Sssshhhhh!!!! This is a secret trip

“no one is supposed to know about this place. Anyone wanting info on the hike portion, I'm the one with the maps. Email me and I'll send one out. Its a great place, plus there is a 5/5 geocache that can be acquired (Chili is the one with that info).

See ya all there...and Im sure that there will NOT be enough food, so, be forewarned.”

“Can I open my eyes yet?”

“open eyes.”

“I am in as a maybe. Another trip for the kayak sounds good”

“for supper. LOL>>>if you want to come up early on T-day. you're welcome at the House of Stikmon. Our table has a fair reputation and company is always welcome. Upon the morning after the feast, we will head to the meeting place for an exclusive Ent Moot.”

“I have to work FRI........dang it...I would love to float it!!!”

“Be sick divinity... way sick. Bad turkey! LOL! I may try to make this......”

“LOL....I got wrote up for missing when I went to TC4...I have to be a good girl for awhile......I do have Sat & Sun off tho.....

Stikky....Where ya gonna be Friday night????...I may bring my kayak and join ya late.......”

“div, ask off now before the rush to be off”

“I have no vacation until next year...

:(

working is mandatory....ya miss...ya get wrote up.....”

“div, come on up to my place and we can leave Thanksgiving morning for stikmon's”

“but...but...I'll get wrote up........”

“so, wrote up or me..which is it...lol”

“I'll quit my other job and go if you promise Spirit Coyote doesn't find out.”

“OMG...this is so tempting.....I would love to do this float.......”

“bm, since you don't like thanksgiving day come on down and see about renting a canoe or kayak”

“I am searching the work manual looking for a loophole........”

“So would anyone be canoeing on this? Say that I go...

Course I would be driving and dependent on *good* weather.

Send me details, please, purdy please. Thanks! :-)”

“Ewker - I'd love to be anywhere but DC and/or home for the Holidays. I've even spent a few xmases in Greenville, SC. However, my current work situation won't allow it.”

“well, lets pop this baby up top again....”

“of where I was going to be on T-day weekend. This is Mozarks trip and he is now in Vegas.

As for where will I be on Thurs nite. That all depends on a couple of things...such as

#1. Do I want to camp out?
#2. Is it necessary to be there on Thurs nite?

I don't see it as really important for me to leave a nice warm house with lots of leftover food, tv, wine to go to a trail head, where it might be cold, snowy, rainy, filled with bobcats or bears. I live only 2 hours from the TH and can be there by 8 am.

For floaters that "might" be coming to my house on thursday...If we leave my house at 6-7am, you can be at the put in at Greer in 2 3/4 hours. Bring $25.00, and envelope and a spare car key. DOD and I work with an outfitter who will move your vehicle to the take out at Riverton. Expect to be off water by 4pm (before dark). There are numerous locations to get off water at shorter distances, and the outfitter will move the vehicle to whichever take out is designated.

It would probably be a good idea that anyone who is interested in this trip to contact me, as I pretty much know what is needed to know. I also have river maps and trail maps that I can supply. And so as not to take up space on this forum with all the gnarly details...email me marclherring@hotmail.com”

“The plan that Dave and I just hashed out is this.

Thurs meet up at Greer Spring camp ground, where we will have big t-day dinner (2nd supper for some, 1st for others). We will base camp there. Friday, spend the day day hiking to Greer Spring, McKormick lake and whatever else anyone wants to do. Big 2nd T-day meal on Friday night. Sat morn, break down base camp and floaters will put in at Greer, backpackers will shuttle the vehicles to Riverton, Backpackers continue on to the TH up on "J" in the Irish, then begin the 10 mile (counter clockwise) hike to meet up with the floaters at Whites Creek Float Camp (WCFC).

At WCFC we will have another wickedly massive dinner that the floaters will float in.

Sunday morn, the hikers will hike out 8 miles, continuing the loop. and I will drive them down to meet the floaters and then the weekend is over.”

“stikmon, sounds good to me. I will have to call you later this evening.
As of right now I would probably drive to your place Thanksgiving Day and then head out from there.”

“So if I get in about 9pm Fri, I won't miss everything!!!and we float Sat & Sunday????
wooohoo...I have to leave before we did last time...LOL...I guess I can drive all night and work all day!!..LOL....it would be worth it AND ..I won't get written up AND I will get paid for the holiday....if I make it in Monday to work :)”

“call tonight.

Davinity, if you need to be off river earlier, than that can be arranged. we can have you offriver within an hour of leaving camp at Whites. Remember the whitten site, you can have your vehicle shuttled there and then off you go on your merry way. Call me for details.

again...send me addresses for maps.”

