Icicles and Eagles on the Kings River

The five paddlers who made the four-hour journey from Hot Springs to the lower Kings River weren't sorry they made the trip to the 2nd Annual Icicles & Eagles trip Sunday Feb. 9th.

Kay & Nelson Ford and three of their friends paddling recreational kayaks were among a group of 12 boats & 16 paddlers who braved the windy, cool conditions in hopes of seeing some wildlife, and Mother Nature provided a grand show.

The trip began a couple of miles south of Grandview, where highway 143 crosses the river. This is a steep, rocky trail below the bridge, and the site of the USGS gauge near Berryville. The group unloaded gear, rigged their boats and took all but two vehicles to the take-out at Summer's Ford, three miles north of Grandview. The river level was 4.39 on the gauge, a perfect level providing a good flow for the 7 mile, class I outing.

A boat count revealed the growing trend in paddling, that more and more folks are attracted to user-friendly recreational kayaks. Six of these craft, one whitewater kayak, four tandem canoes, and a single whitewater canoe comprised the group of boats having the river to themselves this cool, cludy, windy day.

But the paddlers soon saw they weren't alone on the river. Less than two miles into the trip, at a lunch stop on a sheltered gravel bar, the first of the eagle sightings began. Al Addington brought out his binoculars to show everyone three white heads exposed among the birches just around the next bend. A group of wild turkeys fluttered from the water to the top of the ridge.

Once underway, we saw that this section of river was a strong attraction, offering deep, clear water for the eagles to spot bass & other fish. We soon realized that this is the exact same spot we began to see the large group of eagles on last year's trip. We worked out the signal for the lead-boater to convey eagle sightings, not to be confused with river safety signals. We decided to just point.

Hushed oooh's and ahh's were interrupted by the piercing screech of the eagles as they left their perches among the trees, swooping down across the water in front of us. After a short period, the birds grew accustomed to our presence & we began to get closer views of the magnificent golden eyes & talons. Many of the birds were youngsters, displaying mottled colorings, and showing the first signs of a white ring around their necks.

As they flew downriver, we saw that the birds were beginning to cluster in two trees on the outside of a bend in front of us. We counted 12 white heads in this group, as well as several of the younger, dark birds.

The birdwatching proved to be a distraction from river navigation at this point, as two boats were magnetically drawn to a fallen tree at the outside of the bend. The first boat washed against the limb, dumping its paddler into the frigid water, and the kayak & paddle proceeded downriver. Shortly after this paddler was safe on a gravel bar, the second boat & paddler also met the same fate, but this kayak snagged on the tree-trunk, becoming pinned. The paddler was cold, frightened, and holding onto the boat, beginning to be pulled tighter against the pinned craft. She was instructed to let go & wash out, and she was soon safe on the gravel bar. A fire was built and the paddlers were warmed.

We estimated we were about halfway down our stretch of river, as we began to make a plan to retrieve the pinned craft. Swiftwater rescue instructor Arthur Bowie, and Tammy Graham decided to ferry across in a tandem canoe, and somehow attach a haul rope to the upriver bow. Tammy volunteered to shimmy out on the trunk and clip a carabiner to the submerged stern grab-loop. Her horsemanship was obvious as she rode the bouncing limb to attach the line. Several safety ropes were ready if needed, and Arthur stood ready to assist her.

Soon the line was attached, and the plan was to get the rope back across the river, upstream, & pull the boat free. Another rope was thrown for Tammy to attach to the first, and yet one more 70' rope was needed to make the stretch across the river.

Finally, the line was set, and all available human-power was called upon to pull the submerged boat upstream to free it from the log. Applause rung out as the boat pulled free. Arthur gave a short discussion of how the incident could have been avoided, and after a 1-hour delay the group was underway once again.

After a short absence, the eagles once again appeared to accompany us almost all the way to the take out. The sun came out and warmed the group, and provided gorgeous light for our eagle-watching. Nelson got out his digital camera, and got a good close-up view as on mature eagle flew low over the group.

The take-out came into view, as the late afternoon sun began to hide behind darkening clouds, and the south wind, which had been at our backs, began to shift to the north.

Warm fleece clothing was donned, good-byes were exchanged, and all agreed it had been a great day on the river.