We will be paddling the Trinity River from the Trinity Wave Park in Oak Cliff and camping at the Audubon Center We are looking for a group of at least 10 for this trip. Camping is $15. If we don’t get 10 people, we can either each make up the amount for the members we lack or we will have to call off the trip. We will share the cost of the group breakfast – dinner is a potluck. There are tent pads, a campfire ring and lantern poles there now. We will have access to the entire park and half the building (the part with the restrooms). It is quite a hike from where we take out to the parking area, but we will have a couple of canoe carts for people to take turns hauling there canoes to there vehicles (between 1/3 & 1/2 mile). Note, it is hot in June, so be prepared. Unfortunately, we cannot allow dogs on the trip. We will put in at the Dallas Trinity Wave Park we put in below the whitewater and there is no whitewater on this section. It is a 4 to 5 hour paddle. I would prefer that we all stay together as a group, but if there is a group of speed demons, I will arrange for them to have a group leader. This is a Class I river, which means that is easy and has some fast moving water with riffles and small waves. There are few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. The risk to swimmers is slight (with the exception of the Eco-coli – so if you dump over, keep your mouth closed) and self-rescue is easy.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE PUT IN: The wave park where we put in is South of Corinth Street on 8th Street. The little road that leads down to the river has a name now - Santa Fe Trail. It is just across from the light rail station. Santa Fe trail goes east from 8th behind the Bishop International Company. Follow it down to the river. We will shuttle the vehicles to the Trinity Audubon Center before we launch.

THE RIVER: runs from the south west corner of town (Oak Cliff) south and East. When you paddle away from the Wave Park, you can still see Down Town Dallas. From the Wave Park to I-45, you can't see beyond the steep banks, but there is a lot of blighted businesses and housing that the City will be tearing down to create wetlands. Once under I-45, you are in the Great Trinity Forest - the largest Urban Forest in the US.

IN THE FOREST: We will see rock shelves that reveal layers of muscle shells - this is an indication that Native Americans lived here and ate these delicacies. We will pass a cement turn style where steam ships that came up the Trinity from the Gulf, turned around. Once at camp, we can hike down to the lock and dam that was used to raise the river level so those ships could make it up to the turn style. These operations did not go on long, before they realized that it was not cost effective. Railroad beat out the steam ships for transportation to Dallas. You can hike along the Santa Fe Trestle above the Wave Park that they have converted into a foot-bridge that leads toward the area around the old Sears Building. We will also pass under two other active train trestles during our paddle. I believe that one of them will be torn down as part of the Trinity Corridor project as it is in the flood plain.
Beside one more encounters with I-45 and Highway 310 (which is slated to be torn down as part of the Trinity Corridor Project) you see nothing but forest from the river. We will pass the confluence of White Rock Creek and just past that I will point out where the Texas Horse Park (if it passes the City Council Meeting tomorrow) and the AT&T Golf Course will be.

AT THE AUDUBON CENTER: Read about the Audubon Center website for information about the hikes we can take to see the flora and fauna http://trinityriver.audubon.org/. They have identified at their site, 220 bird, 15 mammal and 15 grass species. We will also take a hike across Elam Creek where to see the land where I intend to build the Dallas Trinity River Eco-School & Eco-Lodge (see dallastrinityriver.com). Past the land, we will see what is left of McCommas Bluff since the City installed a new drainage pipe there and we will see the lock & dam where the steam ships came. According to Horace Elam (of the Elams for which Elam Creek & Elam Road are named), his grand father told stories of big shindigs that they held down at the lock and damn when the steam ships came.

GEAR REQUIREMENTS:

Bring boats (just about any seaworthy craft will do for this trip), PFD's (lifejackets), paddles (a spare is recommended), a whistle or other signaling device, throw-bag, tent, ground pad, sleeping bag, clothing for hot, wet and dry conditions, camp chair, headlamp, plate(s), flatware, drinking cup, personal toiletries and other items that you may want to have with you. A small cooler for drinks and lunches to be carried in your boat would be recommended. Members of the group should coordinate on community gear such as cookware, stoves, fuel, charcoal and other such items.

MEALS:

Bring your own lunch to eat on the river; we will pull over to eat. Dinner is a potluck; I will cook a Dutch oven dish, so I will be burning charcoal. Because this is June, because of global warming and because there are so many things to look at at night in the dark, this is going to be a campfire-less trip. The evening is a good time for meditation, stretching, hiking and chatting. I will make breakfast tacos in the morning and have a group breakfast; everyone will need to chip in for this. We will disband after breakfast.