Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to float down the Upper Jack’s Fork River in South-Central Missouri. That’s right. I went canoeing in January in Missouri. 

And it was awesome! 

I was a little nervous about the trip, to be honest. This may have been one of the more dangerous things I’ve ever attempted. Because if I’d taken a dip in the river, dry clothes and immediate warmth would be crucial for my health, perhaps even my survival. 

Fortunately, I didn’t go in. We had a couple of close calls; but we stayed dry. 

This float was actually a sort of youth minister’s retreat led by Joel and Ronnie from Discovery Ministries, near Eminence, MO. There were nine of us on the river together. I had the opportunity to share a canoe with my younger brother, Rick. We had a good time. 

The Upper Jack's Fork River

We put into the river at Blue Spring, just outside of Mountain View. Actually, Rick and I put in there. There rest of the group put in downstream a few hundred feet. The river was completely frozen over. Rick and I thought that if we got out into the middle of the river, the weight of our canoe, with us in it, would crack through the ice. So Joel gave us a big shove out onto the ice. 

It didn’t crack. 

So we were stuck. We had to scootch our canoe across the surface and downstream until the ice thinned enough for us to break through. We had to use our paddle blades and other hard objects to chip out small holes in the ice to give us a place to leverage our paddles to help us move out boat forward. It took a while. 

Once we got far enough downstream, the spring fed enough water into the river to keep it from freezing; we broke through the surface ice, and we were on our way. 

The river was beautiful. The trees were bare of leaves. There was snow on the ground. And ice had formed along the bluffs and around the river banks. 

That evening, we camped on a gravel bar across from Jam Up Cave. We set up camp, and enjoyed venison-ka-bobs over the camp fire. Quite tasty. 

Campsite #1

Snow On The Riverbank

The next day, after a breakfast of pancakes and little smokie sausages, we crossed the river and went into Jam Up Cave. The cave had formed numerous icicles in the ceiling, which were dripping onto the cave floor, where the drips would re-freeze. The resulting ice formations were beautiful. 

Jam Up Cave Entrance

Ice Formations In Jam Up Cave

After leaving the cave, we floated for several miles. We camped on another gravel bar across from Chalk Bluff. After a dinner of burritos, we set up camp again. 

The next morning, the sun hit the river, lifting a light fog up in front of the bluff face. What an extraordinary sight! We enjoyed some biscuits and gravy and hit the river again. 

Fog Rising Off The River At Chalk Bluff

Our pickup site was just a couple of miles down river. But it took us a while to get there. We came around a bend in the river and saw a huge deadfall in the middle of the river, dividing it in two. A couple of the canoes went to the right. Rick and I decided to take the left channel. As we were headed through that side of the river, we heard a loud scrape. And as we came out from behind the deadfall, we saw an empty, swamped canoe headed downstream. Two guys had hit part of the tree and tipped. 

So while a couple of guys rescued them, and ferried them to the other bank, Rick and I, along with a couple more guys retrieved their canoe and gear. We waited while they changed into dry clothes and warmed up. And then we proceeded to finish our float. We were only about 45 minutes later than our projected pickup time at Bay Creek. 

You Know It's Cold When...

It was a great trip. With temperatures in the teens overnight, and in the upper 30s to low 40s during the day, the weather was perfect. And with the proper gear, the cold wasn’t even a problem. Other than my fingers and toes feeling a little chilly, I never got cold the entire time. Pretty amazing. 

We had a great view of the stars and the Milky Way Galaxy at night, with no lights to wash them out. We spotted about half a dozen bald eagles, among other wildlife. The majesty of God’s creation was amazing. And we got to witness a season of the river that most people never get to see. 

And we had the opportunity to discuss God, life, family and ministry with several other like-minded guys. 

This retreat and float trip was a great opportunity to get away and enjoy God’s creation. Kudos to Discovery Ministries for the idea and the implementation. 

And many thanks to God for creating such a beautiful variety of scenery for us to enjoy. Our God is a creative genius; just one of the amazing qualities we often take for granted, or miss entirely. 

Floating

If anything, this float trip has taught me to be even more aware of my surroundings. God has created in such a variety of ways upon this earth. My day to day living sometimes prevents me from seeing the things he has put here just for me to see. 

Lord, open my eyes to see the works of your hands much more than I do. 

What about you: What goes through your mind when you experience the grandeur of God’s creation?