THE STUDIO

IS PADDLING IN THE OZARKS WORTH THE TRIP?

Actually yes, the Highlands of Missouri and Arkansas offer a surprising abundance of world-class rivers.

BY MIKE BEZEMEK

“WE DEFINITELY DIDN’T FORESEE

paddling in the Ozarks becoming a destination,” messaged Olivia Harrell, a paddler living in Bryson City, N.C. “We have so many rivers in the Southeast that are literally in our backyard, but it is nice to explore something new.”

I was trying to answer the question, is paddling in the Ozarks worth the trip for someone from the Southeast? I’d been asking around for a few days, hoping to find some Southeastern paddlers who had made the trip. But, so far, I’d come up empty. I already had my own answer to the question, but I was biased. I spent 10 years living in the area before moving to the Southeast.

By many accounts, the Southeast is the paddling capital of the U.S., especially when it comes to whitewater. It’s a part of the country that paddlers travel to from afar for boating. And some, including Olivia, become so smitten with the Southeast they never leave.

Sure, many Southeastern river junkies make it a personal mission to hit up the country’s other paddling hotspots. The Arkansas River in Colorado, for example. The Tuolumne and other High Sierra runs in California. Big desert rivers like the Green in Utah. Multiday trips like the Salmon in Idaho. Or the trip of a lifetime down the Colorado through Grand Canyon. Most paddlers know those trips are worth traveling for.

But what about traveling to paddle in some of the lesser-known regions across the country? Where paddling is a passion among locals, but where the topography is less dramatic than mountain ranges like the Appalachians or Rockies? One such region is the Ozarks.

Olivia’s sentiments about the Ozarks matched my own observations. I was a 25-year-old raft guide when I moved from California to St. Louis for grad school. I arrived with a kayak on the roof of my truck and a vague idea there were some float trips in the Ozarks. But I didn’t even know what the Ozarks were. I figured I’d spend most of my time driving down to the Southeast for paddling.

Like me, at first, many Southeastern paddlers know so little about the Ozarks, they’re not even sure where they’re located. Part of the U.S. Interior Highlands, about two-thirds of the Ozarks are in southern Missouri. The remaining third—and the tallest part of the Ozarks, with elevations topping out around 2,500 feet—is in northern Arkansas. To be honest, I prefer to think of the Ozarks as a series of very rugged, rolling hills.

For the most part, the Ozarks are an eroded limestone plateau. When combined with annual precipitation around 50 inches, the result is pervasive karst topography. If that sounds suspiciously exotic for the Midwest, you’ll be even more surprised by the result. Plunging sinkholes, limestone caves, underground streams, and countless freshwater springs bursting year-round from cliffs.

In fact, there are so many springs, they seem to have run out of names. There are multiple Boiling Springs, Round Springs, Cave Springs, Ebb and Flow Springs. If you ever get the wild idea to navigate across the Ozarks using nothing but Blue Springs? Just forget it. You’ll go in circles more than Southeastern paddlers during a brewery tour of Asheville.

Another result of all this flowing water may surprise you, as well. Two National Park units protect three phenomenal rivers—the Current and Jacks Fork in Missouri and the Buffalo in Arkansas. Plus, there are seven additional Ozark rivers designated in the Wild & Scenic Rivers system. Each of these spring-fed rivers, plus dozens more, are undammed, natural flowing, and run year-round. That means the rivers are cool and clear even during the sweltering summer months. Most of these rivers are class I-II and appropriate for all levels of paddlers. Though, some runs are class II-III and there are even a few class III-IV creeks.

To verify my assertion that paddling in the Ozarks is worth a trip, I reached out to Olivia. Last year she became an ambassador for UST Gear, a Missouribased outdoor company. Olivia is originally from Springfield, in the heart of the Ozarks, but she wasn’t exposed to paddling when she was young. Instead, like many aspiring diehards, she moved to the Southeast to become a paddler. When she took the UST job, one requirement was paddling in the Ozarks with company brand manager and friend, John Holdmeier.

Before moving back to Missouri and retooling the UST Brand, John spent five seasons living in the Southeast, working at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. When the opportunity came to bring in brand ambassadors at UST, he was excited to share the rivers of his youth.

“It feels good to let someone in on your favorite rivers,” explained John. “There are many similarities between the Southeast and the Ozarks. [They’re] like a smaller version of the Smokies, in my opinion. The big difference is the springs and the protected rivers. This means the water is clear and consistent year-round.”

