Gators!

Yes, I saw gators while I was paddling. No, I wasn't in my usual haunts around Louisa County, Iowa. A vacation with my sisters took me to Charleston, South Carolina a couple of weeks ago and I was able to convince the brave one to come a day early to paddle with me.

After some rigorous research (I Googled "kayak charleston"), we found a fantastic guide. Ralph Earhart knows his way around the "blackwater" creeks and rivers of the Charleston area and he planned a perfect trip for us. Two things were key to that perfection: paddling with the tide (not something I would have thought about!)and seeing at least one wild alligator. He achieved both and he even brought a red kayak - without knowing that I needed one.

We left from a small access on Penny Creek and wound our way through the narrow waterway lined by live oaks draped with spanish moss. That led us to the Edisto River but we took a side trip through an old rice plantation now owned by Ted Turner. We got a lesson on growing rice, which Ted now does for ducks instead of people. I was intrigued by the extensive canal and dike system built by slaves several hundred years ago.

As we went through the old rice canals, Ralph told us that we might see a gator out trying to grab some sunshine on the mud flats being exposed as the tide receded. We finally had one dive in the water not too far ahead and we started following it down river. While our attention was focused on that, we quick watching the bank and my sister got a big surprise as another gator dove practically into her kayak. We got our money's worth on that one!

There were so many questions I had for Ralph as we paddled. One was the black water. Ralph explained that it's not polluted but rather gets its color from the high tannin content of the pine forests it travels through on its way to the ocean.

This ranks as one of my all time favorite paddles: The guide, the gators, introducing a new person to the joys of kayaking, beautiful weather, learning new things, seeing a new part of the country. Thanks, Ralph for a great day on the water.

PS I have to confess that the closeup picture of the gator was not taken on the kayak trip (this is the one I took on the water - it looks a bit like a log or the Loch Ness monster.) But I did take the other picture and it was a wild gator. We saw it while on a tour of Middleton Plantation where it posed quite nicely for me.

AmeriCorps paddling partners

I had so much fun last night at Indian Slough that I had to get out again, even though I have a million things I should be doing. And what I really wanted to do was share the fun with someone else. It didn't take any convincing to get Lauren and Katie (a couple of the AmeriCorps*NCCC "kids" who are working in Louisa County this spring) to join me.

Since it had to be a short trip (I really do have things that must get done), we headed over to Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge and put in off the port road. With the water high, it's a perfect spot to drop the kayak in for a quick out-and-back trip.

I told Lauren (left) and Kate (right) that I always see plenty of wildlife on this loop and they weren't disappointed: deer, turkeys, herons, ducks, geese, coots, owls and probably several I'm forgetting. But it was the beavers that got our attention again. We saw a couple swimming and their behavior was exactly like the one I'd seen at Indian Slough last night except that we were treated to a couple of good tail slaps - I think they were trying to tell us something.

But the highlight of the trip was probably the beaver lodge. We saw it on our way out and decided to pull in for a closer look on our way back - we were all amazed at the size of it!

Thanks for going with me, Lauren & Kate. My plan is to get the rest of the crew out paddling before they leave in a few weeks - we'll see if our early spring can hang on for a bit.

First Trip of the Year

Though spring isn't officially here, the very spring-like weather lured me out for a quick trip to Indian Slough Wildlife Area. You'd think the picture was from the end of my trip but it was taken as I launched. I admit it wasn't as dark as this picture makes it look but there wasn't much light when I pulled out of the water.

It was however, a perfect time to be on the water. There are thousands of ducks and geese in the area and it seems they were all settling in at Indian Slough. Flock after flock circled the marsh, gliding into the trees and brush to find refuge for the night. It was really a sight to behold. And the sounds were amazing - there was a constant undertone of chattering, chuckling, splashing and wings flapping against the brush.

Between watching the birds and following a beaver, I didn't get very far from the road at all. The beaver popped up in the water ahead of me and led me around the marsh for awhile, disappearing under the water just as I would get close enough for a decent picture. Then he (she?) would pop up again and repeat the process. The picture's not great but it's a beaver though, trust me.

It was a beautiful night to be out - I'm so ready for spring to arrive for good and to get out on the water again.!