Sunday, 3 January 2016
Where the River Necks Down
It rained most of the night, straight down without much wind, so the windows stayed open and the sound of moving water - the origins of rivers - filled my sleep.
I haven't been in this section of the big river since spring - it might've been April or May, and it was only on the last trip that I paddled upstream from the Eagle Scout put-in to near the dam.
The first mile, where the banks are populated with houses and cabins, and cabins that have become houses - a mixture of temporary, derelict and new construction, now sports docks that weren't there for the winter season, and most of the docks now have motorboats, jetskis or cheap plastic canoes and kayaks. It looks like an unkempt toyshop and is true to the nature of people that seek out water but don't have any interest in exploring the depths that it holds. Many of the boats are left neglected, beached but not tied or tossed on the ground waiting for a strong wind to blow them into the water...boat abuse. Fortunately, it is a Tuesday and all of those boats are silenced.
Where the river necks down is where the river becomes worth the effort. On that last trip, I fought the current with all my strength for ten full minutes to get past the cobbled point. I finally pulled into shore and waded with the canoe into the pool above. Today, the current is casual and I move past easily with no issues other than minding the six inch depth, which causes me to bring out and use my "rock" paddle.
The current stays mild when I get to my last trips high point, a big round bend where I had to pull ashore and continue by foot, as there was nothing but fast water from bank to bank. This time, I paddle in mid-stream with the massive concrete dam appearing through the trees. In the spring, there was a 400 yard long rolling class II rapids here with 2+ foot standing waves. Today, it is a sparse rock garden with a current that can be paddled against. I move eddy to eddy admiring the swirls and peering at the rocks that create them until I get to the top of it. I sit there for awhile before turning back.
Sunday, 29 November 2015
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Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Wild Rice Salmon River

I end up in that little brook on the westerly side, but it is all new to me. On earlier trips, it started as a broad marsh with a wide patch of water in front of it and then tapered to a narrow creek bounded by forested hills. Today, the creek is narrow right from where it meets the river, and the narrow path of open water is bounded by a dense crop of six to eight foot high wild rice plants.

Anyway, this trip the narrow path runs through the wild rice all the way back to the forested creek where, as I round the final bend, I flush the bluest of great blue herons. And when the water runs too shallow for the canoe, I take a moment and find myself surrounded by cattails, wild rice, pickerelweed, cardinal flowers, and arrow arum.
Wednesday, 23 September 2015
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Thursday, 4 September 2014
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Monday, 23 September 2013
Low Tide Big River
Low tide limits my choices. The smaller tidal rivers are too scratchy, if passable at all. I paddle away on the big river, rounding the first point and finding five swans up close. The large adult takes a position between me and his following. It is three cygnets, with just a touch of grey left in their feathers. The fourth is either a small adult or a whiter sibling.

I paddle across the channel to Pope's Flat, the spartina well above my head, my horizon the primordial proto-peat that centuries of growth has meshed into a deep brown soggy adobe. Two shorebirds with dark and light patterning flee without being identified. A lone cygnet rests on the shore. A great blue heron flies off a good 1/3 mile downstream.

Near the island next to the island next to Pope's Flat (which is an island) I find a bird killer hooked on an old rope snagged on a water logged and barnacle encrusted tree limb. I collect the specimen.

I continue down following the other town's shoreline eventually noting that theirs is mostly marinas and docks while ours is a sizable and often vibrant salt marsh. The point where river becomes sea is my turn around. The marsh still too shallow for passage, I return as I came except for using the more protected inner channel. I find a few common loons as I near the sea. One surfaces 20 yards away and takes its time eyeing me before diving.
I add a couple more herons and one mature bald eagle to the daily count.
Thursday, 29 August 2013
SALUDA RIVER T U Fiberglass Fly Rod Presentation

