Recently I had the tremendous please to take Dennis Collette, Chris Hayden and James McLaren on a three day/two night kayaking adventure on the Roanoke River. As usual, I was nervous before this adventure began. Maybe that is because of the fact that I put so much emphasis on the small details of each adventure. I want to make this special for the guys. And did it turn out special.
The first evening on the river we stayed at the Williamston River Platform, just about a mile from downtown Williamston. This was a very nice shelter on the river and I would recommend this to anyone. The shelters and river platforms on the Roanoke River are operated by the Roanoke River Partners. You pay a modest fee to stay at these locations, but they are very nice and perfect for an overnight camping location while kayaking.
After dinner we were treated to a tour of Williamston and Fort Branch, by none other than our shuttle driver, Heber Coltrain, owner of Roanoke Outdoor Adventures. Fort Branch sits high up on the bluffs of the Roanoke River just outside of Williamston. This was a Civil War era fort that protected the upper reached of the Roanoke River. We learned that the fort was abandoned before the area was occupied by the Union Solders and the cannon were rolled down the bluff into the river to keep them out of the Union hands. What a fascinating evening. Heber toured us around the area and told us all kinds of stories about the local history. It was truly a nice treat.
The next day we spent kayaking to our next night campsite at Beaver Tail Lodge. We started on the Roanoke River and then went down what is known as the Devils Gut. As we paddled, you got a sense that we were there all along in this swampy wilderness. The sense or remoteness was great and if it were not for the occasional plane flying over, you would have believe we were hundreds of miles away from civilization. The trees were beautiful as they hung over the river and the river was swift in places. Occasionally we would catch sight of a white egret or a great blue heron.
We made it to our wonderful platform for the night. It was nestled in the back of a beautiful stand of bald cypress trees. The river was high and so the platforms had water all around them. It was a unique feeling to be camping up about 2 feet from the level of the swamp. But oh want an evening we had and the sunset was simply breath taking. The owls were out in full force, calling to one another. What a wonderful way to end the day of kayak.
The last morning was cool and after a nice warm cup of coffee and some fantastic pancakes, it time to begin our journey home and find out way out of the beautiful swamp. As we got ready to leave our platform, Chris, who had been reciting poetry each morning for us as be began, had one last poem to read to us. It was “IF” by Rudyard Kipling. For me, it was a perfect way to begin the last day of adventure. As Chris read this poem to the three of us that morning, I was reminded about how the wilderness adventures I have had as a teen had shaped me. The time I had spent exploring God’s Creation had changed me and helped shape me into the man I am today. Time in the wilderness has, as Kipling says in the opening line had helped me to “keep my head as those around me were losing theirs.” Thanks Chris for the reminder.
One last thing, after we got back from our adventure, our poet on this adventure wrote this poem. I want to share it with you.
Mahanaim Magic
If you’ve been stressed or tired or down
In thought or word or deed
A Mahanaim Adventure, friend,
Is what you chiefly need.
Launch your kayak on a wild, pure river—
A river that’s calling to you,
Calling you back to your childhood dreams:
“To thine own self be true.”
Let the gentle Spring-time breeze
Caress your worried brow,
As you glide through ancient forests clad
In beauty’s Eternal Now!
Behold the giant cypress breathes
“Lifting its arms to pray”
With Spanish Moss and Mistletoe
To bless you on your way.
The giant Snowy Egret glides
Weaving among the trees
With sunlight flashing off its wings
Your wondrous eyes to please.
Late afternoon you’re feeling tired,
Your arms they sweetly ache;
But jewel-fire’s dancing off the waves
To keep you full awake.
On a secluded river platform
‘Neath a toweringTupelotree
You pause to rest, to eat, to sleep
With a goodly company.
Softly the moon is rising now
Glimmering through the wood;
An owl is hooting hauntingly
The Heavenly haunt feels good!
Your sleep is long and sweet and deep,
You dreams with peace adorn.
A blessed and a wiser soul
You rise the morrow morn.
By Chris Hayden
Mahanaim Adventure provides guided kayaking, backpacking and camping adventures to families, group of individuals. We are based in the Wilmington NC area and provide these adventures, not just in the Cape Fear region, but all over the southeast United States. The next time you are looking for an kayaking adventure contact us.
Just recently I spent several days guiding several different groups of kayakers through the Three Sisters Swamp on the Black River. No matter how many times I find myself guiding an adventure through this magnificent place, I always see something different that I had never seen before. Maybe that is because it is a swamp in constant change, maybe it is because the water level is always changing in the swamp or maybe because you never take the exactly the same route though. No matter what the cause is, I see something new each time.
As I think about the last three adventures through the swamp, the big difference may have been the weather conditions on each day we were there. We experienced one day that was quite warm for late March, the next time it was a typical cloudy and rainy day for a late March and the last was a very cool day for an early April. For those of you who live in the Wilmington, NC area you know what I mean by the big swings in spring weather we can experience here.
One of the days was warm and we found the swamp teaming with activity. Birds darting from one old cypress tree to the next, spiders busy creating webs to catch the many bugs they were hope to catch for their next meal. We heard several great blue herons screeching as we drifted by and even heard a beaver slapping his big tail on the water to alert all others in the area to our presence in the swamp.
The next time I was in the swamp was an overcast and rainy day. What a unique way to experience on out North Carolina’s wonder and these 2000 year old bald cypress trees. That day the swamp seemed to take on a eerie feel and a since of quite. I guess all of the normal activities of the swamp animals were stopped in anticipation of the pending rain. We saw little activity that day as compared to the bright sunny days. I found myself wondering what it would be like to explore this beautiful swamp by moon light, may I will try that one day.
The last time I was there I was with a small family of three. It was a cooler day than normal for early spring, but oh how beautiful it was; the bright blue sky and no clouds we wonderful. On this day, there was little bug activity, but the birds were flittering all over the place. Some of these birds almost seem to stop and look at us, almost wondering why we were there. I’m not a bird expert, but we saw some of the most colorful birds that day.
At the end of that last adventure as I was driving home that day, I found myself thinking about how special the Three Sisters Swamp is to me and those who explore this area. Its beauty and remoteness is awe inspiring, drawing each of us to a place of gratitude. One common thing that I hear from all who dare to get out of their comfort zone and explore the Three Sister is Wow! I think this is the same for many who join me on this adventure. It is not just the adventure, but the desire to embrace something bigger than they are. Those who come to this place all come away with a since of just how small we truly are and the awesomeness of God’s creation. Also no matter how often I find myself there, I find myself feeling this same way and with a since of gratefulness at the privilege to guide others thought this beautiful place.
