On a typical mid-July warm summer day ten paddlers ranging from both near and far experienced an 11.5 mile journey from Columbus to Azalia for the 16th annual East Fork White River trip. Our put-in site was discreetly located in Columbus at a DNR ramp aprox. 500 feet downstream from the red cabled ''tripod'' bridge on SR 46. Destination was another DNR access ramp at the Azalia bridge on CR 800 south. A detour on SR 11 and an accident shortly before the trip necessitated a good old school country cruise for the shuttle. With temps pushing the 90's on a semi-cloudy day the pleasant head wind provided some relief from what could have turned into a very long day on the river. A rather steady current in the 2-2 1/2 m.p.h. range provided by the East Fork was a welcome site. The USGS gauge @ Columbus was reading 714 CFS along with the Seymour station registering 1150. Throughout the float which has no actual rapids or riffles to speak of are a convenient amount of huge, scattered sandbars at nearly every inside bend of the stream. No river in Indiana can boast of the numerous amounts of these in its first 75 miles of existence meandering through the fertile soils of Jackson and Bartholomew counties. Some of these resemble a miniature liking to a Florida beach. As could be expected finding an easy take-out lunch spot wasn't even a challenge as one could paddle rapidly up to a beach stop and wait for the wake to subside then step out without even getting one's feet wet. The East Fork being one of only a small handful of Hoosier streams that can be depended upon in the dry summer months for a HCKC event came through as always. Kayakers and canoeists were represented from the following towns resembling a huge geographical area; Fishers, Indy, Lafayette, Bowers, New Palestine, Lawrenceburg, Seymour, North Vernon and Mason Ohio.

Richard Tekulve, East Fork trip leader since 2010.