When Olivia visited this past spring with her boyfriend, a fellow UST ambassador from Kentucky, the trio did an overnight paddling trip on the Current River in Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

“Paddling in the Ozarks was scenic and secluded,” recalls Olivia. “We were impressed by the clarity of the water, the wildlife, and the wildflowers. The rivers are more wilderness instead of roadside access. The whitewater is not as exciting as some of the rivers in the Southeast but there are many scenic bluffs and trees. We will absolutely be traveling back to the Ozarks for move overnight paddling trips.”

THE OZARKS HOLD SEVEN SPRING-FED RIVERS DESIGNATED IN THE WILD & SCENIC RIVERS SYSTEM. PHOTO BY MIKE BEZEMEK

When to Go

Because of the abundant spring flow, you can paddle in the Ozarks yearround. Summer weekends can be busy and rowdy, so mid-week or shoulder season is often preferred. Paddling during springtime or fall colors, typically the latter half of October into early November, can be particularly appealing.

Where to Go

For paddlers from the Southeast, consider the Eastern Missouri Ozarks, including the Current and Jacks Fork in Ozark National Scenic Riverways and the Eleven Point National Scenic River. During springtime, check out Big Piney Creek, a Wild & Scenic river, or the Buffalo National River, both in Western Arkansas.

Learn More

Fill up the tank and pack up the car for a summer road trip to America’s newest national park, the New River Gorge. Home to an abundance of outdoor recreation, the Gorge is a go-to summer vacation destination. This summer, paddleboard your way through the most scenic views in Almost Heaven.

WVtourism.com/NewRiverGorgeCVB

This is Lynchburg.

Get Paddling with James River Adventures

James River Adventures’ Rob Campbell believes the best way to get people to care about the James River is to get them out on its rolling waters to appreciate the natural beauty and the life it sustains. Rent one of their canoes or kayaks to experience the James for yourself, or take a ride in their replica 19th-century batteau for a taste of history. #travelconfidently

lynchburgvirginia.org

Credit: Mountain Surf Paddle Sports

Use your camera phone to scan QR code to learn more about James River Adventures

TRANSFORMING LEAVES WITH HEATHER O’DONNELL

Press, dry, embroider, repeat. Each of Heather O'Donnell's hand-embroidered magnolia leaves is carefully stitched to create a one-of-a-kind piece.

BY ELLEN KANZINGER

WHEN YOU SEE LEAVES ON THE GROUND,

you might think about the changing of seasons, the passage of time, or the fragility of life. A pile of leaves could symbolize something to play in or more yardwork to add to the list. But when Heather O’Donnell sees leaves, she sees a blank canvas. Working specifically with magnolia leaves, she embroiders the natural surface with everything from geometric designs and scenes from nature to house and pet portraits to create timeless keepsakes and intricate pieces of art.

Originally from Wisconsin, O’Donnell didn’t grow up with magnolia trees around her. So when she moved to Georgia to study architecture at Savannah College of Art and Design, the magnolia trees immediately stood out in her mind. “I realized pretty quickly that I was afraid of computers,” O’Donnell said. Looking for something more tactile and hands on that would get her out from behind a computer, she made the switch to a degree in fibers.

During O’Donnell’s senior year, inspiration struck as she was doodling with thread. Running outside during class, she picked up a few magnolia leaves to use instead of a cloth or paper canvas. “If you talk to anyone who’s ever had a magnolia tree in their yard, you’ll know that they stick around,” O’Donnell said. “I get so many people asking about them breaking down and disintegrating. These leaves are hardy as all get out. They will last forever.”

When people ask O’Donnell if she plans to experiment with other types of leaves, there’s a part of her that doesn’t want to. “I think I’d like to play with it in the future but I’ve developed this brand as Magnolia Heather,” she said. “I don’t mind that. I don’t think it’s a restriction on who I am as an artist or restriction on the work I create. There’s so much more I can do with the leaves themselves and they just have proven to be such a good canvas to work with.”

The Technique

When it comes to choosing the perfect leaf, O’Donnell can be pretty particular about things like shape, size, and color. “I prefer to choose the leaves that have already fallen because that way I’m not disturbing their life cycle and I really am upcycling nature,” she said. She also tends to avoid green leaves because the drying process is so unpredictable, leaving colors ranging from a light green to spotty and brown, and working with a non-neutral color makes it harder to pick out threads.