Why do some people consider it unthinkable to spend time in the outdoors during colder months? Yea, it can be cold, but don’t let that stop you for enjoying outdoor adventures when the thermometer drops below 45 degrees? Consider the reverse of that situation; when that thermometer rises to high 90’s during the summer? There is not much keeping people from heading out to a mountain lake and enjoy some camping and other outdoor adventure. What about the people who head to the beach with all those other tourist? During the summer months, it is almost impossible to get a last minute camping site at your favorite camp site at Carolina Beach State Park. Yet in the colder months, you get your choice of site and if you are lucky, there are no more than a half dozen sites filled in the whole campground.
I think part of the reason is a fear of the cold and not knowing how to deal with it. I hear from people who worry that their children will get sick if they camp outside during the colder months. Granted, I’m sure this can plays a role in how we get sick, but we are probably just as likely to get sick by being cooped up inside all winter also. As a parent of three kids, my wonderful wife and I wondered the same when our kids were smaller. I also must admit that it is harder to winter camping, but the rewards and memories have been priceless.
Over this past Thanksgiving Holiday’s our family went camping once again. Each morning, it was in the upper 30’s at Carolina Beach State Park, and then warmed up into the higher 50’s on Thanksgiving Day. So in my opinion the temperatures were just perfect. Yet, we were prepared and knew what to expect in the way of weather for this adventure.
So you ask; how to you prepare for cold weather camping? Well here are a few important tips that will help you when you want to attempt to try a colder weather camping expedition.
The first tip is to make sure that you layer you clothing when you go out. Layering is the best way to stay warm as the temps cool off at night. It is also important to properly layer so that as the temps change throughout your cold weather adventures, you can adjust your layers for comfort. More layers as it cools down and fewer layers as it warms up. Remember, layering allows you to control your warmth level by adjusting your clothing. Another important fact is that you can also have too many layers on. You can get warm quickly by properly layering but you can also get over heated quickly. Why over heated? Because with too many layers you will begin to sweat and once you start sweating, your clothing gets wet. With these damp or wet clothing from sweat, as the temps drop you will get colder. If you have a full day of activities planned, you may want to change clothing, getting out of the damp sweaty clothing.
Another part of layering is to stay away from cotton clothing in the winter months. Why? Because cotton dose not wick away your sweat, causing your clothing to remain damp. So when you are packing make sure you pack plenty of clothing that will keep you dry. Clothing made out of quick dry nylons, polypropylene, suplex, polar fleece, wool, thermax and other materials are great for layering.
When getting in your sleeping bags at night, also remember the layering principle. On cold weather adventures with my scouts, often I hear the next morning that a scout was cold. When asked what he wore to bed, I get this layer and that layer of clothing, or the clothing I wore yesterday. WRONG answer. The same layering principle applies when sleeping. First, find out what your sleeping bag is rated for. A 30 degree bag is designed to keep a person warm down to 30 degrees. The problem is that too often what happened is people will have two layers on and then get into their bag and get warm quickly. In the middle of the night the bag gets damp from the sweat and you get cold. In most instances a single layer of dry clothing or long underwear worn in the bag is just fine.
One last thing, dry socks are critical to saying warm. Don’t make the mistake of wearing the same socks you had on that evening in your shoes to bed. These socks are damp and your feet will get cold. We teach our scouts to take off their socks, dry their feet and place on dry socks. When you do this, you will be surprised how warm your feet stay.
The second important item to have is a good sleeping pad. A good sleeping pad between you and the ground is critical. You can have a 5 degree bag and still get cold without insulation between you and the ground. A good closed cell pad or a Therm-a-Rest type backpacking pad are great to use. If you don’t have one of those, you can use wool blankets or even several comforters from you linen closet at home will also work. The key here is getting a good layer of insulation between you and the ground. One last thing about standard air mattresses, they do not insulate you against the cold from the ground. These types of mattresses will allow the air in them to get cold, creating cold mattress for you to sleep on.
Third thing to have is a pair of warm gloves and a warm hat to wear. I typically carry two winter type hats to wear, one for the day’s activities and one to wear at night, even while sleeping. Enough said.
Lastly is a warm fire and warm drink. Having a nice warm cup of hot tea or hot cocoa by the fire at night is warming and cozy. The added benefit is that the fire is something special at camp that no camping adventure is complete without. You don’t have to have a huge bonfire to keep warm, but plan accordingly. Remember don’t let your fire burn unattended in camp, even when you head to the tents for sleep.
Check out Campmor.com for all your family camping gear, click here for a Campmor coupon.
So, are you ready to give a Family Camping Adventure a try in the colder months? If so contact Mahanaim Adventure and we can help you have a fantastic and safe cold weather camping adventures!
Every since my family and I moved to Wilmington, I have always wanted to kayak through Eagle Island. Eagle Island, where is Eagle Island? You know, it is that island that hundreds of us drive over at least once or twice a week, coming to or leaving Wilmington. This island has always intrigued me and I could not help but wonder what one would find as you paddle through this island. What I found out is that it seems that everyone I talked with about Eagle Island had the same desire, to go and explore it. I also found that most people had little knowledge about who owned the property and how get access to the island without having to leave busy Dram Tree Park kayak launch at the foot of the Cape Fear Bridge.
So why the intrigue of kayak through this island that seems to be nothing more than tidal marsh land that has very few trees? Maybe because it is there mentality; perhaps it may be the thought of kayaking under Hwy 17/74/76 bridge to watch all the cars and truck pass over as you lazily paddle by; or it may because you hope to see one of the large alligators rumored to be one the rivers in the island. I can say that for me it was some of all three of these reasons, plus the thought of kayaking in some place that I have never been before that I liked.
Kayaking under the US 17/74/76 bridge on Eagle Island
Several weeks ago James Maclaren, a kayaking buddy, and I decided to head out and explore Eagle Island. It is sad to say that we had kayaked for many years in this area, but never taken the time to really explore Eagle Island. So we headed out for our day of discovery, it some ways we both felt like Lewis & Clark’s Corp of Discovery. What we found was simply amazing.
