Okatoma Creek: Mississippi White Water Paddling

Map of Okatoma Creek, Mississippi.  Not to scale 

     Many consider Okatoma Creek, a two-hour drive northeast of New Orleans, to be the best canoeing day trip in Mississippi.  Known by many for its "whitewater," the creek is also a beautiful float through a wooded forest largely devoid of signs of civilization.  That is, if you don't paddle it on a busy summer weekend when hundreds of canoes full of boisterous paddlers noisily beat and bang their way downstream.
     Serious paddlers argue endlessly over Okatoma's "whitewater" reputation.   They scoff that the creek's three low, hard clay drops and several bouncy and noisy shoals are rated Class II, the most benign challenge on the six class whitewater rating scale.  They rant that any stream that, on a busy weekend, sees everybody and their grandma whooping and hollering in the froth does not deserve a rating above a beginners rating of Class I.
    But there is no argument about the stream's popularity.  When the temperatures are warm, two large canoe liveries launch hundreds of paddlers in canoes and kayaks into the most floated section of the stream, the 13-miles from Seminary (MS highway 590) to Sanford (MS highway 598).
     Three other access points serviced by one or the other canoe livery, offer other trip options.  The creek is considered runnable beginning at the community of Kola, southeast of Collins, one mile east of U.S. 49.  The eight miles to Seminary is often a serene float, seldom disturbed by other paddlers, through a leafy forest shading the creek.  There are no drops to negotiate but there may be a pull over or two at low water. 
     At the other end, six miles downstream from Sanford is Lux, the last take-out with shuttle service.  The creek is broad and slow in this stretch with only one low waterfall.  But it is a very pretty and relaxing trip especially for fishermen who will find fishing for the creek's population of bass and bluegill much better than on the crowded upstream sections.
     Most people paddle the Okatoma for the exciting stuff.  And the "good" stuff is in the first eight miles downstream of Seminary.  Here a skilled paddler can "surf" (riding the upstream face of a standing wave) or practice eddy turns.  Those who just want to paddle the creek's whitewater can take out at Fairchild Landing, a private access point.  This cuts five miles, and about two hours, off the Seminary to Sanford trip.  Okatoma Outdoor Post customers take out river right just downstream from Okatoma Falls, the last big falls.  Call Okatoma Outdoor Post to be picked up here.  Seminary Canoe customers take out river- left  just a few yards farther downstream.
     The slower sections between the lively water gives paddlers a chance to appreciate how lovely Okatoma Creek really is.  The winding creek flows through a dense hardwood forest of red maple, magnolia and river birch trees crowding the dark, squat vertical banks that flank most of the creek.  There are sandbars but there are not many and most of those are small.  Shuttle services offer overnight options but all the land along the creek is private and the paucity of easily accessible camping makes day tripping the most popular option for paddling the creek.
     In addition to its re known for exciting paddling and superb scenery, Okatoma Creek is almost as well known for strict enforcement of Covington County's no alcohol laws.  Since the first canoe rental business began operation in the early 1980's officers with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks have routinely checked boaters for alcohol, glass containers and proper safety equipment.  Violators receive tickets and stiff fines.  Privately, canoe livery staffers say enforcers will leave you alone if you have canned beer encased in a coozie and are not raising a ruckus, but do you really want to take that chance?
    
