Story and photos by Brittany Carlson
Assistant editor
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If the summer heat finds you dreaming of a way to cool off, a canoe trip on the Big Piney might be the perfect way to fight the heat index, or at least take a mini vacation close to home.

Fort Leonard Wood’s Outdoor Adventure Center offers two- and four-hour canoe trips on post now through Oct. 1. The trips are open to the public.

“It’s just a leisurely float,” said Wadeana Porrett, outdoor recreation manager for the OAC, part of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.

“You can see a lot of the wildlife along the side of the river,” she added. “You get to see turtles. On the four-hour float trip, we have some bald eagles that nest along the edge of the river, so you get to see them dipping down into the river — I’ve seen them quite frequently.”

The floats also offer ample opportunities to fish. A state fishing license is required.

“It’s very calm, and it’s nice for fishing for anybody that just wants to take a nice, relaxing day out in the outdoors,” Porrett said.

For those who’d rather be in the water than in the canoe, the float trips pass through Happy Hollow, which offers a sandy beach and a rope swing.

On May 23, members of 1st Platoon, 77th Engineer Company, 94th Engineer Battalion and their Family members took a float trip to celebrate the completion of their most recent project: improving the FMWR horse stables.

“They’ve been working hard,” said 2nd Lt. Jason Mullen, platoon leader. “We were trying to do something just to kind of reward them for what they were doing.”

The trip was paid for by FMWR as a “thank you” for the platoon’s work on the stables, Porrett added, along with skeet shooting, barbecue grilling and paintballing at the OAC that afternoon.

For many of the platoon members, the float trip was a new experience.

“This is my first time out canoeing in my whole life — I’m 27,” said Pvt. Felton Mack.

“I had a great experience. I loved the view, the scenery and just coming together with my platoon and my squad,”  he added.

Sgt. David Horton and his daughter, 10-year-old Jazmine, enjoyed learning how to navigate on the water.

“It was scary (at first), then it was relaxing,” Jazmine Horton said.

“It was a new experience,” David Horton added. “The key thing is to have the heaviest person sit in the rear, is what we learned. That’s the person that is going to control the canoe and the direction.”

Albert Fishburn and his son, A.J., 4, spent some time in the water as well as on it.  

“We had the canoe flip over — that was fun,” Fishburn said. “A.J. was worried about (losing) his shoe; I was worried about him.”

He is already planning his next canoe trip. “I think we’re going to do it again,” he said. 

Two-hour float trips start at the Spillway (by the golf course) and end at Breeden Springs (near Training Area 250). The cost is $30 per canoe, which can hold two people, and $5 for each additional person. Participants need to arrive at the OAC between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. the day of the trip.

Four-hour float trips go from the Quarry Input to Breeden Springs. The cost is $40 per two-person canoe, and $5 extra for each additional passenger. Participants must arrive at the OAC between 10 a.m. and noon.

The cost includes life vests and paddles. Children who weigh less than 40 pounds must have their own life vest. Pets are allowed.

Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are recommended. For more information, call the OAC at 596.4223. The OAC is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.