We began by putting our kayaks in at Sturgeon Creek and making our way down to the Brunswick River. Once at the river, we turned south to make our way across the channel to northern entrance to Alligator River. The Alligator River is one of the few navigable entrance points into the island. It was not long before we were lost in the natural beauty of the island. Soon we began to see this island for what it was, a natural wonder and a gem. It was hard to believe that such beauty could be a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Wilmington. We saw firsthand what Eagle Island had to offer; great opportunities to view wildlife in their natural habitat, too explore marsh land that for the most part remained untouched for the last 100 years or so; and a cool location.
James and I spent the next 3 hours paddling the island and exploring every channel and ditch that we found. The thing that amazed the two of us was that it was so quiet and the amount of wildlife we saw. For being so close to Wilmington, it was amazing how quite it was. I found myself lost in my thoughts of what it was like when the first settlers came to this reason and explored this island. How had the island changed or better yet, what would I find around the next bend? Already this morning we had paddled up on several smaller alligators. The only thing we saw was a quick glimpse of them scurrying away as we paddled around the bend.
The northern end of Eagle Island
I was also amazed at the large size of the tree stumps found in and along the river and channels that we paddled. These stumps were enormous in size. Several of them those stumps were nearly as wide as my kayak was long. Another amazing sight we drifted along was the all the fiddler and marsh crabs we saw. There is nothing special about these kinds of crabs in this area, but these crabs were huge!
As for other wildlife, on different adventures since that day though the Eagle Island; I encountered great blue herons, osprey, egrets, groups of wild ducks on the northern end of the island, and much more. However on this day, we did not see any birds, maybe that was because the wind was up that morning.
The highlight of the trip was kayaking under the two bridges of US 17/74/76 on Alligator River. It was so cool to slowly drift under the bridges and listen to the traffic above. I could not help but wonder what the people who caught a glimpse of us were thinking. “That should be me out there kayaking” or maybe “Do they know there are alligators in there?” To answer that last questions, yes we knew there were gators in there. Just south of the bridges is where we had our encounter with three rather large gators.
Over the past year leading kayaking trips in and around this area, I have come to understand that most people have some weird beliefs about alligators. The first belief is that if you fall in the water, every alligator within a mile will jump in the water and swim to your spot and eat you! I guess they get this idea from watching Tarzan movies when they were kids. Anyway, while knowing alligators have been known to attach humans, I have never seen this before. I grew up canoeing in Central Florida Rivers and lakes and I can say that most of these rivers were infested with lots of alligators. It has been my experiences that in about 95% of the time, the gators would rather leave you alone and simply disappear below the water. And that is what happened this day. As soon as these gators saw us, they slipped in to the water and were gone. Shucks, I was hoping to get some photos of one of those big alligators.
James as we paddle in Eagles Island
We made our way thought our last section of Eagle Island without seeing another gator. We found our way back into the Brunswick River. Just across the way from where we exited the island was our landing spot at the at the Brunswick River Park on State Road 133 in Bellville. As we came up on our take out spot James and I were reflecting on our adventure that day. Both of us felt really blessed to have been out that day on such a great place.
If you are interested in exploring Eagle Island for yourself, contact us at Mahanaim Adventures and book your adventure for your family, friends or group. You can also find more information about the history and current conservation efforts to preserve Eagle Island at the https://www.eaglesisland.org
As I sit down and begin to write this blog about my recent experience taking a group of soldiers from the Wounded Warrior Project kayaking; there are many things going through my mind. The first though that goes through my mind is an extreme gratefulness that I feel for these young men and women that serve in our military. The sacrifices that they make each day to serve are more than what I think most of us not military members realize. I am reminded of when I got a firsthand glimpse of this gratitude, when my son-in-law was deployed in Afghanistan for 11 months. My oldest daughter is married to a Marine and she stayed with us during the time he was deployed. I would watch her stop dead in her tracks, listening to the evening news about another US Marine being killed in combat. She never said anything, but you could see it in her eyes, “what if it was Josh?” The sacrifices these men and women make for our freedom is untold, and not just them, but those that they love.
So I want to say a huge “Thank You!” to each of these guys who went with me and all the others who have served. Also, a big thank you to Josh Coalson, my son-in-law, who is a Corporal in the US Marines.
This day began at 11:00 AM, when a large white van from Fort Bragg pulled into the parking lot at Gordon Lewis Wildlife River Launch. All of a sudden a group of men and one woman piled out of the van. They were full of energy and excited about not having to do some sort of training the rest of the guys were doing back a base. I also heard some good rock-in-roll music pouring out of the van. I remember thinking at that time; this was going to be a fun trip.
After a few minutes of instruction and prepping the kayaks for the guys and we were off on Town Creek / Rice Creek for our adventure. It did take long before these guys were splashing each other or challenging someone to a kayak race. This is one of the great pleasures I have co-owning Mahanaim Adventures with my wife, watching people having fun in a wilderness setting. To see these guys relax and have fun was rewarding. Soon, I rounded one of the bends in the river to find several of the solders bouncing on a submerged log in the middle of the creek. I could only wonder what the family on the pontoon boat was thinking when they went by. The mother on the boat asked me as they went by, if they knew there were alligators in the area. I told her yes, and that some of them wanted to wrestle one of those gators. I think I even heard one of them bet another that they could win in the wrestling match.
Soon we came to our lunch spot. Today we were stopping over at one of the three Cape Fear River Watch camps on Town Creek. As soon as we were there, the guys were out swimming in the creek have the time of their lives. One of the guys, was floating around in the creek, slowly bringing in his kayak to shore. This was just what some of the other guys needed. Out they swam and swamped his kayak. It was great to see them trying to climb back into the kayak. Now, if there was only a tire swing over the river! That is the only thing missing to make this moment more fun.
Soon we were finished eating lunch and back on the creek headed back to the launch area. I hung back and started talking to the Army Chaplin who was responsible for the spiritual care of these men. Jeff is a man with a passion for God and the men he has been entrusted to care for in some difficult situations. Jeff told me about their last deployment and the extreme difficult situation they were in. After listening to Jeff, I came to understand more about what a “Wounded Warrior” was. It must extremely difficult to see so many of your buddies hurt and even die in the call of duty.