 THE NEW ORLEANS OUTDOOR MEET-UP GROUP PADDLES THE OKATOMA
    On a recent mild and partly cloudy spring morning, a small fleet of nine paddle craft, mostly kayaks piloted by members of the New Orleans Outdoor Meetup group pushed off from the sandy bank in the shadow of the Seminary Bridge into a muddy and running Okatoma Creek.  Rain on the watershed two days before brought the narrow stream to 8.6 feet on the Sanford gage, a level well within the floatable range of between seven and 10 feet given by canoe liveries, and a level considered by experienced paddlers to be the perfect height.
     Bobbing in the current that morning was diverse group of paddling veterans and newbies, big city professionals and blue collar workers.  They quickly became friends.  Those who had stories of past paddles shared them while first-timers listened for clues of what would be in store for them downstream. The likelihood of going for a swim at one of the creeks infamous falls created a sense of anticipation that was palpable.
     "Was that it, the first one?" shouted a beginner after a run through a short, choppy shoal splashed a drop or two on her kayak's deck.
      "No.  The waves at the falls are much bigger than that," came the reply.
      Quickly enough the group entered a long pool of slow moving water, a sign the first drop was just ahead.  The noise of the flowing water over the claystone outcropping, at first faint, grew louder as the group drifted closer.  Then, after quickly scanning the horizon and picking a line, one by one they dropped into the froth.
     No swims.  All smiles.
     And that is the way it went for the remaining two named drops, the Chute and Okatoma Falls.  The Chute is famous for its foaming river-left dogleg chute requiring quick steering strokes to avoid going for a swim.   But the water level was high enough this day for even a tandem canoe to slide sideways over the ledge parallel to the chute, the adroit strokes of bow and stern paddlers keeping it and its cargo of two four-year-olds stable and upright as it plopped into the churning slot.
     On a normal warm weekend day in the the summer there would have been a crowd gathered on the hard clay bank to watch the misadventures of dozens of paddlers as they attempt to negotiate the tricky drop.  But not today.  With temps in the upper 70's it was too cool to swim so the peanut gallery was empty.  The joy of a preseason Okatoma Creek paddle.
     Okatoma Falls, at three feet the deepest drop on the trip, was a piece of cake for most in the group as each member accessed their inner Natty Bumppo to slice through the haystacks downstream for a few seconds of thrilling paddling.
     After Okatoma Falls, the creek calms down considerably for the last five miles to the take-out just down river from the Sanford highway bridge.
    At the shoal just downriver from Okatoma Falls, the group had a chance to help a couple who had capsized their tandem canoe in the fast, deep water.  Members of the meetup group righted the overturned boat and then retrieved a frightened female standing on a shallow spot near the center of the stream.  She said later she could not swim.  The group then scoured the banks for the couple's paddles and gear.  The two cell phones and car keys, kept in flimsy ziplock bags and not tied to the boat, were lost.  But the paddles and a soggy video camera were recovered.
     The couple made it to the takeout without another capsize and were apparently in good spirits, meetup members reported, joking as they walked up the takeout ramp, looking forward to getting a spare set of keys for the 'Benz to make the drive home.
     For our group, home was a nearby primitive campsite, a drive of just a few miles.  Each camper made their own dinner and shared the bounty around a roaring campfire to the beat of a very good boom box.  As the flames shrank to glowing embers, tired paddlers and their tired children gradually drifted off to snuggle in warm sleeping bags under the twinkling stars of a clear, chilly spring night.    

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:
     The two liveries listed below offer similar services but shuttle overlapping stretches of Okatoma Creek.  In addition to canoe and kayak rentals and shuttle services both offer camping, primitive and RV, and cabins.  Reservations should be made well in advance, especially if your plans include summer paddling or camping.  Tandem canoes rent for about $35.  Kayaks about $30.  Both liveries shuttle a private boat for $20.
     Be sure to make prior arrangements for shuttles outside regular canoe livery stops and confirm the day of the float.
     Shoes (sneakers or a disposable pair of jogging shoes) will be appreciated for the long walks from the takeouts to the parking lots and while walking on the gravel and hard clay on the creek banks.  Capsize is likely so leave your car keys with the livery operator as they ask.  Everything else that cannot get wet should be sealed well in a dry bag, NOT GARBAGE BAGS OR ZIPLOCKS! and tied to the boat.  Glass containers are not allowed on the creek.  Eye glasses and sunglasses should have retainers.  Sunscreen, hats, long sleeved cotton shirts are a good idea especially for the sun sensitive.  The well prepared will bring a windbreaker or rain gear to avoid a case of the shivers after a sudden and cold summer thunderstorm.

Okatoma Outdoor Post and Canoe Rental, 1.888.OKATOMA.  Shuttles from Seminary to Lux.
Seminary Canoe, 1.866.OKATOMA.  Shuttles from Kola to Fairchild Landing.

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Bayou St. John (NO) venue for kayak demos (April 20) and Earth Day Regatta and Festival (April 21)

     This Saturday, April 20, members of several outdoor clubs in the New Orleans area will join with a local kayak retailer for a kayak demo day and informal outdoor expo on the south bank of Bayou St. John along Moss St. across from Cabrini High School near the Magnolia pedestrian bridge.
     The event starts at 10 am and ends at 3 pm.  Club members from the Bayou Haystackers Paddling Club,  Kayakitiyak, Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club and the New Orleans Outdoor Meetup group, will be on hand to answer questions about where to go kayaking, canoeing and hiking within a few hours drive of  New Orleans and will demonstrate how some of the gear they use to explore the wild areas near New Orleans works.  Massey's Outdoor Outfitters will have kayaks in the water to try out.
     The next day, April 21, the Earth Day and Green Business Expo will be held on the bayou between Orleans Ave. and the end of the bayou.  Music, food and many displays will be featured during festival hours 9 am to 7:30 pm.  The music starts at 10 am.
     The Bayou Kayaks Earth Day Regatta, an event for boats made of duct tape and at least 80 percent recyclables, will be held that morning beginning with registration at 9 am.  A float test will be held at 10 am and at 11 am a short race on the Bayou will be staged.  Prizes will be given to the first place boat and the boat with the best design.  There are lots of rules and restrictions placed on materials that can be used to build the boat, which will be recycled after the event, so be sure to check bayoukayaks.com for details.  Registration is $20 the day of the event, $15 if you register before race day.
UPDATE: April 22, 2013
     There was only one entry at the Earth Day Regatta.  It failed to complete the course.

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New Orleans Bike to Work Day draws over 700 riders

   

Bicycle commuters pause to chit chat and down a free smoothie at Duncan Plaza across from New Orleans City Hall.  The riders participated in Bike to Work Day in New Orleans, April 9, 2013.  Over 700 riders signed up for the event.

     Bike to Work Day in New Orleans was held April 9 this year (2013) and over 700 riders signed up for the event, said Jamie Wine, executive director of Bike Easy, a non-profit bike advocacy group organizing the event.
      Using social media sites to locate meet-up spots near their homes, bicycle commuters singly and in groups converged on  Duncan Plaza across from City Hall in the CBD.  There bikers were offered free smoothies and the chance to visit a few information booths before heading off to their workplaces.
     Wine said over three thousand people in New Orleans use their bicycles to commute to work.
     "The ride was definitely a success.  One of the coolest things about this year's ride was all of the publicity," Wine said.

FERRIES CROSSING RIVER MAY STOP SERVICE IN JUNE
     Passenger and car ferries crossing the Mississippi River, connecting the West Bank to New Orleans--a vital public transit link for bicycle commuters-- may cease operation in June, said two riders seeking support to keep the ferries running.
     Fay Faron, president of Friends of the Ferry, bicycled from Algiers to Duncan Plaza with Connie Burks, to gain attention to their fight to keep the ferries: Canal St./Algiers, Chalmette/Algiers and Canal St./Gretna, running.  Unless the current operators of the ferry, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and other interested parties come up with a plan to fund the 186-year old ferry service, June could be the last month they cross the Mississippi, the women said.
     Ceasing ferry service, which cyclists and pedestrians use for free, will strand bicyclists on both banks as bicycles are not allowed on the Crescent City Connection, the bridge crossing the river at New Orleans.  RTA buses that cross the bridge to service both the east and west banks have bike racks but the racks have room for only two bicycles.  The detour using the bridge is 18 miles.
      Operation of the ferries was funded with tolls from the Crescent City Connection bridge but the tolls are no longer collected.  The $1 fee from cars using ferry pay a very small portion of the costs to operate the ferry.
     But closing the ferry "is just not going to happen," Faron vowed as Burks agreed saying, "over my dead body."

