Happy Trails

Roy Rogers probably never had a kayak (although he did have a Jeep!). B ut if he did have a kayak, he’d have probably named it “Trigger”.

Okay, so you don’t remember Roy Rogers? And you don’t know what this has to do with Union Parish? Well, it’s all tied in to “Happy Trails“. Union Parish has plenty of those, some on the water,  and you’ll be glad to know that Louisiana Delta Adventures is meeting here this weekend to explore three Union Parish water trails. They will be developed for a tourism brochure to tout our local waterways. What a great project! Thanks to the D’Arbonne Kayak Club for heading this up!

You are encouraged to take part, too. Local kayakers or canoers are welcome to join in any one of the three planned trails:  Corney Creek, D’Arbonne Bayou/Refuge and the Ouachita River.  There will be two days of paddling and trail marking: Sunday, Nov. 2 and Monday, Nov. 3.

For more information, contact Stephanie Herrmann at 372-3006 for more information or paddle on over to this link on the internet:

 https://www.facebook.com/events/964122586935525/

John Ruskey. John, a Mississippi River paddling guide/outfitter, will be touring the trails to take photos and identify unique landscapes for a brochure being funded by Louisiana Delta Adventures for Union Parish. This will be the first of it’s kind for our parish and we are excited to show him what we have to offer the paddling community. Come join us and give your insight to the development of these three trails. Bring a sack lunch and plenty of water as we will be stopping to picnic on the water both days. Check weather forecasts and prepare for rain or shine. We are paddling, regardless of weather, unless storms are severe.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2: 8:00 AM: Countryside Cove
TRAIL #1: Corney Creek (8:00-12:00) Bernice, Louisiana
Meet at La Hwy 550 Bridge Launch: 32.8565/92.573.9
Travel upstream 1.5 miles and back down. This creek is narrow and one-lane traffic in places, but full of fairytale cypress knees and the greenest green algae.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2: 1:30 PM: Steamboat Stream
TRAIL #2: Bayou D’Arbonne/D’Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge (1:30-5:00) Rocky Branch, Louisiana
Meet at Holland’s Bluff Launch: 32.6318/92.2136
We will paddle downstream toward the Refuge and then back upstream before dusk. Bring a GPS if you have one. The refuge has some a’MAZE”ing coves and turns!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3: 8:00 AM: Rollin Revelry
TRAIL #3: Ouachita River/Upper Ouachita National Refuge http://www.fws.gov/upperouachita (8:00-1:30) Marion, Louisiana
Meet at 8:00 at Finch Recreation Area Launch: 32.8661/92.08 We will paddle upstream to the Nature Conservancy Mollicy Unit (a migratory bird habitat) and back downstream at the launch point soon after mid-day.

And if you go along, you might want to sing this little song while paddling along:

Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin’ until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we’re together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, ’till we meet again.

Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It’s the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here’s a happy one for you.

Roy Rogers would be proud!