Over the years, O’Donnell has picked out a few go-to trees around

town, like the tree outside of her office. Before work or on her lunch break, she’ll pick up leaves from the ground that might work. Or, if she’s out on a walk and comes across the right type, she’ll pick them up and find a place on her person to store until she gets back home. Once she’s collected the leaves, O’Donnell cleans, presses, and dries them so they will keep their shape and the colors bright. Other than that, she doesn’t use any lacquer or preservative spray. “I try to keep them as natural as possible,” she said. Most of her designs are made to go behind glass so they last even longer.

With a stockpile of collected leaves, O’Donnell works heavily in sketchbooks to create a design on such a tiny space. “I feel like so much can get lost in computers,” she said. “That’s just a personal thing, which is funny because at my day job [designing rugs], I work in the computer. So when it comes to my work, I very much like referencing back to the book, turning the page, and putting the pencil on the paper.”

Although the leaves are pretty thick, O’Donnell generally creates a pattern to trace, allowing her to pre-poke holes so she doesn’t rip or tear them. “I’ve gotten to know them,” she said. “But there are some that do end up being more brittle or thinner than others, if my thread gets tangled while I’m pulling the thread, if I get too comfortable and accidentally pull through too hard—it does happen. But I’m pretty good at covering it up with thread or finding a way to make it work.”

O'DONNELL'S DESIGNS RANGE FROM ABSTRACT PATTERNS TO WELL KNOWN SYMBOLS LIKE THE A.T. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Finding Balance

Although she has worked in this medium for five years, O’Donnell said she is still trying to figure out her place in the art world. “It took me a long time to even call myself an artist and believe it,” she said. “I say I am an artist but I still have so many times of doubt.”

While she does make some “quick sells” and attends art markets, like the Marietta Square Artisan Market in Georgia, O’Donnell hopes viewers look at her pieces as meaningful works of art. “I think there’s this stigma out there of craft versus art,” she said. In the future, she’s hoping to work on a larger scale, incorporating more leaves into a single piece, to see how far she can take the materials. “I go into things with all my heart and really dedicate myself to it,” O’Donnell said. “But I also don’t believe that no one can do what I do. If you want to try it out, put the time into it.”

After years developing her brand as Magnolia Heather, O’Donnell prides herself on maintaining a healthy balance between her art and life. “You have to remember that while you are hustling, if you hustle too hard you’re going to get burnt out and not going to enjoy it,” she said. “When you’re feeling burnt out, take a day off. Go do something else. It’s okay to not attend a market or festival.” At the end of the day, O’Donnell doesn’t want to get to the point where she hates the work she’s creating. “You have to give yourself grace, stay dedicated, and be true to yourself,” she said.

You can find more of O’Donnell’s work at MagnoliaHeatherArt.com or on Instagram @magnoliaheather.

“BEST BACKPACKING BOOT” – Men’s Health “BEST BACKPACKING BOOT” – Men’s Health“BEST BACKPACKING BOOT” – Men’s Health

Mishmi Takin Mishmi Takin Kameng Mid eVent Kameng Mid eVent Waterproof Hiking Boot Mishmi Takin Waterproof Hiking BootNow at J&H Outdoors,

Lexington, KY Kameng Mid eVent

Waterproof Hiking Boot

“These @mishmitakin boots are the best I’ve ever owned. At this point I’ve lost track of how many miles I’ve logged in these boots, but it’s well “These @mishmitakin boots are the best I’ve ever owned. At this point I’ve lost track of how many miles I’ve logged in these boots, but it’s well over 2,000. No issues, very “These @mishmitakin boots are the best I’ve ever owned. At this point I’ve lost track of how many miles I’ve logged in these boots, but it’s well over 2,000. No issues, very “These @mishmitakin boots are the best I’ve ever owned. At this point I’ve lost track of how many miles I’ve logged in these boots, but it’s well over 2,000. No issues, over 2,000. No issues, very comfortable, still waterproof, comfortable, still waterproof, very comfortable, still waterproof, comfortable, still waterproof, great traction and support. great traction and support. great traction and support. 5 stars!” 5 stars!” great traction and support. – Andrew, Customer 5 stars!” – Andrew, Customer- Andrew, Customer 5 stars!” – Andrew, Customer