After about 15 minutes paddling with Jeff, I noticed a bunch of splashing in the water ahead of me. I told Jeff that I needed to go investigate and make sure all was OK. Normally on my ordinary kayaking adventure when I see someone splashing in the water, someone has capsized their kayak and was trying desperately to get out of the water. Not this time, these guys were jumping out of the kayak and challenging each other to grab a hand full of sand from the bottom of the creek! To be honest, it was more a hand of muck instead of sand. Who cares, I didn’t have to worry; these guys were having fun and knew how to get in and out of their boats without any help from me. I guess it is all about prospective, what other may seem to be a bad situation, is not so bad after you have had bullets flying at you.
All too quickly my time with these fantastic guys was over. Soon we were back at the river launch site, all my kayaks were loaded onto the trailer by the solders I was there to serve. I am glad that I had this chance to take these solders on a fun day of kayaking in the wilderness of Town Creek. I am glad that I could give them a fun and relaxing time, lazily kayaking in the sun and warmth of the North Carolina sun. I hope that they will have some fond memories of this day that will help them remember the simpler things in life when the stress of being a warrior comes charging back at them.
You may be wondering what he is up to now from the title of this blog posting. Well last fall as we were beginning to lay the foundation for Mahanaim Adventures, I had heard about people taking a sunset, moonlight kayaking trips. I had never done this before, so I figured what the heck, it sounds like fun and I want to try that. So one evening I tossed my kayak up on top of my suburban and headed over to Town Creek.
After about a 20 minute drive from my house, I found myself standing at the river launch, watching some fishermen pull their boat onto their trailer. I could only imagine what they were thinking when I carried my kayak to the water and started gathering my gear to head out. By the looks on their faces, I think that they thought I must have a screw loose. That didn’t matter; I knew what I was doing, and what could be wrong with kayaking with a full moon over your shoulder anyway? Sounds romantic I guess. Even if it does sound romantic, I could not talk Diane (my Bride of 28 years) in joining me. However, my goal for this evening was to paddle the 3 miles to a campground on Town Creek and pull out for a little while and wait for the moon to rise. Once the moon was up, I was going get back on the water and find my way back up stream to the launch site by the light of the full moon.
Once out of the Town Creek, the evening was quite nice. The wind had died down and was not blowing as hard as it was earlier that day. The sun was going down behind the large cypress and black gum trees that lined the banks of the creek, casting long shadows on the water. I quickly discovered that I was the only person on the creek that evening, go figure. Yet I was not quite alone. If you have spent any time out in the wilderness, you know that just before dusk the forest comes alive with all kinds of sights and sounds. I discovered it was no different kayaking on a creek.
As I was paddling downstream, I followed a group of three Great Blue Herons. These birds are tall wading birds that can stand as high as 4 feet tall. These 3 birds would take off as I got close to them and fly about 150 to 200 yards down the creek and then land. Once I got back up to them, they would do the same thing once again. This went on for about a mile. These birds are big and surprisingly graceful in flight. I also saw a number of wild ducks and king fisher’s along with a few other egrets on this evening. It is amazing how close some of these birds will let you get to them if you just be still and let the current move you along.
After about an hour of paddling, I was at the campsite and pulled off the creek for a short break. By this time the sun had fully gone down and the forest was really coming alive. I sat on a concrete block that I found next to the landing and pulled out my water bottle and a snack that I had brought along. The evening was cooling off nicely and the mosquitoes were coming out in full force. Just my luck, I had forgotten to put my insect repellent in the dry bag before I left. Darn, I guess I would have to swat some mosquitoes for a while, not the first time I have had to do this.
As I waited on the moon to raise high enough over the creek, I began to hear the sound of an owl. It was not too far off from me by the sound of it. I have always enjoyed listening to the sound of owls at night. The seemingly lonely sounds, echoing through the forest is quite soothing to me. I remember one family camping trip as a kid, my brother Chris and I were asleep in our tent when a screech owl started do what they do best, screeching! It scared my brother and I half to death, it was not funny then, but it is now.
Soon I began to hear a second owl some distance off calling back to the one close by me. It was really cool just to sit back and listen to them calling back and forth. I could only wonder what they were saying to each other.
Soon the moon was up and it was time to head back to the launch site. I have to be a bit honest here, at first it was a bit weird kayaking on the water at night by myself. But I knew where I was at and all the binds in the creek, so I was ok. Besides, there were some lights off in the distance marking the spot where a few cabins were located along this part of the creek. Once I was past those lights, the darkness began to creep in all around me. Yet, I had the moon to light up the way.
I was very surprised how bright it is on the creek when the moon is full and high enough to light the creek. It was bright enough for me to paddle without my head lamp or the bow light that I had on the front of my kayak. What is really interesting was the bats that were flying above the river this evening. There were literally hundreds of bats this evening flying around dining on all the bugs that were flying around. Maybe the bugs were attracted to the lights that I had on the kayak, or maybe it was the open space. No matter the reason, it was cool and some bats were flying really close. Glad they have great navigational skills and could sense that I was there in my boat.
The only thing that scared me this evening was when fish started jumping around me. Consider paddling quietly up the creek, watching all the bats fly by and all of a sudden, you here a unexpected big splash next to you. Then there would be another. As it turns out, it was the fish in the river feeding on the bugs that were landing on the water around me. I got splashed once by a rather large fish. I could not help think that I should have brought a net or at least a fishing pole with me.
It was about 9:00 pm when I made it back to my launch site where I had put in several hours earlier. The moon was high in the sky and the evening had cooled off nicely. This moonlight kayaking trip confirmed my thoughts that this would be a fun trip to offer our customers and would be very enjoyable. It would also be adventurous.
If you are reading this blog and want to find out more about how you can schedule a moonlight kayaking adventure for yourself, let me know. I have several locations that you could enjoy a nice kayaking trip by the moonlight.
How do I begin to describe my most recent multi day adventure on the Suwannee River in North Florida? As a teenager in growing up in Boy Scout Troop 99 (Brandon, FL), our annual Suwannee River canoe trips were legendary. The last day of school for the year was traditionally a half day event, so the moment we got out of school, out scout troop headed out to High Springs, Florida for our annual 5 day canoe trip. We would cover at least 50 miles in order to earn the coveted BSA 50 Miler Award. Most of the times, we would paddle about 70 miles on the Santa Fe & Suwannee River’s. What fun, what adventures we had. I remember Danny Williams putting the largest dead cottonmouth water moccasin I had ever seen by his father gear. Wow, I will never forget how mad Mr. Williams was about that. We all thought it was funny, but dared not to laugh at Danny, because we all had a part in that one.
