The primitive group camping area at Little Beaver Creek State Park was reserved for OHCRA on May 5th. Due to a major cold front and heavy rain, the outing was delayed until the next weekend. As luck would have it the camping area was still available and the creek went down from 7 feet to a very paddle-able 4.24 feet. The whole Little Beaver Creek area is very beautiful, steeped in history and fun to explore.
Tony and Benny were first to arrive and since the camping area is quite a few yards from the parking lot, a child's plastic toboggan was used to transport gear back and forth. Trip leaders Harold and Laurie did the same a few hours later and the warm afternoon was played away. Ken and Len came with Wil rounding out the group just before dark. A campfire was enjoyed with dinner cooked over it then the guys played poker until bedtime. It was a great evening with no rain forecast.
Saturday saw folks up early and having morning drinks. Laurie was staying in camp reading and practicing her golf chipping while the guys got ready to shuttle. The town of Lisbon was 15 miles upstream and plans of launching from the Pondis Restaurant were quickly abandoned. The put in was 2 feet above the waterline and visions of entering the cold water without a canoe under the body was envisioned. Not wanting to get wet, the members drove 4 miles downstream to an ODNR boat ramp for an eleven mile paddle. The ramp area had 10-15 young adults getting ready to paddle all the way to the Ohio River a distance of 22 miles. They were excited milling around waiting for their shuttle folks to get back. The OCHRA folks got on the water and cleared the launch ramp at 9:45am.
Tony had Benny the dog riding in the front of his canoe and shaded him with an umbrella. What a sight to see for such a spoiled dog. The river at 4.24 feet was very nice to paddle and the water was really clear. There were some rocks that another 6-12 inches of water would have covered but then you get into swift currents on the many bends in the river. Lots of wildlife was also enjoying the beautiful spring day. An eagle, deer, squirrels, hawks, and heron's. One even had a snake in it's mouth. The 11 miles took 5 hours but that included a leisurely stop for lunch. The group of young adults never did catch up to OHCRA but since OHCRA's camp was on the river, they saw them past way after OHCRA was back in camp.
When the river brought the paddlers back to camp, there were lots of people and vehicles all over the place. Couldn't figure out what was going on until ladies in pretty dresses started walking towards the river. It was a wedding. That's the first unplanned wedding they have ever encountered on an outing. The campground has a hiking trail next to it and a horse bridle trail. They would see horses crossing in the front of camp and at one point Benny saw the horses before anyone else. He took off, on leash, and startled the poor horse sending the frightened lady on board into fear. She went back the way she came never to be seen again. The monthly potluck was had on schedule with pulled pork, chili, asparagus, cupcakes, etc. With full bellies the members again played games and enjoyed another wonderful campfire. Cinco De Mayo was the week before and Harold had a Pinta ready. Just because the trip was delayed a week didn't dampen the festivities any at all. Around midnight after everyone was in their tents, a nice steady rain pitter padded on the tents with a great soothing sound inducing a relaxing sleep.
Sunday morning was damp but the sun promised to be bright. Since it was Mother Day's, most were in a hurry to break camp and get home. Harold cooked a mountain men breakfast for everyone along with dutch oven biscuits. With full bellies again, camp was broke and OHCRA disbanded for another month. A great weekend, great weather and great water levels made for a great time to be with friends.
