Ever Elusive Morels

We have been out several times this year chasing the ever elusive morel mushroom....  I imagine that we have spent around 8-10 hours hiking hard for these bad boys to no avail.  Well, our quest has not been entirely fruitless.  We have found around 10 this year but they have all been quite small compared to previous years.

I'm sure the weather has played a role in this as it has been pretty dry so far this year.  We found a few Devil's Urns and what appeared to be a big chicken of the woods from the previous fall.  It was, of course, completely dried up so we marked the cords down and plan to revisit later this year.

Thus far we have only ran into one snake (as shown below).  It was just a harmless black rat snake.  Watching it effortlessly slither up the side of an old, dead tree was both creepy and fascinating at the same time.  It made your jaw drop and your skin crawl all at the same time.  I have seen snakes in small trees but hey, no big deal because they had lots of branches to get up there.  This guy was just moving straight up the trunk, with nothing to really grip.

I will update (hopefully very soon) after some subsequent outings.  Best luck to everyone in the woods, I truly hope you find what you seek, regardless of what that is!!

Devil's Urn -- Small Spring on our property -- Black Rat Snake going straight up an old tree

Redbuds and Dogwoods behind the cabins -- Box Turtle -- Lilac blooms

Old School House west of Little Sac Woods CA

James River it is!

So after I thought all was said we wound up changing yet again and deciding to stay closer.  We floated from Shelvin Rock access down to Hootentown on the James River just South of Springfield, MO.  After the flooding that we experienced in late 2015 I was worried that we may encounter some big strainers and/or log jams.  Fortunately this area was very clear and provided a beautiful float for us.  The total distance according to the Missouri Paddler's Guide (an indispensable tool for Missouri floats.  Check it out here) was 6.2 miles and despite the wind fighting us for most of the float, stopping for a long lunch, and fishing we finished the float in about 3.5 hours.  Granted, the wind made it impossible to fish several long stretches and we just powered through them.

The sun was out for a good part of the day but when it wasn't, it made sure you knew it!  It was chilly with cloud cover but just right when the sun popped out for a bit.  The wind was really blowing today though and it made paddling quite a chore on several stretches.  The wind would catch your paddle if you didn't hold them just right and bring you to a dead stop.  It was powerful enough to completely counter-act the current.  Fortunately, there were several decent sized bluffs along this stretch that provided some respite from the gale force winds.

We fished hard but didn't catch a thing.  We were struggling to even get hit.  However, there was someone on the bank fishing with his daughter that caught two as we passed.  Isn't that how it always goes?  There were some great looking holes along this stretch and I am sure that we will be back before long.

All in all it was a great inaugural float.  As I have said, hopefully, the first of many more to come this year.  .....come on rain!!

Clearly it has been far too long since I have posted here.  Between school and work I only managed to get out a couple of times last year.  It was difficult, beyond difficult!  But I got through it anyway.

We are planning on heading to Finley Creek tomorrow to float from 125 to Riverside Bridge.  Typically there is no access there but we have someone in our party with access to private property in the vicinity.  The Finley is not exactly a remote river by any stretch.  It is, unfortunately, dotted with houses throughout much of this float.  There is still plenty of beauty to see both in and around the water though.  It also provides for some decent fishing opportunities.

The water looks like it should be decent.  The water looks low from the USGS site.  But a bit of hiking never hurt anyone.  Below Riverdale it shows as just over a foot....and discharges of only about 60-70 Cfs.....hmmmm might be time to look at alternatives!

So the choice has now been made to hit up the 11 Point River.  I think we are going to float from Greer down to Turner Mill.  It is only about a 5 mile float but some in the party are not terribly experienced and it's better to ease into floats.  No 22 mile one day floats your first few times out!!  The water looks much better on the 11 Point as I would expect seeing that it is fed by countless springs (not just 11 as some have suggested).

To be honest, I couldn't be more excited about the change of venue.  I was pushing for the 11 Point, Current or Jacks Fork before but some in the party wanted to stay closer to town.  Mother Nature is on my side though and due to low water we are going to travel a bit!  I have floated the 11 Point a handful of times before and absolutely love it.

Hopefully I am able to get out much more this year than in recent years but no promises.  I will be sure to post a few images from our float tomorrow.