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2624 Years Old Bald Cypress!

What do you think of when you see some old growth trees? Do you ever wonder what they would say if they could talk? What they would say they have witnessed over their life time of standing, weathering storms, drought, fires, floods, heat and cold? I have had this thought many times as I paddle through North Carolina’s 3 Sisters Swamp. Recently it was announced that researchers from the University of Arkansas identified a bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)tree that was 2624 years old! Wow, imagine that a tree here in eastern North Carolina that is one of the oldest trees known to man today. This tree started putting down roots around 605 BC!

Just paddling in this ancient swamp give you a since of awe. Trees that are so big, it takes 3 or 4 grown men to put arms around them and cypress knees that are talker than I stand. Every time I am there in the magical place I find myself in awe at the majesty of God’s awesome creation. I also realize just how small I am in the grand scheme of life and grateful that God is always there each day for everyone who looks to him.

Don & Diane Harty own Mahanaim Adventures. They specialize in helping individuals, families and groups to have “Positive & Memorable” outdoor adventures. Whether these are wildlife view adventure, camping adventure or a simple kayaking adventure. They provide kayaking adventures on Town Creek, Cape Fear River,Fort Fisher Basin, Masonboro Island, Black River, Holly Shelter Creek and Moores Creek. Oh, yes, we do rent kayaks also. Contact them at www.mahanaimadventures.com for more information about all of their adventures.

Risk Management

Risk Management is something that we deal with on a daily basis. This is not to say that we deal with high risk adventures, but we do want to be able to provide a positive and memorable experience. There is a lot that goes into managing for risks for an outdoor adventure. For example we constantly watch the weather before any trip starts. This is to make sure that we don’t have any high winds to deal with and to keep an eye out for scatter thunderstorms too. Here in the Wilmington area scattered thunderstorms happen a lot all throughout the summer season. Another safety concern that we monitor during many of our kayaking trips is boat traffic, and container ships that travel along the Cape Fear River. These ships can create large wakes which become hazardous in shallow water areas. We also carry rescue gear in our guide boats on every trip in case someone does fall out of their boat. This is so that we can safely get someone back inside a boat if they do fall out. Along with our rescue gear, we also bring a large first aid kits on each trip.

This past Thursday I had the opportunity to go to BSA Cape Fear Council’s Camp Bowers with Don to learn about the high ropes course, climbing tower, and zip-line that is part of the C.O.P.E. course there. The risk management that goes into operating these aspects is serious. Risk management starts before the course ever opens by having trained a professional such as Don inspect all the equipment, including different carabiners, ropes, helmets, and harnesses before use to make sure that everything is working properly and efficiently. Once all the gear is inspected and cleared for use then Don can inspect the course for any damage and safety concerns. After he has inspected the course, and everything has checked out, Don then begins to set up the course to be able to have participants safely climb up to the top where they can begin the course and use the zipline. To set up the belay system which makes sure everyone can get up on the course safely, Don uses steel climbing carabiners, it is important to note that he is not using aluminum carabiners because aluminum carabineers would be damaged by the steel cables that are part of the course which the belay is anchored to. Once participants are on top, they then have a self-belaying system with two adjustable ropes with clips that attach to their harness. These tethers are then clipped into the steel cables for safety (called lifelines). These are used as a backup device in case anyone does slip or fall off of one of the obstacles. Even though it may seem as though there are many different risks to manage for, if done properly it makes any adventure operate safely and efficiently.

Don & Diane Harty own Mahanaim Adventures. They specialize in helping families and groups to have “Positive & Memorable” outdoor adventures. Whether these are wildlife view adventure, camping adventure or a simple kayaking adventure. They provide kayaking adventures on Town Creek, Cape Fear River, Fort Fisher Basin, Masonboro Island, Black River, Holly Shelter Creek and Moores Creek. Contact them at www.mahanaimadventures.com for more information about all of their adventures.

This blog was written by Mike Manning. I am Mahanaim Adventures new intern for the summer of 2018. I am a Park and Recreation Management student at East Carolina University, Go Pirates! I love the outdoors and have a strong passion for kayaking. This coming summer I will be writing a blog similar to this every other week to let everyone know about the awesome adventures we will have on the water this summer.