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Blowin in the Wind: Mellow Yellow and I kayak to Deer Island (MS)

Kristi Ducote, of the Mississippi Kayak Meet-Up group surveys Deer Island from the beach at Grand Bayou March 24, 2013.  Kristi is the outdoor recreation specialist for Pascagoula, MS. 

 

SUNNY, WARM DAY FOR KAYAK TRIP TO DEER ISLAND BUT IT WAS REALLY WINDY !!

  Flags flapped and there was a light chop on Biloxi Bay one Sunday in late March when the dozen or so kayakers from the Mississippi Kayak Meet Up group pushed off in a bright sun from the Kuhn St. boat launch headed to Grand Bayou on Deer Island, about three miles downwind.
     By the 10:30 launch, many of the paddlers were in short sleeves, typical attire for a spring day along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  The stiff breeze that morning was no surprise.  Small craft warnings--wind and sea conditions that pose a risk to watercraft shorter than 65 feet--had been in the weather forecast for days.
     Winds are a concern for kayakers on every trip because winds make waves.  How hard the wind blows and how far the wind-driven wave has traveled-- this distance is called "fetch"-- determines a wave's size.
     Our trip was on "protected water," the shallow bay between the Biloxi mainland and Deer Island, a five-mile long sliver of sand, pine trees and marsh angled across the bay about a mile south of the mainland.  Even strong winds don't generate big waves here because there is too little fetch in any direction for a wave to build.
     The same wind that was buffeting us and whipping up a chop of a foot to a foot and a half for us in the bay was creating seas in Mississippi Sound of over four feet high and even higher wave heights in the nearby Gulf of Mexico.
    (NOTE: Winds of 17-18 mph with gusts up to 32 mph were reported at the nearby Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport that afternoon.)
     That does not mean the wind was not a problem.  True, conditions never became perilous.  It was not cold nor were there dangerous currents.  The experience level of group members varied but this was not the first kayak trip for anyone in the group.  But the northwest wind blowing on us was strong and steady, funneled through a "slot" right between the mainland and the island, providing a physically challenging couple of hours for everyone.  It was hard to paddle into it.
     The trip out to Grand Bayou was easy.  Heading east along the north shore a tailwind made paddling barely necessary.  At the bayou's beach, the group had lunch in the warm sun then separated into groups, the elite among us, in swoopy and sleek and shiny ocean-going craft and probably armed with rescue flares and locator beacons, headed east for more adventure.  Others explored the bayou where it is reported that alligators live.
     My beamy, ten-foot rec yak (Mellow Yellow) is the slowest in this fleet of stiletto hulls so my plan was to leave before the others, getting a head start to avoid holding up the group on the trip home.   The course home was paddle west, hugging the north shore of the island until directly across from the Kuhn St. boat launch, then dash across the Intracoastal Waterway to the beach next to the launch.  This meant most of the time headway would have to be gained paddling directly into the teeth of the mounting wind.   But a good thing about this course was following it put the hull at right angles to the waves--the most stable of the four compass points for small, tippy paddle craft.  And maybe the most exciting.
     By the time I began my return trip the early afternoon wind was blowing steadily with enough force to create little ripples on top of the waves, like the ripples you get when blowing hard on the surface of a hot bowl of soup to cool it.
     The waves were high enough to occasionally break over the bow splashing spray as the brave little "pool toy" rose and fell with a whoomp! at the passing of each short, steep wave. I was using a kayak skirt to keep water out of the cockpit for the first time but had not pulled it high enough up my chest to keep it taut.  This beginner's mistake meant water splashed onto the skirt and pooled over my waist.  But it was too rough to fix it while underway.  So about every 10 minutes I stopped paddling, put my paddle down and quickly brushed the water back into the bay.
     (Others without skirts reported getting water splashed to their boats but not that much.)
     The force of the wind slowed my paddling stroke to a comical mime-like slow motion.  Forward progress was frustratingly laggard, about the speed of a mummy's shuffle, judging by how slowly the jagged dead pine trees on the shore passed.  But when I stopped paddling it was worse: I was immediately blown backward.
     Finally, after about an hour, I reached the red, white and blue hull of the  "Rachel-Ann" a large sloop tossed far up on the sandy western end of Deer Island by a recent storm.  Just past her I made the turn north for the mainland.  Because of the westerly wind direction, the steep chop was a vexation until the final few feet from shore.  But by then I knew I was safe and began thinking about how appropriate it would be, having bested the elements on such a windy day, to have a celebratory dinner and free senior drink at a place called...wait for it...Wendy's.