“an HOUR???.....No..that isn't enough time on the river..LOL......”

“OK, now that I know some people actually will be backpacking this, I am a "maybe" if weather is good.

Is this hike the White's Creek Loop? I was trying to find more info on it.

Here's some links to the White's Creek Loop.

http://www.ozarkbackpacking.com/whites.htm

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/marktwain/ranger-districts/doniphan/doniphan_index.htm

Link for printable brochure that includes topo map:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/marktwain/ranger-districts/doniphan/IRISH_WILDERNESS_Brochure.pdf

Link for printable brochures on Greer Springs:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/marktwain/ranger-districts/doniphan/GREER_BROCHURE.pdf

somewhere in here we have our route, right?? lol... :-)”

“OK, I take it back, it ain't no topo map! oopsey! lol”

“You make this so difficult!!! sheesh. But then again,,,this is "just another weekend out" for me (as many like to remind me).

yes...somewhere in that conglomeration you posted up is probably the trail map...It is called "whites creek loop" by some...by me, its just the Irish Wilderness or simply, "The Irish".

Yes, I'll be leading the hike and no one is going to get lost. the hiking starts Sat morning and finishes on Sunday afternoon.

If you would rather float it, and I do recommend that you do, cause a trail is a trail and there ain't no views along this trail, you can use the Bunnie. As a matter of fact I'm going to float my gear in other boats (or mine) so I can travel light on the trail...see, I'm SMART!!!

There will be NO dehydrated food on this hike. Carry only water and lunch/snacks. Float the gear...now that's WHAT I'M TALKIN bout.”

“I hope lizs floats so we can play bumper boats..lol”

“Who says tears will get you no where...after having to cancell Mobile and now Sipsey, my boss said I get the Friday off after Thanksgiving (and I won't get wrote up...she said "just don't quit!!!")....which means I get off at 1pm on Tuesday and don't work again until Monday am....woooohoooooo..............so I will be heading west for Thanksgiving!!!”

“I'm out! Trip money spent on Henry Shires Tarp Tent for b-day! hehehheheehehe... Am giddy waiting for new gear fix AND LIGHTENING UP THE LOAD!

Have fun, y'all!! :-)”

“lizs, you slut..get your arse back on this trip”

“Wow I spend a few days in LV and you guys are already packing. Stikmon I like the plan and may have recruited you a couple more backpackers.

Counting down in Arkansas!”

“how many paddlers are we having on this trip??”

“I know that dave and Polly will be in the Yacht, Mozark in the Yak, davinity in her yak (maybe she's bringing a concubine for me), thats all I know for sure.

Mike, whats Jerbear gonna do and who is on the trail with me.

I'll be floating my gear down the river so I'm only going to carry water and lunch. Khatru will be carrying extra water. this is gonna be GREAT!!!

Mike, call me, and we can work out the details on Mather.”

“Ewker, smokeygirl...you are cordially invited to Thanksgiving supper at the House of Stikmon. Supper shall begin at the hour of 1 oclock in the pm. Supper will consist of 4 courses. Upon completion of the supper, we shall commence clean up and then depart to the Greer camp site up on the Points, where we will meet Dave and Polly. We will then have 2nd supper and probably burst from overeating. See ya then!”

“stikmon, thanks for the invite. I am planning on leaving Nashville by 8 or 9 AM that morning. It shouldn't be a problem getting there in time.”

“come hungry!”

“stikmon, I am gonna send you an email tomorrow. I need to run something past ya.”

“We folk down here in the bootheel are simple folk and don't take too kindly to no high falutin complexities.”

“bump for smokygirl to see”

“wendy, the female half of the local canoe outfitter may attend the saturday float trip portion... providing fair weather & no other obligations interfere.”

“I don't know if the hike is during deer season, but hunter orange might be a good idea... for both floaters & hikers. From what I've seen and from what others have told me, most of the hunting is done relatively close to the river and or what few roads there are 'around' the area.”

“would a yellow/red kayak work.”

“providing you don't walk into the woods to do personal business or anything like gathering firewood”

“But I don't look good in orange :(”

“blaze orange bandana. He looks mighty sportin in it too. This trip is gonna rock! or as someone famous used to say..."its gonna kick all forms of @ss!"”

“What is the closest town to where this hike will start?”

“I saw talk of this trip on paddling.net and the Arkansas Canoe Club message board.

Word of Dave's cooking must be getting around.”