Cypress Trees & Lily’s

Over the past couple weeks; I have had the opportunity to go on a couple trips with Don to the Black River located in Bladen County, NC. This river offers plenty of beautiful wildlife including wild turkey, deer, several types of ducks, and wildflowers. The Black River is also home to the Three Sisters Swamp where you can find some of the oldest recorded cypress trees in the country. Although these trees are not marked, for their own protection, with an experienced guide such as Don, you will be able to see some amazing old growth cypress trees in this swamp that have been dated to being over 2,000 years old. Paddling through this swamp truly is a majestic experience. Being able to get up close and personal with these ancient cypress trees gave me a deeper connection to this swamp. In ways this swamp inspired me by showing me no matter how hard these trees have been hit and beaten by countless hurricanes, high winds, floods, and other natural disasters, they still stand tall and strong after all those years.

One of the most memorable parts of both these trips included seeing the beautiful spider lilies bloom. This is a special phenomenon here in eastern North Carolina because these plants only bloom for about two weeks out of the year. But what a spectacular experience it is to be able to see these plants bloom during their short flowering period. It’s trips like these which make me realize how lucky we are to be able to experience gods creation and enjoy the natural beauty of many diverse eco systems from a kayak.

Why is it so hard to work as a Team?

Over the past 15 year I have had the opportunity to lead a lot of different groups through teambuilding activities to help them come together as one. This question that I ask is not meant to be some sort of deep physiological questions, but just my personal observations over time. My question is; why is it so hard for use humans to work together on a team? After much thought, I think the answer is very simple; we as humans find it difficult to put the groups needs (goals) above our own needs (goals). In short, even on a team we still compete with each other rather as a whole.

You see, from my observation, we are selfish by nature and not team players. All too often team members are competing against each other and not as a team with a focus. When we are in completion like this, someone has to win and someone has to lose. When this happens internally on any team, everyone loses when because the team can’t compete or function as it should.

Please don’t think that I believe that competition is a bad thing; I don’t. However, in the wrong context, competition is bad. Consider marriage as an example. If a couple is continually competing with each other (one trying to make sure their needs are meet before the others), the marriage will not last. All too often couples fail to think about what is best for the marriage, but only what is only best for the individual. What is best for the marriage may not be the best for the person doing the pushing. When you get two or more persons do this, things can spiral out of control quickly.

Pure competition means “I” win and someone looses. We learn this lesson from an early age in life. Where do we learn this lesson? From the sports and other competitive activities our parent’s sign us up for as kids. There we listen to our parents complain to the coach that their son or daughter is better than the player playing that key position, therefore their son or daughter should be playing that spot.

This is not how a team should work. As a team member; the individual has to be willing to set their selfish, self-centered goals aside for the best of the group. What happens all too often with groups we are lead through teambuilding activities, is that individuals sabotaged the efforts or disengaging with the team. The reason I believe is that they feel their role is not important to the group. Maybe the individuals did not fully understand what the others on the team needed or maybe they were rushed to do their job and provided something substandard. The reasons can be many, but it boils down in most cases is the mentality of “Look out for number 1; me.”

Each of us want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, but we hesitate to truly engage in something bigger. Why is that, because we are so used to putting our needs first!

Mahanaim Adventures provide excellent Project COPE (team building adventure) and other outdoor adventures to scouting groups, sports teams, church groups and corporate groups. If you are having issues with your team or just want to take your team to the next level, contact us and we can help lead your team to that next level of working as a team

Don and Diane Harty are the owners of Mahanaim Adventures, the Cape Fear and Wilmington, NC areas premier outdoor adventure guide and kayaking business. Don and Joseph, son of Don and Diane, strive for each person on our adventures to have a “Positive & Memorable” experience. We offer quality half-day, full-day and overnight kayaking adventures. We also provide team building adventures and courses, as well as wilderness first aid classes to Boy Scouts and other groups.

What do you want for Vacation

Recently I was sitting in a meeting where tourism was the main topic. In that meeting, I learned that vacationers are looking for three main things when choosing where to go and what to do on their vacations. It seems that they are looking for something “new and unique” to them and to have an “authentic” experience. They want all of this while having fun and spending quality time together with family and friends. I found this news interesting, though this may not be new after all. This is something that my Bride and I wanted to do with our kids when they were young. We chose locations that were new to us; places that had an element that we did not get a chance to do every day, all the while, we want to spend quality time together. Glad to see something never really go out of fashion.

