Kayaking - Jacks Fork River

 Kayaking - Jacks Fork River

We drove to Windy's outfitters and loaded up all the kayaks onto a shuttle.  Our first stop was Alley Springs where Scotty and five others were dropped off to paddle 8 miles down to Eminence.  From there we headed uptown Bay Springs Campground where 12 of us unloaded.  We were told the water was just high enough to paddle this route.  There was only one time where we had to portage as it was a bit tricky with a log on the right and a strong current leading into it from the left.  It took maybe 2 1/2 hours to paddle the 4 miles down to Alley Springs.  We saw where the springs came out which again looked beautifully blue and clear when you got up to it.  The water seemed to be running only a bit faster after Alley Springs.  William is a good guide and always told us which side of the river to paddle.  On this route, we encountered a long, thin branch on the right side of the river sticking up diagonally into the air.  The current took you straight into this stick and it became amusing to watch each of us head into this stick as we all hit it.  Midge did tip her boat and when Terry came right behind her, she went directly over it.  Along this route, we saw at least one heron, two deer and a few ducks.  As we got into Eminence, we saw lots of people sitting out along the rocky shore.  William did his standard jump off the rock there and when  we paddled a bit further to the exit, we were surprised to see Scotty's group still there finishing up their loading.  We loaded up our kayaks and headed over to the Dairy Dip for a well earned ice cream treat.