So, as I leave my home in Wilmington, NC, headed to White Springs. FL, I could not help but recall all of the fun times I had as a kid. I guess it was on trips like those I took as a kid, that helped cultivate my love for the outdoors and my passion for adventure. I hoped that this trip would be just as memorable as that of my youth, but from a grown man’s prospective.
After a day full of traveling nightmares, I made it to where Jim Sowell was camping at. Jim was to be my kayaking partner for this adventure. Jim and I have shared many backpacking adventures together when I lived in the Atlanta, but this was our first kayaking adventure together. So I felt confident that we could handle anything that we came up against. It was also good to catch up with each other. It had been over 10 years since our last backpacking trip. We have both changed (both of us have more gray hair that I would like to admit), our families have grown or almost grown and now we were both looking more changes in the future. We sat by the fire in camp that first night remembering all the fun we and our families together camping all over North Georgia.
The next morning begin early enough with us shuttling my suburban to Suwannee River State Park. If all went well, we would be taking out there on the third day, some 45 miles downriver. After getting back to our launch site, we fetched our kayaks and gear out of the woods (we stashed them there while we were moving the vehicles). Now then began the task of packing our kayaks with three days worth of gear and food. We did not know what quite to expect, but I had more gear than I really needed, but I would rather be safe. And heck, the kayak was carrying all this gear, not me. After about 30 minutes of packing and repacking, we were set to hit this water. After a quick picture to commemorate the moment, we pushed off the sandbar, pointed out boats downstream and with one stroke of our paddles; we were on our grand adventures.
How beautiful a day it was this early November morning on the Suwannee River. The river was low due to the continuing drought in South Georgia and North Florida. We spent the first few miles pushing or pulling our kayak across shallow sandbars. This was beginning to become annoying, getting out of the boat to pull it across a 5 to 10 foot section to shallow to paddle across, and then getting back in the boat only to do it again several minutes later. It seemed that we were in the shallowest part of the Suwannee River, at every turn the deep channels would just give out and spread out to be only inches deep. Yet, despite the work getting over the sandbars, there was something very relaxing and peaceful about being in the wilderness. The warm sun, the warm water and the birds chirping and singing made our effort seem like no problem at all.
Jim at our stopping point on the first day.
After about two hours of constant paddling and pulling, we found a nice spot for lunch. The river had started to get somewhat deeper here, but narrower also. Jetting out into the river was a bunch of sharp and large boulders. Jim and I talked about what kind of rocks they were, because of their unusual straight and sharp edges. To be honest, the rock looked similar to flint rock that Indians use to make arrow heads. Anyway, if the water would have been high, this section of the river would have been fun to paddle due to the rough water caused by these boulders. Anyway, it was a great place for lunch.
After our trail lunch, we were back on the river enjoying the deeper water of the river. Here in North Florida, the Suwannee River has two unusual features, not typical to most of Florida. First is the large number of limestone bluff along the river. The river seems to have cut its way through a large amount of limestone in places. Some of these bluffs are as high as 40 feet about the river. The trees that grow along these bluffs have root structures that can be seen in the crack and crevices of these bluffs. Many of these trees would lean way over the river creating a canopy of shade to kayak under. Along these bluffs, the river usually very deep, allowing for many of these trees to have a rope swing in them. I could only wonder how much fun was had swinging or jumping from these trees into a deep pool of water on hot summer days.
The other feature of this section of the river was the numerous sandbars. There was no shortage of camping spots on the river. The sandbars would rise out of the water and where as powdery white as powdered sugar. Later that day we would find a great sandbar to camp on for our first night on the river.
One of the many sandbars along the Suwannee River
Later on that afternoon, we came upon two kayaks and a canoe, paddling down the river. These folks were from Dahlonega, GA, a place that Jim and I were quite familiar with. The interesting thing is the amount of equipment they had with them and how small the two kayaks were. I felt we had to much gear, but we were going ultra light compared to the group. They had two ocean type, sit on top kayaks loaded down with more gear than they could carry. The canoe looked like it was carrying the kitchen sink plus some dining room furniture. By the looks of the gear they had, we thought they were headed all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. But they weren’t as we found out when we passed by. I bet they had fun pulling across all these sandbars we crossed earlier that morning.
After about 11 miles of paddling, we decided it was time to pull off and camp for the night. We found the perfect sandbar overlooking the river. What made this place even cooler was just up on the ridge above the river was the Florida Trail. The Florida Trails is Florida’s own version of the Appalachian Trail. Anyway, Jim and I set up camp on this nice sandbar and began looking for fire wood for our evening campfire. As evening fell, we sat on the beach cooking our dinners, reflecting on the day’s events and the fun we had, all the while watching the peaceful river flowing by. The sun was setting to our west and all the night creatures beginning to stir. Soon we were hearing owls in the woods calling each other. What a wonderful sound to hear the hooting of owls at night.
As the evening was falling quickly, Jim decided it was time to build our fire. So, I began breaking up the sticks and other pieces of wood that we gathered earlier for the fire. Jim went to his tent and came back with a flint and steal kit. Jim was determined to start our fire the old fashion way. After a few minutes of me watching and giving him a hard time about it, he got the fire going. Then I promptly squelched the fire with too much wood. So Jim went back at it once again and quickly got the fire going again. This time I was a bit more careful with the amount of wood I placed on the fire. What a nice evening. We watched our fire while sitting on this beautiful white sand beach; listening to the owls in the back ground and sharing stories of adventures from our past. I even believe there were a few stories that included another hiking buddy, Don Hamlin. Don was suppose to come, but had recently changed jobs and could not get off. I told him he should quite any way and come with us.
Jim started this fire the old fashion way with flint and steal
The next morning came early. We were up at the crack of dawn gathering our gear and eating some breakfast, soaking in one last moment at this beautiful camp site. We got on the river at 8:30 am, knowing that we had about 18 miles to paddle that day to our next camp site, so we got an early start. As we got going, we were pleasantly surprise with how warm the day was becoming. At times it became almost downright hot. The river was not any wider than the day before, but it was much deeper and we were able to spot the deeper water and stayed out of the shallow water for most of the day.
