Spring break is the time of the year where you get a week off from a busy schedule and forget about the pending work for a week and just relax as the snow melts in Houghton. Michigan Tech’s spring break this year was from March 12 to 18, and students couldn’t have been more excited about it.
Every year, the Outdoor Adventure Program (OAP) organizes some events which not only include an adventure of some sort but also travel to exciting places all across the country. This year, one such event was organized during spring break: a canoeing trip on Buffalo River, in Arkansas. The registration for this trip began in December with early booking costing $360 until Dec. 22 and then rising to $400 per person after. This was inclusive of all the food and travel expenses.
A group of eight people registered to take part in this adventure and the organizers, Michael Del Signore and John Winkler, both from the mechanical department at Tech, were responsible for the planning and execution of this trip. The trip began on March 9, a calm Friday evening, when all the members assembled at the office of OAP. The luggage of the group, as well as the food, was loaded in a van and, after making a few stops along the way, we reached the Lost Valley campsite at Poncha on Saturday afternoon, about 1000 miles away. Five canoes were tied to a trailer hitched to the van and the group set off around 6 p.m., riding away from the winter. The drive to the Buffalo National Park’s Lost Valley lasted for about 15 hours with the two organizers taking turns in driving it.
After setting up camp, the group set off to gather firewood, which would be the most important part of our routine over the next few days. The organizers had planned the food items well with more than adequate quantities available for each member for all the meals. Dinner on Saturday consisted of potatoes grilled over the fresh fire with scrambled eggs and Oreos as dessert to follow. After a filling dinner, our journey-worn group wrapped up in their sleeping bags, ending our first day in the beautiful country.
The next day was the first day with the canoes, as the group enjoyed an early breakfast and set out to the Steel Creek Ranger Station where the river began its descent into the wild. With five canoes and ten people, each canoe was controlled by two persons. My partner was David Rozinka, an undergraduate student at Tech. The other teams included Joe Miska and Tanner Sheahan, both undergraduates from the chemical engineering department, Caleb Kase, a graduate student from the mechanical department, with his partner Paul Bahle, an undergraduate student in technical writing, Nick Plahn and Cody Eby, both undergraduate students from the mechanical engineering department, and the last pair was the organizers, who would be leading us.
The first day was very exciting with numerous rapids to be rowed through. My partner David was perhaps the most adept canoer of all of us with his calm demeanor steering the heavy canoe across hidden stumps and treacherous rocks. After covering about three miles, we went on our first trail: the Big Bluff which is a part of the Buffalo River trails. We wandered through ravines and innumerable caves while taking pictures of the typical flora and fauna in the dense deciduous forests. The next trail was of the Eden falls which is one of the biggest waterfalls in the Buffalo National Park with cold clean refreshing water. The group had their lunch after hiking these trails and later resumed their journey completing eight miles before setting up camp at Kyle’s Landing for the night.
The second day on the river was perhaps the easiest with less than six miles until the next camping point at Erbie. The canoes were paddled faster than ever and after setting up tents, the group divided with some swimming at the bank while the rest lay tanning on the grass, enjoying the warmth. At night, the temperature dropped to 0 degrees Fahrenheit and hammocks were covered with rain shields because the heavy dew settled over the night.
The lunches on the river typically consisted of cold ham, turkey and cheese sandwiches with spices and some desserts. The dinners were mostly cooked on the fire and included bread bases with veggies and some meat. Spaghetti was served for dinner the second day while sausages were served on the third. The third day again saw a total distance covered of more than eight miles where we reached Pruitt Landing. The canoers on the first day were frequently accompanied by a group of people kayaking through the river, while the next three days, we saw many people on trails as well as setting up campsites along the way.
The final day was perhaps the furthest distance, and yet the least time was required to cover the distance of nearly ten miles. The group camped at Carver after eating lunch in the sands of Hasty. The night there was cold, with temperatures dropping below the freezing point and all the morning dew was found frozen to the sides of the tents. On the final day, breakfast was massive with mac and cheese cooked in large amounts, and the ever-hungry canoers devoured it in multiple servings. The organizers had provided power bars and fruits to everyone at the start of the trail, and they were especially watchful regarding the hydration of the participants that day due to the intensity of the distance.
Most of the day was spent on the river and that made it particularly worthwhile with hordes of seemingly omnipresent peregrine falcons roosted on those high sedimentary rocks, their droppings indicating years of inhabitation by these carnivorous avian species. Quite frequently, the majestic bald eagle was spotted soaring silently, keeping a watchful eye over us on the river, spreading its enormous wings hunting, preying at the epitome of the food chain. Countless turtles were found basking in the steady sunlight on the banks of the river.
After the heavy paddling in the heat, the nights were chased away at the campfire where, initially, people got to know each other, then stories were exchanged once we had gotten comfortable. Paul, who had been to South America, explained the variations in the mainstream diet of the localities as one travels to the south. The organizer, John Winkler, was very witty and always had something fun planned as soon as we got off the canoes. He and Michael thoroughly enjoyed talking about the stars. The sky remained clear almost the entire time with only slight precipitation on the final day at Lost Valley, and childhoods were rekindled, laying on the warm grass, hearing the winds roaring pass the ancient trees and the waves lapping against the river banks as the night sky gleamed as if it were day.
Tanner and Joe were excellent in their innovations, a couple of extremely talented undergraduate students, Cody with his writing skills, and Caleb, a masters student, explained his dreams of building a city self-sufficient on solely renewable energy as the group bonded tighter together with every passing moment. Many of them had hammocks and there was no better place to lie down in the soft light of the setting sun as the firewood crackled in the heat.
After returning to the Lost Valley campsite and spending the final day there, the group, after a week in the country, set out on the return journey. The day began early with bagels and cream cheese for breakfast and the first stop was the gift shop, which was quite fascinating. Then multiple stops were made for the refreshments of the drivers at knife stores and launching locations before our group got down to visit the infamous St. Louis Gateway Arch at the banks of the Missouri River. This monumental structure, towering over 640 meters, was opened for visiting in 1968.
After enjoying the sites from the top, the group got on the road again to reach Houghton early in the morning on March 17. The group arrived immensely satisfied, though the harsh reality of our hectic schedules lay ahead, and the woods seemed even more welcoming with the returned sight of snow. Heavy hearts all unanimously in love with the beautiful river, the pristine climate and the untainted nature called out to these group of excited, energetic young minds as they embraced the inevitable resumption of school, making promises of meeting again.
Requests were made, again and again, countless times for the OAP to organize more of these events. When asked about the entire experience, Michael said, “We weren’t expecting such an overwhelming response as we thought that Arkansas would be too far away. Other simultaneous biking adventures were planned and then canceled which helped even more students to join this adventure camp.”
“The OAP has these beautiful canoes, and it was totally worthwhile to make such good use of them,” John added.
Tanner said, “I never thought I would have so much fun with these amazing people in such a short time.”
Caleb, ever enthusiastic, summed up the highlights of this trip when he said, “Perfect atmosphere and location, good food, and great people!”
All in all, the adventure was completely worth the time. Friendships stronger than ever were built over a week and, certainly, an adventure trip with OAP is a must for anyone who is outdoorsy and in love with nature. Hats off to everyone who has ever contributed in any way for this event to happen.
