HCC Paddling Forum

First, I need to apologize for this announcement format that I used.  I thought it would be a good way to test the viability of the trip, but I realize that I carried it too far with my "first-come-first-served" idea.

So here's the situation:
Response was overwhelming, and within the first hour after the announcement the list for this trip had already exceeded the planned trip limit.  I listed names in the order received, as promised, and I posted the trip with the names that fit within the limit.  The people who responded first received an email "Event Reservation Confirmation" from the Houston Canoe Club.  The remainder are on the standby list in the order their emails showed up in my Inbox.  

For those of you on "Standby" (who did not receive an Event Registration Confirmation), this is as unpredictable as the weather I talked about in my original announcement.  One of my prior trips remained stable within a couple of slots from start to finish.  My last Buffalo River trip with a limit of 12 was overfilled through a glitch in the website system, then declined to just below the limit, and then almost completely disappeared by the time we were ready to go.  I went through the entire wait list as the original registered people dripped out one and two at a time, and the final count on that trip was 4 (8 available spaces unclaimed).

Lesson Learned: Just post the trip and let the stated limit take care of everything.

Best Regards,
Kent

Hi everyone. 

I want a show of hands (actually, let’s change that to email feedback) if you would be interested, physically capable, and flexible enough with your schedule to participate with me in a paddle down the Buffalo River in northern Arkansas for 4 days between the dates of 15-30 October 2018.  Time off from a regular work week would be a minimum of 4 days to accommodate 2 days of travel (10+ hours each way) and 4 days of paddling, assuming both days of a weekend can be included in the final date range.  This is intended to be a progressive camping paddle.  This means we take everything we need for the four days - full boats, all gear necessary to camp, drink and eat in the boat from beginning to end.  Initial plan would be to paddle from Ponca to Carver – about 32 miles over the 4 days, allowing for ample time to explore, take pictures, enjoy each other’s company and appreciate the fall colors without being too stressed out about making the miles. 

PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS: Flexibility is a must, for dates and for adapting to conditions as we find them. By way of example of what this means, in the three times I have made this trip, exactly zero have proceeded to plan after assessing conditions “on the ground”.

A simple email to me (kentwalters@gmail.com) of “Buffalo – I’m in” will suffice.  I will compile a list of names in the order received to pre-load the trip posting, and I will continue adding names in the order received to a standby list if / when the trip limit is exceeded.

Best Regards,
Kent