The first thing you notice on Red Creek is the quiet.
No traffic. No crowds. Just the sound of flowing water and the occasional splash of a paddle. Then, as you round a bend, the quiet gives way to laughter. Canoes drift together. Someone starts a story everyone has heard before, and no one minds hearing it again.
For the Ezelle family, this stretch of water in Stone County has been the setting for Father’s Day coming on 50 years.
Where It All Started
The tradition began with a simple idea.
Andrew Ezelle’s father, Duwayne Ezelle, swapped a hard-to-navigate johnboat for a canoe and invited a couple of friends and their sons to spend a few days on Red Creek. They launched at Perk Beach and made their way downstream, camping along the way.
That first trip had its share of missteps. They ran out of daylight, ended up on a muddy bank and had to be pulled to a better sandbar. Still, something about the creek stuck.
“The sandbars were white, the water was clear,” Andrew said. “We just kept going back.”
Over time, the group grew. Friends invited friends. Brothers-in-law joined. Some came once and never missed another year. Today, dozens have been part of the trip, including all eight of Duwayne’s grandchildren, with a core group that returns each summer.
A Tradition That Builds Over Time
For Hunter Ezelle, Andrew’s son, the trip was something he watched for years before joining.
“As a kid, you always knew it was coming,” he said. “They’d leave for a few days and come back, and it felt like they’d been gone forever.”
The rhythm of the trip has stayed mostly the same. The group camps midweek, paddles for long stretches and settles onto a final sandbar that becomes home base through the weekend. Meals are cooked over open fires. Nights stretch late with stories and laughter. Some of those stories have been told so many times that only the punchline is needed.
The Details That Make It Theirs
Every tradition develops its own personality. On Red Creek, that includes a few rituals that have stood the test of time. Saturday brings the washer pitching tournament, where ring tossing becomes a fierce competition. Teams are drawn at random, and the competition takes over the sandbar. The most coveted of prizes became specially carved walking sticks that bring with them eternal bragging rights.
Hunter still talks about winning on his first year.
“Me and my brother, Chase, got paired together, you couldn’t have picked a better team, and we won,” he said. “There are guys who’ve been going for decades that have never won one. It sounds silly, but that win still means a lot to me.”
Other moments are less structured but just as important. Circling up in the water to pass around a drink. Cooking meals that go well beyond what most people expect on a riverbank. Waking up covered in sand after a long night around the fire.
More Than a Trip
Some memories carry more weight.
One year, the family of a longtime member brought his ashes to the creek. He had been part of the trip for years and was known for carving the walking sticks once given to tournament winners. They spread his ashes in the water where the group begins its journey.
“The way they talked about him, this trip was a big part of his life,” Hunter said.
It’s easy to understand why. Red Creek winds through stretches of land where development never reached. There are no houses in sight in some areas: just trees, water and whatever wildlife happens to pass through. Around the next bend, anything can happen.
“You just never know what you’re going to see,” Andrew said.
Why They Keep Coming Back
After five decades, the reason to keep coming back feels simple.
“It’s something to look forward to,” Andrew said. “Just getting away with a group of guys that like the same things. Being out there. Getting away from it all.”
For Hunter, the trip has taken on new meaning over time.
“It’s a reset,” he said. “You’re out there for a few days, and everything else just fades out.”
Some participants now even travel from across the country just to be part of it. Some drive for hours. Others fly in. They show up because they were invited once, and the invitation never really expired.
Planning Your Own Red Creek Trip
While the Ezelle extended family may have their own trip down pat, Red Creek is open to anyone willing to paddle.
Many trips begin near City Bridge or Highway 49, depending on how long you want to be on the water. Whether you opt for a canoe or kayak, the current is steady, which makes for an easy float when conditions are right. Sandbars offer spots to stop, eat or camp. Just plan ahead, check water levels, bring the right gear and give yourself more time than you think you need.
Most of all, go with people you enjoy being around.
A Place to Come Back To
Fifty years in, some of the details may have changed. The gear is better. The group is bigger. But the reason they return has always stayed the same.
It’s the moment when the boats drift together, someone starts a familiar story and everyone leans in anyway. The tasty eats, the late night stories, the kind of experience that only comes once a year.
If you’re ready to plan your own time on the water, you can find maps, guides and local insights through Explore Stone County.
Bring a paddle. Bring your people. The rest tends to fall into place.