddies. I gave them a few options on a 4-day trip and told them with or without them, I was going to accomplish this feat.
As the first couple of dates approached, the weather just didn’t cooperate. One timeframe it was cold and snowing, and the other was just too cold.