Addicted to whitewater.

AS LEAVES ARE HITTING THE ground and the woodland vegetation is going dormant, autumn signals a time of anticipation for whitewater enthusiasts in Arkansas.

Less greenery means more of the seasonal rainfall will be finding its way to rivers and streams. All this adds up to more reliable water levels for paddlers. Late fall, winter and spring is their time of year for riding roostertail waves on a gleaming aquamarine stream in the Ozark Mountains.

Even in the warmer months, out-of-state road trips allow canoeheads and kayakers to get their fix cutting a slalom run through a boulder-strewn riverbed of Appalachian flow or shooting through a thundering snow-melt fed rapid in the Rockies.

Hobby, lifestyle or addiction, call it what you will, but many aren't willing to say they can quit any time they want.

Walter Felton, managing partner of Felton Oil Co. in El Dorado, grew up with aluminum canoes in his family and moved into the synthetic-skinned boats, sometimes referred to generically as plastic or ABS.

Unlike fiberglass, the various space-age plastic materials are less likely to puncture or crack when subjected to punishment. Unlike aluminum boats, both fiberglass and plastic models are definitely more adept at sliding over barely submerged obstacles, especially rocks.

"My family has always had canoes ever since 12 was a young child," he said. "I've been into serious whitewater paddling since the late '80s."

He started Paddling in tandem aluminum canoes and moved into a kayak. He also owns a solo canoe and a tandem whitewater canoe. Felton estimates that he can be found in a boat of some sort 60-70 days out of the year

"I'm still a child is the problem," he said with a laugh. "I never grew up. When I sit down in that canoe in a hard stretch of whitewater, it's a total mental diversion.

"I enjoy class III to class IV rapids, occasional class V, but that's a little more adrenaline than I can stand. The Cossatot is my favorite place in the world."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers describes the river as the most difficult whitewater stream in Arkansas. Its name is attributed to American Indians and translated as "skull crusher."

Beginning southeast of Mena (Polk County), the river flows 26 miles through jagged rock formations into Giliham Lake. Much of it is bounded by the Ouachita National Forest and wilderness area. Depending on water levels, the difficulty level on its various stretches range as high as class IV/V (very difficult/exceedingly difficult).

Although not cited as a specific achievement, Felton noted that his marriage repeatedly has survived the paddling test, including runs on the Cossatot.

"I've also managed to canoe with my wife and not get a divorce," he said.

Kim Keller, vice president and associate general counsel at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock, has enjoyed water for as long as she can remember. But she didn't start paddling until 1991 when kayaking struck her fancy.

"I like the outdoors, and paddling is a way to see things you might not be able to see otherwise, to get to places you often can't get to by car or truck.

"It is a totally different world [on the river]. When you're totally concentrating on paddling, you forget about everything else. You forget about your daily life, in other words."

Sometimes the experience of paddling can become vividly immersive and escapist in a very real and literal sense.

Keller recalls a heart-thumping spill as she tried to weave her way through the turbulent waters of the Ocoee River in East Tennessee. Besides the rocky stream bed, dodging large white water rafts posed an additional challenge.

At one point, Keller was swept beneath a raft and pinned by the powerful current. She essentially became sandwiched under the frigid mountain water between her kayak and a raft full of people.

"It took a few seconds for people to figure out I was in trouble and to help out," Keller said. "When the guide realized I was under the raft, he jumped out to try and reach me.

"That shifted enough weight so I could reach my grab loop and pull my spray skirt loose from the kayak and get out."

After prying the watertight seal open that joined her to the kayak, Keller pushed free of the boat and the bubbly swirl of water and popped to the surface for a gasp of air.

"It seemed to take several minutes, but I'm sure it was only a matter of seconds," she said.

Taking the Plunge

Ben Shy, manager at Take A Hike outfitters store in Little Rock, said a start-from-scratch paddler could get fully equipped to begin running rivers for about $1,000.

The biggest single expense is the canoe or kayak, which range in price from several hundred dollars to north of $1,000 for some off-the-rack whitewater models or custom designs.

"If you want to go top-of-the-line equipment, the sky is the limit," Shy said. "You can spend $2,500 to $3,000 for a great boat and some very nice gear."

Barring upgrades, a paddler can get by with little additional investment. Avid paddlers quickly can recoup their money when compared with the $25 per day cost of renting.

Gordon Kumpuris, a corporate television producer for Dillard's Inc., started paddling as a canoer 12 years ago. He still enjoys canoeing but admits spending more time these days in a kayak purchased five years ago.

No matter which mode of transportation, Kumpuris loves the paradoxical experience of navigating whitewater.

"It revs me up and calms me down at the same time," the 39-year-old said. "That may sound strange, but it's very relaxing yet very exciting. The camaraderie you have with fellow paddlers is special, too."

There are always surprises along the way as well. Kumpuris remembers one trip to southwest Arkansas that had a decidedly spiritual quality.

"We were paddling on the Little Missouri River one Sunday, and I started hearing this singing, like a church choir or something," he said. "We thought we were having a flashback to a scene from 'O Brother Where Art Thou' or something.

"We couldn't see anyone, and we kept hearing the singing grow louder and louder. Finally, we rounded a bend and saw a bunch of people on the bank. It looked like a local congregation was having a riverside service."

Dee Tucker, a 47-year-old dentist in Sheridan, began as a casual paddler while attending the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

He became serious after joining the Arkansas Canoe Club in 1991 and buying a solo canoe. His wife, Kim, made the switch to a kayak in 1996, and he followed a year later.

He has no documented evidence, but he and others are convinced the Cossatot River is the center of the universe. For him, paddling is an extraordinary means of savoring the outdoors.

"It's everything involved with being out in nature, like out in nature, like hiking except you're interacting with the water," Tucker said. "You can have as much or little interaction as you want. It's a unique two-dimensional experience."

Members of the Arkansas Canoe Club are still buzzing over a June trip to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in central Idaho.

The river snakes its way through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness area, covering more than 2.3 million acres of awesome vistas.

"We paddled in the French Alps in 1997, and I thought nothing would top that," said Dee Tucker. "But the Idaho trip, that was just indescribable. It's extremely remote and one of the largest wilderness areas in the lower 48 states. That is just a magical place."

The eight-day trip started off in Alpine terrain featuring tight and technical turns. The geography became more arid and more rugged as the river descended and widened with the addition of more water.

"If I'd only gone one day on any of those eight days, I could've said I saw the prettiest scenery I'd ever seen in my life," Gordon Kumpuris said.

RELATED ARTICLE: White Water Classifications

Class I: Easy

Moving water with few riffles and small waves. Few or no obstructions. Correct course is easy to determine.

Class II: Mediem

Fairly frequent but unobstructed rapids. Course generally easy to recognize. Some maneuvering is required.

Class III: Difficult

Numerous rapids with high and irregular waves. Narrow passages that often require complex maneuvering. Course not always easily recognizable.

Class IV: Very difficult

Long rapids characterized by high and irregular waves with boulders directly in swift current. Course often difficult recognize requiring some scouting from bank.

Class V: Exceedingly difficult

Continuous rocky rapids with high and irregular broken water that cannot be avoided. Extremely fast flow, abrupt bends and strong cross currents. Difficult rescue conditions. Frequent inspections from bank necessary.

Class VI: Limit of navigability 

Difficulties increased to the upper limits of skill and equipment. Extremely dangerous. Only for teams of experts.