So for those of you who are looking for something new to do with your family, something that everyone can do and have fun together while creating memories? Let me suggest a guided kayaking adventure for your family! Mahanaim Adventures offers quality; family-oriented kayaking adventures here in the Cape Fear / Wilmington, NC area. We have some wonderful beaches to visit, and I encourage you to do that. But, don’t be afraid to take a short drive away from the beach to explore some of eastern North Carolina’s rivers and swamps. You can see locations such as Town Creek, the Black River , Three Sisters Swamp (yes, this is the place where you can see 2000 year old bald cypress tress), or maybe even Holly Shelter Creek. Or maybe you want to add a little American Revolutionary War History to your kayaking adventure and paddle on Moores Creek? Moores Creek National Battlefield was where the first battle of the American Revolutionary War was fought. It is a great place to visit, and only about a 40 minute drive from downtown Wilmington.

So, if you are looking for a unique adventure, contact Mahanaim Adventures and let us help you find one of our adventures that best suits your family’s adventure needs!

Abundance?

Abundance. Webster’s dictionary give us the following description as “an ample quantity; an abundant amount; profusion; affluence, wealth; a relative degree of plentyfulness.” Recently I have begun thinking about what abundance really means in a person’s life. I have come to think that we, at least in the United States may have the wrong idea of what abundance means. You see, I have grown up with the idea that an abundant life was one that had wealth and things that made life easy. But over the past 8 years, my thinking has begun to shift about this definition.
You see, I consider myself a normal, common man that works very hard to provide for my wife and kids. I worked hard and often long hours to have what I thought was “an abundant” life. But chasing after all the abundance that our society says we should have, and to be a “Successful Provider” for my family, left me tired and empty. It seemed that the abundance that I wanted; was always just one step ahead of where I was at and I needed to do more. You know, work harder to move up the corporate ladder and get that next promotion or big pay raise. Please don’t get me wrong, I do believe hard work is essential to success anywhere you go. Yet my hard work never brought me what I thought it should; the abundance I always hoped for.
Recently my perspective on abundance has shifted and I found that I already had all the abundance that I had been looking for. You see, the abundance that I was seeking was found in the relationships that I was developing with my wife, with my kids, with the people God had placed around me. It was not in the affluence or wealth of having many things or providing my family with all the worldly things that they desired. The abundance I was needed the most was in the relationships that I have been developing.
Back in 2010, I was laid off from a wonderful job at UNCW (great place to work). At that time, my Bride and I started Mahanaim Adventures. Through the past 8 years, I have had the awesome opportunity to work side by side with each of my kids, leading kayaking adventure all over the Cape Fear area of Coastal North Carolina. Now my kids are grown and all on their own, but I have all of these awesome moments spent with them, not just working and having fun, but making memories together. Today, Joseph and I run the adventures together and I am blessed having him with me in this. And my two daughters, well, they want to take part when they come into town from where they live with their families.
So you see, because of a simple little change in my perspective, my whole outlook on what I have or don’t have has changed. Yes, I still work hard to build our family business and I still can work some long hours. Most of my weekends are shot, because I am working, especially during the warmer months. But I now see my life a much fuller and richer; and has replaced the chase after things of abundance with a real abundance I was craving. All of this because of a change in my perspective; or could I say “Attitude”.
Don and Diane Harty are the owners of Mahanaim Adventures; the Cape Fear and Wilmington, NC areas premier outdoor adventure guide and kayaking business. Don and Joseph (son of Don and Diane) strive that each person on our adventures to have a “Positive & Memorable” experience. We offer quality half-day, full-day and overnight kayaking adventures. We also provide team building adventures and courses as well as wilderness first aid classes to Boy Scouts and other groups.

1st Kayak experience

I recently had the pleasure of taking a family of three from West Virginia on a Sharks Tooth Island adventure to hunt for prehistoric sharks teeth and fossilized shells. This trip was different than others in that I was given to opportunity to experience a family’s first time in kayaks. They were gung-ho from the get-go, ready to learn and create memories. Once on the water I immediately heard the father laughing in excitement. I recall him saying, “this is the coolest thing”.

This family was no green horn when it came to hunting for shark’s teeth. They had been coming to Carolina Beach every summer for the past 20 years. Upon landing at Shark Tooth Island we began finding teeth straightaway. That morning we had a really low tide creating opportunity for great hunting. With the tide so low we were given the chance to hit all three islands, our final stop being Keg Island. Not five minutes after landing the father found one of the largest sharks teeth I’ve seen found. The tooth was of a Great White Shark. It had a full shank around 3 inches wide and was around 2 inches long with the tip broken. We couldn’t believe our eyes. That morning might have been the most successful hunt I’ve ever had with a group. This trip proved that the teeth are out there, we just have to go find them.

