Hello! I am a Park Ranger and I have the amzing situation of floating this river as part of my job. Recently I was leading an organized float with jray131 and reminiscing about an old geocache that used to be along this river. I had been working on it when it was archived due to flood damage and I never got to complete it. I was talking with jray131 about how it would be fun to make another cache and somehow figure out how to keep it from being damaged by the constant floods. Well, I came up with the idea to make all the waypoints out of something that would (hopefully) never be damaged by the water levels and here we are!
Special note #1 - be aware of the coordinates of the waypoints. If you get too far beyond them, your viewpoint may change and your answer may not be correct.
Special note #2 - if you do not have access to a canoe/kayak or someone who has extras to borrow, feel free to contact me. I lead several organized floats on this stretch of the river throughout the year and can give you information on how to get in on one of them.
Safety considerations - the Meramec is a very deceptive river. PLEASE DO NOT SWIM IN THIS RIVER. It looks calm and nice on the surface, but underneath there are random eddys, whirlpools, debris and snags that can pull you under. Many people have drowned in this river.
Please make sure you have your life jacket and take all safety precautions when floating the river.
NEVER float the river when it is flooding. I have been on this river when the levels are quite low -- between -1 and -3 feet. When it gets down to -3 feet, it gets a bit challenging with all the debris that breaks the surface. -1 is actually quite nice to float. You can check the river levels here:
Meramec River levels - Valley Park
When you have all your waypoint information, here is the formula for the final coordinates:
North (N)(K) ((G+H)/S) (T/O). (((B+1)+E)/N) (A+R-M) (C+X-A)
West (P)(D) ((U+W)/(B+1)) (((K*L)/X)-U). (P+E-T) ((L+S+X)/H) ((I*V)/J)
Check your answers here - GeoChecker