NOTE:  A small craft advisory is issued by NOAA when winds have reached or are expected to reach within 12 hours a speed marginally less than gale force.  Wind speeds that trigger small craft advisories have been standardized to between 25-35 mph (22-33 knots) or about six or seven on the Beaufort Scale.
     The Beaufort Scale relates wind speed to observed conditions on sea or land.  Conditions for a rating of six includes waves of 9-13 feet, (at sea) with some airborne spray.  Wind speed is between 25-30 mph.  Wires whistle in the wind.  On land, empty plastic bins tip over and umbrella use becomes difficult.  At a rating of seven, wind speeds of between 31-38 mph, waves are 13-19 feet at sea.  Sea spray is constant and heavy.  On land effort is needed to walk against the wind and whole trees are in motion.  Pressure of the wind: 4.1-5.8 pounds/square foot. (How big are the blades on your paddle?)
     An informal, lesser advisory, small craft exercise caution, is issued by NOAA for wind speeds between 17-23 mph, depending on local conditions.--from Wikipedia, small craft advisory, Beaufort Scale.

NOTE:  Is kayaking THE HOT THING for 2013?  Kristi Ducote, the outdoor recreation specialist for the parks and recreation department in Pascagoula, MS, said some kayak outings organized in Pascagoula attract over 50 paddlers.  Fifty kayakers?  In Pascagoula?
    

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"This is not a biking community," say critics as sparks fly at Jeff Parish bicycle plan meeting

Attendees at the last public meeting held to discuss a proposed network of bicycle paths and routes covering Jefferson Parish listen to Matt Rufo describe the plan at the main branch of the East Bank Regional Library, 3-28-2013.

  A rough draft of a plan to develop a network of bicycle paths, trails and bike lanes sharing streets with motorized traffic in Jefferson Parish, drew fire last night (3-28-13) from a small group of citizens claiming that public budgets were too tight to spend money on bicycling and that there was scant public notice that the plan was being developed.
     The meeting's presenter, Matt Rufo, senior planner with GRC Inc., was briefly hammered with questions about funding for the project, if the bike lanes required the taking of private property, why the meetings were not publicized and other concerns.  GRC Inc., is one of five firms hired by the Regional Planning Commission, (RPC) to develop the plan.  The Jefferson Parish Council is paying 20% of the project's cost.
     Rufo, along with several members of the audience who supported the plan, tried to explain that two meetings publicized in the Times-Picayune newspaper had been held in January and that the parish should encourage the use of bicycles for transportation, but the critics were not swayed, saying "this is not a biking community," and referring to the rough draft as, "a vision of government and not of the people."
     Rufo said opposition to the plan should be taken up with parish council members.  While the planning firms were hired by the RPC who funded 80% of the project, the decision to implement any or all of the proposed plan will be made by the parish council.
     Shortly after calls from the audience to return to discussion of the plan itself, the four citizens left the meeting, the most vocal of the four refusing to give her name to a reporter.
     The meeting, held at the East Bank Regional Library, was the last of four public meetings held this month to gather comments on the proposed parish-wide bike route network.  The five firms working on the project will finish it and take it to the Jefferson Parish Council for approval this summer.
     The plan, if approved, will provide a template for individual projects to eventually link up and form a connected bicycle transportation system in the sprawling parish.  No money is allocated in the proposed plan.  Decisions on funding any of the suggested routes, paths or facilities, must be approved at a later date, but funding is more likely from state or federal sources if projects can be shown to be part of a larger cohesive plan, planners say. 
     Rufo said that maps showing the proposed system will be posted on the project's web site, www.jeffparishbikeplan.org.

