We wanted to make a long trip down the Okatoma River to cover any sections we missed in order to complete the entire navigable portion of the navigable portion of the river.  I consider the navigable part from Collins, MS to where it empties into the Bouie River near the Hwy 49 crossing.  It may be possible to paddle the Okatoma above Collins, but the section from Collins to Seminary, MS is so narrow and full of snags, we think anything north of Collins is probably worse.  Having previously completed the section from Collins to Seminary, we put in at the Seminary bridge.  It being a Saturday, we had hoped to go early in order to get ahead of the many renters from the Seminary Canoe Rental and Okatoma Outdoor Post.  Unfortunately, we got a little bit of a late start and spent the first 30-45 minutes passing all of the rental canoes and kayaks. 

 

Once we got ahead of the crowds, we were reminded just how beautiful this river is.  We were also surprised at how many rapids there are after you get past the sections of river used by the rental operations. 

 

From Seminary to our take out at Peps Point Road, was about 22 miles.  We were on the river for about 8 hours, including time spent stopping to eat, swim and play in several of the cold water streams flowing into the Okatoma.  We really enjoyed the trip, and were surprised that we weren't more exhausted when we finished.  It probably would have been too much for one day if we had chosen to paddle it in our kayaks.  But having the power of two paddlers and the better tracking of our Old Town Guide 147 canoe made it very feasible, although challenging. 

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We observed an abundance of wildlife on this trip.  There were numerous Great Blue Herons, White Herons, Kingfishers and wild ducks.  We also saw two hawks and two Fox kits (pups) which was a rare treat.  There were numerous turtles sunning along the way, including one rare softshell turtle.

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Here are some photos and videos of the trip: