Need To Make Acquaintance With The Saint

[hank franklin]

The Saint Francis has always intrigued me, since I was a young boy reading Oz Hawksley's guide for the first time, and lately been thinking it's time to try it. I've floated the Saint above Sam A. Baker before but never been upstream in the shut-ins sections. Been looking at Roselle Access to Silver Mines. Syenite to Roselle also a possibility. Public access below Silver Mines appears problematic, in fact appears non-existent according to updated Oz guide.

Long story short, can anybody give some pointers on these upper shut-in sections? I'd be running in a 17-foot Coleman barge with overnight goods inside. Does this fact alone disqualify me? Maybe just a day trip (with nothing much in the boat) with camping at Silver Mines? I'd love to go below Silver Mines, even if it meant extended trip to Sam A. Baker. I would need all overnight provisions in the boat then.

What's the best way to get acquainted with the Saint?

Appreciate the input.

[ozark trout fisher]

The Saint Francis has always intrigued me, since I was a young boy reading Oz Hawksley's guide for the first time, and lately been thinking it's time to try it. I've floated the Saint above Sam A. Baker before but never been upstream in the shut-ins sections. Been looking at Roselle Access to Silver Mines. Syenite to Roselle also a possibility. Public access below Silver Mines appears problematic, in fact appears non-existent according to updated Oz guide.

Long story short, can anybody give some pointers on these upper shut-in sections? I'd be running in a 17-foot Coleman barge with overnight goods inside. Does this fact alone disqualify me? Maybe just a day trip (with nothing much in the boat) with camping at Silver Mines? I'd love to go below Silver Mines, even if it meant extended trip to Sam A. Baker. I would need all overnight provisions in the boat then.

What's the best way to get acquainted with the Saint?

Appreciate the input.

I've never personally floated it, but I've heard that section has pretty intense rapids, but lots of smallies.

[Al Agnew]

Hank, you're probably not going to be able to do the St. Francis between Syenite and Silvermines in a Coleman. If it's high enough to get your barge through, it requires too much whitewater maneuverability for your barge. If it's low enough that your boat can handle the rapids, it becomes an almost impossible job to wrestle it through the shut-ins sections.

Here's the deal. The shut-ins sections at low water flow less than 50 cfs. Often less than 20 cfs. That wouldn't even be enough water to be floatable on a normal Ozark stream unless you're willing to walk the riffles. But the St. Francis is far from normal. The shut-ins sections at that level have lots of spots where the gaps between the rocks are too narrow to even drag your boat through--you have to lift it over the rocks. And the wet, underwater rocks on the St. Francis are SLICK. I wouldn't want to tackle those sections in low water except in a small solo canoe or kayak with a minimum of gear.

On the other hand, in higher water levels, say levels over 200 cfs on the Mill Creek USGS gauge, the river becomes a series of rapids and small waterfalls winding and twisting through the rocks. It takes a short boat with plenty of easy maneuverability to get through them, and hanging up on the rocks at those levels starts to become unforgiving, because the current can be strong enough to make getting the boat off the rocks difficult.

Once you get true high water, over 500 cfs, the river starts to become dangerous, and takes plenty of whitewater experience to run, along with true whitewater craft.

There may be a small window of river level, maybe between 100 and 200 cfs, when you could possibly get your boat down the river without totally working yourself to death. But I wouldn't try it in that boat.

The Syenite to Roselle stretch is 10 miles and has two major shut-ins sections. Oz Hawksley's original book tells about the three mile stretch where the river drops 20 feet per mile, but what he didn't quite describe is that in normal water levels, that stretch consists of a half-mile section at the top where the river goes through a serious shut-in and drops maybe 15 feet, then a series of long pools with short, easy rapids that goes for about two miles, and then in the final half mile the river drops much of the rest of the whole 60 foot total. Those shut-ins at the top and bottom of that stretch are real bears. And just below, the river splits up and goes through a willow jungle for about a mile that some years is very difficult to find your way through.

The Roselle to Silvermines stretch is even worse. It has three main shut-ins. The first one is the easiest, and I think you could probably get your boat down it in reasonable water. That, unfortunately, would lull you into a false sense of security. The Tieman Shut-in (Millstream Gardens) section is about a half-mile of REALLY rough water and rock mazes. If you make it through it, the Silvermines Shut-in section at the end is long and rough in places.

You're right about there being no good public access below Silvermines. And although that section is somewhat doable in your boat, there are still a few short, rough rapids that would make it no picnic.

[hank franklin]

Thanks Al, appreciate it. I'm certainly not averse to some portages if necessary to enjoy some otherwise fine water. The slippery rocks would make portages treacherous too however. Sounds like a job for a boat other than my Coleman. Maybe someday.