This Blog was Written by Sam Law. I am Mahanaim Advenures new intern for the summer of 2016. I am a Park and Recreation Management Student at East Carolina, Go Pirates! I love the the ocean and outdoors more than anything. This coming summer i will be writing a blog similar to this each week to let everyone know about the awesome adventures and encounters we have. I hope to see ya’ll out paddling this summer.

Cheers!

Moores Creek Battlefield

We found ourselves in the parking lot of Patriot Hall at the Moore’s Creek Battlefield in Burgaw, North Carolina. Don and I were preparing to lead a group of folks from Brunswick Forest. That day we had the honor of guiding many repeat participants whom we had the pleasure of giving a kayak lesson to weeks prior. Our paddle that morning consisted of a four mile trek down and back up Moore’s Creek. During the trip our group paddled under the replica bridge in which the Battle of Moore’s Creek was focused around. Many Prothonotary Warblers were darting across the creek that morning. After our paddle that day we met with Jason Howell, a park ranger at the battlefield, who gave us a walking tour and lesson of the historic sight.

The story goes that in 1773 after the Boston Tea Party, the “intolerable act” is put in place turning Massachusetts into a military state. This scared other states, enough to have other states aid Massachusetts. North Carolina residents send corn and supplies in order to help but were reprimanded by the North Carolina Governor. A frigid evening on February 26, 1776, General Donald MacDonald of the Loyalists alongside of Scottish Highlanders,set camp on the south side of the bridge. Colonel James Moore and his group of militia men and patriots prepare to the North. If the Loyalists are to take Moore’s Creek they will be able to take the North Carolina coast. Before the battle the Patriots remove the bridge tresses and oil the remaining wood in order to sabotage the Loyalists attempt to cross and attack. While the Loyalists attempt to cross the bridge the Patriots planned to attack. The battle happened accordingly to Colonel James Moore’s plan, gaining victory for the Patriots. Although the battle only lasted three minutes over 30 Loyalists men were lost while only one Patriot died. The Battle of Moore’s Creek was a huge step to North Carolina’s vote for independence. Moore’s Creek Battlefield is not only a beautiful paddle, but the area is full of rich history.

Cheers!

Last Night

Last night I had the privilege of leading a sunset kayaking adventure for a Mom and her three kids. When the Mom scheduled this adventure, she told me that her family had been through some really rough stuff. The Mom was looking for something for them to do together for fun and to be a family creating a good family memory. After we got off the water last night as we were walking back to the cars, Mom told me thank you for all we had done for her and her kids that they would be talking about this adventure for a long time.

This reminded me of one of the reasons why Diane and I started this business and for some of the success we are having. You see, when our family was young, we spent lots of time out camping, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing and many other outdoor activities. The vast majority of the times all went well, some not so well. Those of you who spend lots of time in the outdoors with kids know what I mean. However about 7 years ago when my son-in-law started dating Hillary, he made the mistake of going camping with us one weekend. Our kids spent the whole weekend sharing with him all the fun family memories we had doing all of these things together. Listing to our kids laugh and carry on with each other remember this time together was a precious gift to Diane and I.

Last night I was reminded of this simple fact; that we got a chance to help this family create a special memory that they will cherish now and in the years to some. I guess that I am sharing this with you because we each have chances each day to make a difference in other people lives. I guess it comes down to perspective and remember that life is not all about me, but how I can be used by Christ to be a blessing to someone that I meet.

Amazing! Wildlife Viewing Weekend.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of guiding a few good friends on a three day weekend wildlife viewing adventure. We spent the time camping, hiking, enjoying each other’s company and experiencing some fantastic wildlife viewing. I have to admit that for me a weekend like this is usually about enjoying the friendship and fellowship of great friends. However, this weekend was so much better because of the wildlife viewing experience that was to unfold before us.

To be honest, I have spent a great deal of time camping, backpacking/hiking, kayaking and more in the wilderness. So viewing wildlife in their natural surroundings is nothing new to me or the guys I was hanging with this weekend. I have had the privilege of viewing hundreds of elk grazing in high mountain meadows in the New Mexico Rockies; watching alligators and wild boars rest next to each other in the swamps of Florida; bobcats chasing rabbits through the pine thicket of central Georgia and so much more. But this weekend was different. I had heard that at Pocosin Lake National Wildlife Refuge was simply amazing for waterfowl viewing. However none of the stories of thousands of snow geese and tundra swans on the lake prepared me for what we experienced that weekend.