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Read "Deep Trouble" to see what a really bad day sea kayaking is like

      With the proper training, attitude and equipment, sea kayaking can be quite safe.  But give short-shrift to any of these and you could be in trouble, deep trouble.  This collection of stories culled from "Sea Kayaker" magazine details 22 harrowing kayaking trips based on first-hand accounts of survivors, witnesses and rescuers.
     Each story in "Deep Trouble" begins with a straight narrative of the event, followed by a "Lessons Learned" passage explaining how it might have been prevented.   Seeded through out the 186 page paperback are three dozen sidebars covering a wide variety of troublesome situations faced by yakers, such as leaky hatches and flotation, pumping out a kayak, self rescue and what happens behind the scenes when the Coast Guard receives a call for help.
     Easy to read and written at a level beginning kayakers can comprehend,  "Deep Trouble" should be on the bookshelf of any yaker planning to paddle in water over their head.

     Sea Kayaker Deep Trouble, True stories and their lessons from Sea Kayaker Magazine, by Matt Broze andGeorge Gronseth, Ragged Mountain Press, 1997.

    

Sequestration affects Gulf Island National Seashore

Budget cuts at Gulf Islands will mean shorter hours for lifeguards, fewer ranger-led programs, partial closing of visitor centers and reduced grounds and facilities maintenance.

     The five percent cut in the Gulf Islands National Seashore FY 2013 budget imposed by the sequestration, "will be felt by our visitors and surrounding communities," said Dan Brown, superintendent of the park which includes units in Florida, Mississippi and several barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico.
     Brown said in a press release dated March 15 that while the park will not have to furlough any of the permanent staff to make up for the $359,000 gap in funding, ten fewer seasonal employees will be hired and several vacant permanent position will remain unfilled.
     The staffing cuts will mean, beginning April 7,  visitor centers will close two days a week, some restroom facilities will close and there will be shorter hours for lifeguards, fewer ranger-led programs and less grounds and facilities maintenance, Brown said.
     Also the visitor center at Ft. Massachusetts on West Ship Island will be closed.
     Three restrooms at Ft. Pickens and two at Santa Rosa/ Opal Beach will close.
     Visitors will be asked to take their garbage with them when they leave after visiting the park as trash cans will be eliminated at most locations.  When roads are closed because of storm-driven sand, it may take longer to open them as the park will no longer contract sand removal with outside firms.
     "Gulf Islands is still one of our country's crown jewels and we encourage people to come and enjoy their national park.  Our staff always strives to provide the best possible service and we ask for visitors' understanding as they encounter changes to some park operations," Brown said.
     With over 5 million annual visitors, Gulf Islands is one of the top 10 most frequented national parks in the country, exceeding Yellowstone, Yosemite or the Grand Canyon.

     The regular hours of the visitor center at Davis Bayou, near Ocean Springs, not change (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) but the center will close Wednesdays and Thursdays.  For more information contact Gulf Islands at 850-934-2600 (FL) and 228-875-9057 (MS). 

     I spoke with Steve McCoy at Gulf Islands about the removal of the trash cans.  Reducing the number of trash cans has been an ongoing process in the park and he explained that there are very few trash cans left to remove.  Instead of using lots of smaller trash cans, park visitors have been encouraged over the years to use larger and centrally located Dumpsters.  These do not have to be emptied as often and the job is contracted out.  Also, a pack it in/pack it out trash policy has been in effect for several years and that has worked reasonably well, he said.

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