Wolf River: Pipeline # 5 to Highway 72

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3/16/13
Section Length: 9 miles
Time: 7.5 hours 
Wildlife: bald eagles, opossum, pileated woodpeckers, wood ducks, deer, flickers, turtles, midland water snake, otter, beaver, 

This section is one of the few that doesn’t start at a bridge. Instead the put-in is on a pipeline easement, making it one of the most difficult accesses to reach. Even though the pipeline access is public land, the entrance road crosses private property. Permission to enter this area had to be granted by the adjoining property owners. The landowner also guided us through a twisting series of dirt roads that led to the pipeline. Without the permission and assistance of the landowner, this trip would not have been possible.

Luckily, a damaged bridge and culvert had been repaired since last year.  Although the road is rutted in places, pipeline 5 is now accessible for two wheel drive vehicles, barely. Four wheel drive vehicles and quad runners are recommended. Because of the road improvements, this section can now be completed in one day. It was only a 20 minute drive from the locked gate to our camping spot close to the river. This is opposed to last year’s trip when it took hours to haul gear to the launch spot, and an over night camp out was not optional. In addition to the difficult access, this section is a grueling nine miles with multiple log portages.

Because of the ease of entrance, we had a few extra hours of daylight. The group took advantage of this time to float down to the first beaver dam to watch the sunset. On this section, the Wolf follows a meandering course. Where the serpentine channel loops back, there are opportunities for “short cuts”.  I found a small tributary that cut through one of land bulges allowing me to avoid the curve in the main channel and a logjam.   John Henry continued downstream to the rock bluff while the rest of the group returned to the pipeline to make camp and wait for tomorrow’s paddle.

The next day was partly sunny with temps in the low 70s. The river level was at 7.5 feet at the LaGrange Bridge. I was delighted to find that the water here was almost clear. I could see the emerging water plants on the river bottom and was even able to take video underwater. It might even be possible to snorkel on this section when the temps are warmer.

Since this section is rarely if ever traveled, there was the possibility of multiple portages over fallen trees. Fortunately, there were not as many portages as I remembered from the previous year.  However, there were instances were we had the scoot over logs. If the top of the log was only a couple of inches above the waterline, one could get up some speed and launch over it. If the log was a little higher, one might become stuck half way. This happened to me a few times, and I discovered that I could kneel in the front of my boat and paddle over the obstruction. Other log crossing techniques included wagging the boat from side to side, slowly inching forward, and of course moving one’s body forward repeatedly helps to scoot over small obstructions.

The first part of this section was mostly open swamp without many log portages. The main obstructions here consisted of two old beaver dams. Luckily, we found breaks in them that allowed the main channel to course through like a rapid. We enjoyed shooting these small waterfalls. The principal danger of the open swamp was becoming lost. There was a point were the main channel splits. It's tempting to take the left channel and continue straight into the marsh. Unfortunately, we followed the left channel. After a few hundred yards, we hit a dead end. The once wide and easy to paddle channel now terminated in a dense mass of grasses and our favorite trees, the hazel alders. At the sight of these terrifying trees, we agreed that the only sensible course of action was to back track and follow the right channel into the woods. An attempt to drag our boats overland through brush to the right channel could have taken hours. Faced with a latticework of alder branches, tangles of briers, and razor grass rising from the knee deep mud, progress could be as slow as one hundred yards per hour.  Paddlers who come here need the knowledge of were they can go and were they cannot. 

The trek upstream to the channel junction was possible but not easy. We had to paddle against the swift current of one of the beaver dam chutes. I had to get on my knees in the front of my boat and dig in to pull myself to the still water on the other side of the dam. Finally, we reached the juncture, and I immediately recognized the arched tree from my video from last year. This was the landmark that should have told us to turn.

The right channel led through the forest where we would have to portage or scoot over several fallen trees. At this point it is clearly evident that the Wolf is a braided river. Its tributaries split away from the main channel only to rejoin later downstream. It was any one’s guess as to which channel to follow. The divergent waters created a plethora of small cypress clad islands. The far right channel that we had used last year appeared to be blocked, so we had to stay further to the left.  At some channel junctures, we split up to find the best course.

On the far side of one of the small islands, we could see the rock bluff rising about 50 feet above the riverbank. We took pictures and video as we floated past the unusual landmark. There are a few places upstream were rock ledges can be found, but this is the largest rock formation on the river. The bluff even has a small cave at its base.

The river continued with braided channels and intermittent beaver dams. The largest dam provided a rapid with a three foot drop. Last year, there wasn’t a large enough opening for our boats. Instead, we had to drag the canoes overland at the right bank while listening to the roar of scores of small rivulets that carried the water to the low side of the dam. This year the noisy rivulets were much quieter since most of the flow went over the waterfall created by the large opening.  I enjoyed shooting the rapid so much that I have to consider it to be one of the best features on the pipeline section.

We didn’t see much trash and signs of humanity were rare. However, we did reach an area that had been logged last year. 

Shortly after we passed the logged area, the divergent channels of the Wolf entered a large open marsh that we dubbed the Eagle Nest Swamp for the eagles’ nest about 500 yards south of the main channel. The eagles were the greatest surprise of this trip. None of us expected to see a bald eagle much less a pair of eagles on a nest. As far as I know, this is the first sighting of an eagle nest on the Wolf River in modern times. Along with the pair, John Henry spotted a third, immature eagle.

Even without the eagles, the open swamp is one of the most interesting environments on the river.  In past entries, we referred to this area as the Big, Beautiful Swamp because of its size. In appearance, it is similar to the Ghost River area but larger. Due to the proximity to the headwaters, the water on the pipeline section is much clearer. In addition to a turtle, the water was translucent enough for me to see the emerging parrot feather plants, river grasses, and lily pads on the river bottom. As the channel continued through the swamp, we saw a pine covered ridge rising on the right bank. The river traced the higher ground into a cypress forest where the channel again braided to form small cypress lined islands. We stopped briefly to shoot some of the rapids and take pics of a small waterfall. The river flowed on through a mixture of cypress and tupelo forest before reaching the old HWY 72 Bridge.

Although not passible by vehicle, the old bridge was largely intact. The pilings and beams looked strong. Although it was missing a few boards, the bridge deck was almost complete.  It was at this point that we began to see trash and hear traffic noises. A short time later, we reached the new Highway 72 Bridge. At the access, we had to pull our boats over a short slope to a grassy parking area. However, most park on the shoulder of the highway. Parking is not very good here, and limited to a few vehicles. 

This section is striking for both its beauty and unspoiled river scape. Unusual features make the river between pipeline 5 and highway 72 stand out from the rest of the Wolf. Rock bluffs, clear running water, open marshes larger than the Ghost River, beaver dam rapids, and bald eagles should entice paddlers. However, one needs a 4x4 and permission from nearby landowners to access the put-in.

Pipeline 5 to Highway 72 is approximately nine river miles. It took our group about seven and half hours to complete it. This included a lunch break and a quarter mile back track up a wrong channel.

A thanks goes out to John Henry and local residents of the head waters region for making this trip possible.