44
terrain July/August 2020
than the river and is a nice spot for a swim. Nine miles below Pulltite, at mile 34, Round Spring is a convenient takeout point for floats on the upper Current. A short path from the parking lot near the lower access leads to the spring. Below Round Spring, there's less traffic overall, but you may see some jon boats. Most paddle trips end by Two Rivers at mile 51, where the Jacks Fork flows into the Current. Jet boat traffic increases as you get closer to Van Buren and Big Spring.
The Jacks Fok
The upper Jacks Fork from the Prongs is wild and incredibly scenic. Limited access has kept it primitive. My husband and I were lucky to be there in May when the water was up. It was a sunny weekday, and we had the river to ourselves for the 18-mile stretch from Buck Hollow to Bay Creek. It's narrow in places, with some class II rapids that offer plenty of adventure. Right off the bat, we rounded a bend in the first mile with a good-size tree stump churning up water and a lapful of the cold stuff splashed into my boat. Now and then, we spotted a great blue heron putting on a show. Six miles in, we came to the 80-foot, cathedral- like archway of Jam Up Cave. The cave is awesome to behold in the natural skylight. Three miles further, Ebb and Flow Spring runs in on the left. Also known as Rymer Spring, it's a pretty spot to hang out and watch the hawks soaring. Alley Spring at mile 31 is the site of a grist mill built in
Previous Page