Today was the day for spotting wildlife along the river. About an hour into the trip this morning, we saw three does standing on the left side of the river bank, trying to decide if they wanted to cross the river. Jim and I just floated for a few minutes and watched them. When we got close to them, they turned and ran back into the woods on the left. A bit later we saw about a 4 foot alligator sitting on the limestone rock outcropping along the river back. The gator just sat there watching us, almost like we were nothing to him. After lunch, we saw three nice size bucks trying to cross the river. Two of them were standing in the river when we rounded the bend. The lead buck kept walking across the river to the other side, while the second one could not decide what to do. Eventually the second buck went back to the shore where he came from and joined a larger 8 point buck. The two of them were quickly gone. Later this evening after dinner, Jim and I were walking on the Florida Trail and came up on about a dozen wild turkey about 15 feet from us. This is the first time I have ever gotten this close to these beautiful birds in the wild. Normally when I see turkey, it is a quick glimpse as they are running the other direction.
This day was full of other adventures than just seeing lots of wildlife. We stopped at Suwannee Spring State Park for a quick look at the old sulfur springs and bath house. This area was apparently a happening place in the late 1800 and early 1900. The natural sulfur springs were a draw for tourist for the healings power of the water. At one time there were three large hotels and a nice size bath house that dammed up the water into a big tub like structure, creating an open bath house. The sign at the springs said that the waters were believed to have healing qualities that could cure illness from “Gout to many marital issues”. So Jim and deicide to take a large sip of water just to see!
You could smell the sulfur spring flowing out to this old structure.
About a mile down river we stopped for lunch at the Suwannee River Canoe Outfitters launch. We got out and explored the area. The outfitter was closed so we took the liberty to fill up our water bottles and eat lunch on their beach. But there was one employee of the outfitters that showed up and joined us for lunch. One of the outfitters cats came down to make sure we were behaving ourselves. This was the friendliest cat I have even seen. He would not leave Jim or I alone. We gave him a few scraps of our lunch and that seemed to make him happy for the moment.
After about 40 minute stop, we got back on the river for the last 7 miles of our trip for the day. We had covered 11 miles that morning before lunch without paddling that hard. The last 7 miles were quite and uneventful. We made it to camp at 3:30 that afternoon. 7 hours of kayaking covering 18 miles including several stops, not bad. But I believe my back side was starting to form to the kayak seat in my boat.
Our camp this night was Holton Creek River Camp and what a camp it was. Holton Creek is one of five paddle-in river camps designed for kayak and canoe camping. These campsites are managed by the state park system and are very well kept and from what I hear, very popular. At Holton Creek there were 6 screened in shelters for uses. The shelters included a nice fire ring and a picnic table. There were also nice bathrooms with showers and a large cover shelter for eating and cooking. There was even running water and electricity if it were ever needed. WOW! This place was nice.
Our camping site for the second night on the river.
Good thing that we stayed that night in the shelter, because sometime in the middle of the night, it began to rain and rain hard. A night like this makes a camper glad to have a solid roof over their heads. The next morning when we got up, it had stopped raining, but looked like it could start again at any time. Jim and I considered our options and decided it was best to get an early start and try to get as far as possible before the rain came back. So after a quick breakfast we were back on the river paddling our way to our take out point.
After about an hour of paddling we came upon a nice spring and camping spot on the right side of the river. We decided to pull over and to take a look in case we were ever in the area and needed another place to camp. The spring was very good and a large water source of good water. The campsite was large and open, under a broad hammock of old growth live oak trees. We filled up our water bottles and started to head back to the kayaks. Jim was ahead of me as we walked back to the boats and that is when the fun began. You see, on every one of our previous adventures, something has happened to give everyone a grand laugh, usually at someone expense, most of the time it was at my expense. We had made it back to the boat and were storing our gear and before I knew it, I hear a whole bunch of noise and things crashing. I turned around to see Jim doing his best to keep his balance and not fall out of the kayak before he even got into it. Well, that didn’t work, after a second or two of attempting to keep his balance, in he went the river with a huge splash! I have to admit, it was one of the funniest things I have even seen. I just wish I had a video camera to capture this event; I could have not the grand prize on American Funniest Videos.
After Jim got up and got somewhat dried off, we were back on the river. I have to admit, I chuckled for quite a while after that. Deep down, I figured it would have been me doing something like this. Anyway after about another hour of paddling, the rain came back. And did it come back. I mean it poured on us. Kayaking in the rain can be fun if you have never tried it. The only bad thing was that this rain was cold. The only good thing is that we heard no lightning, so we just put on our rain jackets and kept on kayaking. It must have rained for 45 minutes before it let up to a slow drizzle. Each of us had water in our boat, but we just kept on going. I think by this time we both wanted to get to the landing and get off the river. We had been looking at the weather radar that morning on my cell phone and knew that A LOT of heavy rain was headed in our direction.
Finally after four and a half hours on the water, we had made it the last 10 miles to Suwannee River State Park, our take out point. Both of us were soaked to the bone and glad to see the take out beach. Our original plan was too spent the night at the park and the head home the next morning, but we decided to both head home that afternoon. After a short drive to get Jim’s car, we changed into some dry cloths and said our good by’s. This trip was a great reunion and adventure for the two of us. It was also confirmed my suspicions that this would be a great place to take people kayaking. Jim and I talk on this trip that this would be a great place to bring our wives on a couple day kayaking trip. It had showers for them to get a bath each night. Don’t get me wrong, both of our brides are great campers and enjoy a camping, but if we can offer them a camping place like Holton Creek each night and a shower; I know that they would join the fun.
I am planning on taking the trip in the middle of February 2011. If you are interested in joining in the fun, contact me as soon as possible.
Last Saturday, my son and I had the opportunity to kayak on the NE Cape Fear River from Chinquapin, NC to Wayne’s Landing off NC Hwy 41. Duane Kelly, a good friend from Scouting, took Joseph and I on this section of the river since we had never paddled it before. Duane and his son have been down this stretch of river before with their own Boy Scout Troop, so it was enjoyable to sit back and follow someone else for a change.
Our adventure began that morning around 9:00 am when we met Duane at the McDonalds in Burgaw, NC. We got back on the road and headed north on I-40 to the exit at 385 mile marker. In just few minutes we were standing at a very nice wildlife boat ramp on the river. At this ramp the river is only about 50 feet wide with a nice sandbar on the opposite side. Just to the left of the boat ramp was the bridge that we had just crossed. The river was moving fast and there was a somewhat of a strong northeast breeze blowing that morning. Fortunately, the breeze would blow at our backs for most of the day.
