After the BMWROM meeting on June 14th, 2003, several members rode to the Okatoma Outdoor Post for a canoe trip. We took the upper run of Okatoma, which began at Seminary (MS HWY 590) and ended at our campsite at the Okatoma Outdoor Post. It is approximately 13 creek miles with 3 main waterfalls.
Canoe Crews were:
David Coles & Will David
Duane Carpenter and Maria Kinney
Pete Henson and his grandson Roy Stover
Bob and Nancy Shaffer
Ian Ferguson and Dawn Stover and her youngest son, Tyler, as supercargo

We all got on the Outdoor Post's bus and they trailered the canoes and kayaks behind us to the input site at Seminary. We actually got on the water at about 1:30.
The sky was threatening, but the temperature was warm so the intrepid adventurers set off on what was supposed to be a leisurely three-hour float. It was quickly apparent that aluminum canoes are pretty skittish critters. David Coles got the first river soaking when his canoe dived sideways when he was first stepping into it...
Then the first rapids had a little three foot tall waterfall. Nobody ever told us that a canoe can launch over a waterfall and then jam its nose in the rocks below and come to a complete halt. David and Will wound up with bumps and bruises from learning that little lesson... The river was high so the rapids were deeper than usual - many rocks were hidden underwater. We went through rapids every way you can: smoothly, sideways, underwater, and even backwards!
Between the three rapid sections, the trip was really peaceful, with winding river bends and almost absolute silence. No loud background or ambient noises. There was just the gurgle of the water and the occasional thunk of a paddle hitting a canoe's side. The canoes seamlessly floated along at a good clip, with only occasional paddling for directional guidance. It was idyllic.
And then the rains came. Serious rains. Frog-drownders. I can't speak for all crews, but David and Will stopped twice to flip the canoe and dump the rainwater out so they wouldn't sink. The good thing is that the temperature was in the eighties and the rain was pleasantly warm.
Floating and paddling was fun. We stopped below the rapids sections and watched as others splashed and flipped. Of course the river was only about four feet deep in most places, so a dumped canoe wasn't a life-threatening event. There was a lot of canoe bumping and grabbing of others' bow and stern ropes for a tow. The only experienced whitewater rafter, Ian Ferguson, spent the time smiling as he and Dawn idled down the river. Iron Man Duane and Machine Woman Maria led the pack with tireless strokes. They were first in to the landing at 5:00 PM-ish. We had paddled the 13 miles of river in four hours. Believe me, most of that 2.8 MPH was provided by a 2.5 MPH river current!
See our website for pictures! http://BMWRidersOfMississippi.org.
You can see information on Okatoma at http://okatoma.50megs.com/outdoorpost/