This weekend we were camping at Goose Creek State Park, so getting up on Saturday morning was challenging, especially with the frosty 25 degree temperatures that morning. We were up at 5:30 am and out the front gate of the park by 6:00 to make the 45 minute drive to the refuge. We got to the refuge just as the sun was rising to unfold a spectacular sight of duck, snow geese and tundra swans all over the impoundments around Pungo Lake. No matter where you looked, there was waterfowl by the hundreds. As the sun was rising in the east, you could see the waterfowl taking off in one location and then landing in others. There were birds sitting in the water, birds standing on the ice covered ponds, birds flying left and right, and birds circling overhead. Wow, it was amazing seeing hundreds of birds all within the first few minutes after dawn.

This was so cool! No matter what wildlife blind or water impoundment we stopped at, there was waterfowl everywhere. Later this morning, we hopped back into the trunk and headed to the northern side of Pungo Lake to explore. We stopped at the junction of two dirt roads, one of them was blocked off and parked on the side. We had about a mile walk down this road to the two wildlife blinds on the north side of the lake. So we headed out with our cameras and binoculars to see what we could see. As we walked, we started seeing tracks of deer, raccoon, coyote, large bear and other animal tracks we were not familiar with. Soon we started seeing scat from these same bear that had left the tracks on the road. And I don’t mean just once stack of scat; I mean lots of bear poo all over the place.

Soon one of the guys in our group stops and points to something across the field that we were walking along. Off in the distance we spot a huge momma bear with two cubs lumbering across this field about 400 yards away. We watched these bears for about 10 minutes as they worked their way across this plowed under corn field. This was simply amazing to watch these beautiful bears as they worked their way across this field. About 10 minutes later, just as we started off again, we spotted another bear crossing the road behind us. Four bear spotting within 20 minutes; wow! Later that morning we learned that black bear in eastern North Carolina typically don’t hibernate due to the milder winters and significant and consistent food sources in the area.

We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon viewing bald eagles, coopers hawks, coots, teal ducks, and American Black Ducks. We began to think that it could not get much better. To be honest, I think we could have called this a day and been quite content. But then we had heard about something that would blow our socks off. During this time of the year, each evening you could watch thousands ff snow geese and tundra swans flying in to one specific field to feed. This took place in a couple of the refuge’s plowed under corn fields; located on the southern end of the refuge. After talking about it, we decide that we might as well as hang around to see what happens. So we pulled up to spot we were told about and waited.

The first 45 minutes were extremely slow. There were geese and swans in the field feeding but they were all on the opposite side of this VERY LARGE field. As it started getting dark we started hearing the snow geese fly in from the north. The next 30 minutes were not disappointing to us at all. Even now I am still not fully able to put into words what we experienced that evening. I think we all have read and heard stories of hundreds of thousands of bird flying so thick that you could not see the sky. Lewis & Clark even talked about this in their journals. This was one of those moments. Over the next 30 minutes hundreds of thousands of snow geese flew into this field right before us.

As they flew in the field; two things astounded me the most about this event. The first was the noise of these geese. The sound of hundreds of thousands of birds flapping their wings at the same time and so close to each other reminded us of the sound of a jet engine starting up. You could hear this even over the sound of all the honking of these geese. The second thing was that these birds kept coming in! There were birds that were flying so high up in the sky; they looked like small specks of pepper floating in the sky. These birds circled down and down until they landed in the middle of the flock of birds on the ground, not the edges. Once they landed, the feeding started and did not stop. Think about it; this was one mass of snow geese, with their heads down, all feeding at once.

This was truly a once in a life time event for me. I stood there almost speechless not knowing what to say, snapping photo after photo, wondering how to explain this event. There was about 5 to 10 minutes that we did not have that many birds land. I guess we figured they would hang around longer, but just at dark thirty, they all took off. Within 10 minutes every bird in this field took off leaving this field almost emptied. All of these 100,000+ birds took off! Think about it, a field with this many birds all taking to wing at once! Amazing!

That evening sitting around the camp fire the four of us talked about what we had experienced that day. We looked at pictures that we had taken and the videos. It was hard to believe what we had seen. We all agreed that this was something special and were amazed that we had not heard of this before, especially living here in eastern North Carolina like we do. One thing we all agreed on was that we had to bring our families to witness this event in the future.