After a few minutes getting prepared and shuttling our vehicles to the take out spot, we were ready to start the day. It is amazing how life and your perspective can change when you get out on a river to paddle. It seems not matter where you go, or how many times you have been there, I am quickly taken away from the rat race of the world around me. For me it is a time to be quite and enjoy being with the people that I am with at that moment. It is also a time for me to enjoy the great outdoors that God created.
We started our adventures this morning not knowing what to expect. We had good reason for our apprehension, since about seven weeks before; the NE Cape Fear was above flood stage. Duane told me stories about the traveling nightmares he had trying to get around the flooded roads in the area in an effort to get to work. So we had no way of knowing how much the river would be littered with deadfall that would block our path to adventures. At the least this deadfall would provide ample opportunity for adventure and portage over and around many obstacles. So the prospects of getting wet that day were very good.
The first thing that I noticed was the number of sandbars along the river. If it had only been warmer weather! These sandbars would have provided a great opportunity to pull over to relax in the sun and have a little swim to cool off. As for the deadfall, there was plenty littering the river this morning. The good thing is that I only got stuck once and had to get out of my kayak one other time to portage both myself and Joseph over the logs. Not bad.
About halfway thought the trip, we heard some big splashing up ahead of us. As we got closer, we noticed a nice size buck trying his best to cross the river before we got to him. What a site to witness. Of all the time I have spent kayaking, I have only seen a site like this two other times. Anyway, once the buck got to the opposite side, he didn’t wait around for us to get any closer. On this day, we also got a chance to watch several King Fisher’s flying along the river, making a fuss as we passed by. These birds are common along the river and creeks of the Cape Fear River basin. These birds have a distinct sound that they make, so you can hear them most times before you ever see them.
There is very little development along this stretch of NE Cape Fear River, making it quite nice to take in the natural beauty of this area. However, this area seems popular with local fisher men because we saw many of them along the river this day. This also tells me that the river is great for fishing. Maybe one day I need to just float down the river and fish. What a way to spend the day. Anyway back to the trip.
The other thing I noticed were the numerous bluff’s along the river’s edge. There were many bluffs that rise about the river providing great camping location, as well as vantage points to climb up to just sit and watch the river flow by. There were even a few of the bluffs that had nice rope swings that could be enjoyed in warmer weather. I could only image a lazy summer afternoon, swimming down at the “ole swimming hole” and all the stories that go along.
All in all this was a nice 4 hour kayaking trip. This time included our 30 minute stop on a sandbar for lunch. The only thing that I saw about the river was the amount of floating beer/soft drink cans and bottles along with other trash. My guess is that most of this was due to the recent flooding and had not been cleaned up yet. Note to self; carry some trash bags next time to help in the effort to clean the river up.
Check out the following embedded link to view the video of our adventures:
For a long time now I have wanted to explore the Three Sisters area of the Black River here in North Carolina. Not sure why, maybe it is because of the remoteness of this part of the Black River, maybe because of the old growth bald cypress trees that grow along the banks and in the large coves; or the number of people that I have talked with that could not find the path through either side of The Narrows. Maybe it was just because it was there and I needed to explore something that I have heard some much about.
This section of the Black River lies between Beattys Bridge Landing and the NC Hwy 53 Bridge in Bladen County. For the most part this river flows south, but meanders back and forth with many twists and bends, with some of them bending back on themselves in a horseshoe fashion. There are some lone houses along the upper and lower parts of the trip, but for the most part, you are there along floating down this beautiful river.
James MacLaren, my kayaking buddy, and I started our day off at Henry’s Landing where the river is about 200 feet wide. The fall weather this morning could not have been more perfect; with our starting out temperatures in the lower 60’s and the sky was a perfect Carolina Blue. As for the fall leaf color, well we were late and missed the peak. Most of the trees have lost their leave, but those that still had them, wow! The water was on the cool side, due to the recent cold weather that has come to this part of North Carolina. So, in short, we could not have designed a better day to adventure into the unknown; unknown at least to James and I.
We started out heading south on the river with the warm sun on our left shoulders. The warmth of the sun felt good in the cool morning. The first thing we noticed was that the river was slow moving in this wider section of the river. A week earlier, James and I had lead a group on the 8 mile section north of where we were, where the flowing much faster. Yet the further we paddled, the river began to get faster as the river narrower. As the river narrowed the river began to take on a more intimate feeling with all the overhanging trees. With the narrower river, there come some additional problems that we had to be aware of. First was the river speed; the second was we had less space to maneuver around submerged trees and logs.
As we moved further away from our launch spot, the river became more and more beautiful. So much so, I was not paying too much attention to the submerged tree in front of me. Before I knew it, I was on top of a submerged tree, trying hard to work my way through the tangled mess I was in. Because I was not on the correct path through this tree, I quickly found myself sideways on another submerged log. For those of you who don’t know anything about kayaking, you don’t want to be in a position like this, if you do, you have a big chance of going swimming! Well, I didn’t go swimming, but I came close. However, I did have a bunch of COLD water inside my kayak.
James and I quickly found a good location to pull my kayak onto dry land to drain all that water. After I got this done, we decided to explore the first of the many coves on our trip today. WOW! This first cove was large and beautiful with large bald cypress trees and deadfall to paddle around. I found myself thinking about the potential this spot had for some great fishing.
We quickly got back on the river and headed in the right direction once again. We paddled for another hour with the river getting narrower and narrower as we went. We also started seeing more and more swamp. According to the “Paddling Eastern North Carolina” guidebook, there are several small channels to the right that flow through a broad cypress swamp. There is also a “distinct” channel to the left that is about “20” feet wide. This channel is only passable when the river level is up high. This “distinct” channel is called “The Narrows”. I guess because of the narrowness of the channel. I personally think it should be renamed to something called “The Workout” or something like that. The reason for this name change is when the water is not at the high mark (flood stage), you will have to “Pull” you kayak through. If you don’t want to pull your kayak, you have to work your way through the swamp. This day, I had my 14’ kayak and James had his 16’ kayak with us, so this was not an option.
Anyway, James and I missed this channel because we were looking for the river to take an abrupt left in a “distinct” watery channel. It never did, so we kept on trucking. All of a sudden, the river was only about 4 feet wide and headed into a deep foreboding swamp. James and I looked at each other, I am sure we were thinking the same thing, “how did we get here!” After about 10 minutes of maneuvering to turn around (It is hard work turning a 14’ kayak around in a channel of swift water that is about 4’to 6’ narrower than my kayak is long.) and we got out of there. Once back up stream, we stopped and tried to figure out what had gone wrong. While James was trying to figure out what the handheld GPS system was telling us, I paddled back up stream to see if by chance we missed out turn off. After about 10 minutes of hard paddling, I realized we had not, so I turned around once again.
As I was headed back to where I had left James, I was running through my mind what we were facing. I was bound in determined to find our way through this, because I was not going to paddle backup stream to where we put in. Then I remembered seeing on the left as we entered the swamp, what looked like a power line cut, but with no power lines. This had to be “The Narrows” that we were looking for. But where was the water? (The river was just at flood stage four weeks ago and there was plenty of water in the river) When I caught up with James, we discussed what I was thinking and we agreed this had to be the place. SO, I took off and began walking this muddy clear cut. I walked, sloshed, waded for about 10 minutes before I ran into deeper water and figured this was our river.
When I got back to the boats and told James what I had found, we decided this was good news and that it was time for lunch. I wanted some energy before I pulled my kayak about a third of a mile through who knows what. Once our lunch was over, we headed out. It was not too hard work pulling the kayaks because they slipped along fine on the grass and inch deep water in places. As we pulled and tugged, we found ourselves in the mist of some very old cypress trees. I mean some of these trees had bases of at least 15 feet across. As we stopped to rest and admire these trees, I was really feeling like Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery. After about 15 minute of pulling, we got to the deeper water (5” to 6”) and could sit in our kayaks again and pole (using out paddles to push us through) our way thought the high grass and water.
The Narrows eventually began to open up once more into a normal channel about 10 feet wide and about 3 to 4 feet deep. We made it! And in one piece! And there was a grand reward just around the bend from our Narrows adventures. We came upon a large cove where we found the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters are 3 bald cypress trees that are dated to be over 1700 years old! There are many other large trees in the cove, but the researchers could not determine the ages because of them being hollow. We quickly realized that someone could spend hours here exploring the many side stream and smaller coves. This cove is also where the 3 swamp kayak trails come back into the Black River.
The remaining part of our day’s journey was uneventful. Don’t get me wrong, it was still beautiful, but after all the big trees in the cove we just left and our adventure in the Narrows, the reminder seemed just like just another kayak trip. I guess that is OK.
Now it is the day after our adventure and as I reflect back on yesterday, I am glad that we decided to explore this area. It is well worth the effort we put into this trip. The beauty of the river and cypress forest that God created was stunning and I can’t wait to head back to this part of the Black River again. Next time, I am taking my shorter kayak and explore the cypress swamp that we chose to bypass this time. I hope that I can take some of you on this same trip someday soon.
This blog topic was developed while on a recent kayaking trip where I had the pleasure of taking my wife and two of her closest friends kayaking. It was a joy to watch these ladies laugh and talk the whole time. It was a wonder we ever saw any wildlife. Sorry Ian that I didn’t mention you specifically in the blog, but I had fun talking to you also.
I have recently been giving some though to friendships and going through life alone even with people all around us. You may ask how can I be alone with so many people around me, my house is crazy and there are people all over the place. If you’re like me, there have been times where I craved an evening to myself without interruptions. But this is not what I am talking about here. I’m talking about having people around you and still not be known for who you truly are. I’m talking about having people around you and not having anyone who can be there for you when those life struggles confronts you. You may not admit it, but just like everyone else, you struggle with them.
To me this problem seems to boil down to three simple things. The first is time and the second is fear. Fear comes from being seen as someone wired or someone who really don’t have it all together. I have come to the conclusion that both time and fear are big parts in our loneliness. I wonder why we struggle with this; then I began to see a third really simple reason we are lonely. We don’t see our lives and our relationships as a gift. Yes, life and relationships are a gift. All too often we have seen our relationships as something for us to use to get what we want, not something that can be leveraged (my pastor uses this word and I like it) to change me and those around me for the better.
I recently had the opportunity to take three ladies on a kayaking trip that have been very good friends for some time. These friends had not seen each other since the wedding of one of the ladies last summer. As I watch them laugh and giggle with each other on this trip, I thought about how wonderful it is to be such good friends together once again. I also thought about how wonderful it was for these ladies to pick up right where they had left off their relationships. Their friendship has stood the time and distance.
What made these ladies strong enough to stand to time and distance? The most oblivious thing that comes to my mind is spending time together. But I think there is more to it than that. I remember when I worked at UNCW, I spent a lot of time with the people that I worked with, but that did not lead to the friendship that I saw in these ladies. I found myself wondering what it was that brought these ladies together. One of these ladies is a single missionary in Africa, the second has been married for only year and now lives in the DC area, while the third lady is older and has been married 27 years and has grown children. So you can see these ladies are all in different places of their lives.
I am not sure if they realize this, but deep down they see that this relationship is not their own. They see their relationship as a “gift” from God. They look at this relationship at what they can “give” to each other, not what they can “get” from each other. I have to admit that I know this to be true, because I am married to the third lady. To me, this is refreshing to see, especially in the world that we live in today.
As I look around, I am coming to realize that all too often most of us our relationships as what “I” can get from it. Will my buddies make me happy; will this new girl friend make me feel special; will being on this team help me get into college; will going to church make may family better; how will the new business relationship do for me; will my wife make me happy for all my life? The list is endless. All I am simply saying is that we tend to do this with all of our relationships, including these closest to us. The sad thing is the world seems to teach this mindset to us from a very early age.
I have to admit, I have fallen in this trap more than once in my marriage to Diane and with other relationship I have been given. I suspect that if you are honest with yourself, you would admit that you have done the same. I can’t help but wonder if each of us began to see our relationships as a gift; things would be different in our lives. I can safely say that in my most important relationship (with Diane), once I got to the point and realized that my happiness did not depend on what I could get from her, my prospective began to change. I found that I was able to truly begin to love her for who she is, not what I could get from her. Our relationship began to change when I began thinking of our marriage relationship as a gift and how I could be a blessing to her.
It is strange how my mind can wonder while out kayaking in the great outdoors. Maybe it is because of all the quiet and solitude found out in the wilderness kayaking and hiking. I suspect that in those quite times, God is transform me into who He created me to be. I for one will be a far better person when I see all my relationship for what they are, a wonderful gift meant for a higher purpose than mine.