The Saluda River Trout Unlimited meetings are held at McWaters which is located at 1104 Shop Road in Columbia, South Carolina. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. Bring some extra cash for pizza dinner and for the raffles.
Along with the presentation I'll be bringing along a few different demo fly rods that can be cast in the parking lot and will likely figure out a fiberglass fly rod to giveaway as well.
Need more information? Visit the Saluda River Trout Unlimited event page HERE.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
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Saturday, 1 September 2012
Indian River
The neighbor walks by as I am about to descend the seawall to the put-in.
"Rough day for a canoe."
"Yeah, just getting in the water will be the hard part."
A 10 mph wind direct out of the east across 15 miles of open water is delivering 2 ft waves to the boulder shoreline that I launch from. I have prior knowledge that it is a tough place to swamp a canoe in wavy conditions. I load the canoe with my pack clipped to a lanyard. Then I put the canoe in the water broadside to the waves and stand helping it to roll over the larger steep faced ones. Then I start mentally recorded what the water looks like 50 yards out when it delivers large waves or relatively small waves. After a minute of this I time my move and hop quickly into the canoe dropping directly to my more stable kneeling position and paddle off. For the first half mile the waves come at my side. I glance over my left shoulder constantly watching for larger waves that might break over the gunwale. It all goes well, just a rolling ride. As I near Pond Point the waves start coming on the aft quarter. Then, at the point I swing just a bit into Calf Pen Bay and I am sheltered from the action. About halfway across the bay I start riding waves again, but the wave length is longer and easier to deal with. One last corner, Welches Point, where I get a few good long pushes from behind and then it is calm.
I wish I could write while in such waters, but I can't. As well, my camera remained in its waterproof box, having neither the time to take it out or to use it.
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The Railroad Bridge |
I ride a flood tide under the rusty decrepit (and closed) bridge into Gulf Pond. I have not been here since there was ice...much too long for my local water. The pond is calm enough and there isn't much to mention except that several great blue herons and egrets are up at the top of the lower pond. There is not much to add about the upper pond either. It is just nice plain paddling.
I duck the last road bridge and then ride the flood under the narrow railroad bridge. The opening is maybe 20 ft, so tide water backs up here creating a short stretch of rapids that changes direction with the tides. It is a foot drop in fifty feet, upriver. I've never seen anyone up here, which is probably due to the current or water level preventing easy passage for about 18 hours of the day. I slip through and am greeted by several egrets and several glossy ibises. Birds are often more numerous on this side of the bridge.
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Great egret and glossy ibis |
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Snowy egret and great egret |

This is the Indian River. It meanders at first through spartina, then through a mess of invasive phragmites. I flush birds at the bends...a yellow crowned night heron, then a least bittern. I'd never seen a least bittern and it surprised me because it had been perched up in the phragmites and not on the shore...which is a noted trait of that bird. When the trees begin to enclose the river I start spotting kingfishers, and some green herons and more egrets. I continue all of the way up to the fish ladder. I've not been here in more than a year.

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Nearing the fish ladder |
I take out at the railroad bridge and portage home. It's just a mile and I am fairly well certain that I would not be able to cleanly exit my canoe where I started. It is a nice walk.
Monday, 20 August 2012
Malecite St John River Paddle
Another one of the paddles on my ever growing "to do list" is the 1896 Malecite St.John River Paddle documented in Adney's Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. The blade looks to be standard beavertail with a distinct spine, but the grip has some rectangular features and a carved drip ring which suites the paddle nicely.

Adney's St. John Malecite Pattern
After casually examining some of my books the other day, I recognized this grip pattern on the cover of Graham Warren's must have paddle making book, Canoe Paddles: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own. The grip is featured near the bottom right of his book cover..

G Warren's book cover, St.John Malecite grip on lower right
Warren's first publication (which I blogged about here) has a complete illustration with a table of offsets for this pattern as well. Graham has also graciously re-published an article on his website entitled The Malecite St.John River Paddle (.pdf format) that appeared in Open Canoe in 1996 which features the detailed pattern for anyone interested in this design. The 2011 article entitled "Know Your Paddles" by Beth Stanley in Canadian Woodworking also has a closeup shot of this grip featured below.

St. John River Malecite Grip
Friday, 27 April 2012
Bark Canoes of Australias Murray River
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The Murray River forms much of the border between New South Wales and Victoria before entering South Australia, entering the Indian Ocean through Lake Alexandrina, south of Adelaide. (Map from Wikipedia. Click any image to enlarge.) |
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A tree from which a section of bark was cut for a canoe. Even though no bark canoes of the type described here have been built for over 100 years, several of these slow-growing "canoe trees" still remain, showing the boat-shaped scar. |
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Murray River bark canoe under construction. Note the prop sticks around the edges. |
The end of the bark that was lower on the tree was always at the stern. This was much thicker than the bark at the other end, and often it could not be bent up sufficiently. In such cases, the stern would be closed in with a transom made from clay mixed with grass or other vegetable matter.
The canoes were propelled with a pole about 14' long. In deeper water, this was used in the manner of a double-bladed paddle. In shallow water, the canoe was poled, always using the thicker end of the pole against the bottom. The narrower end was sharpened and served as a fish spear. The paddler always stood, except when hunting, when he crouched. Passengers would crouch or sit.
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A funeral procession on the lower Murray, 1864. The corpse is in the foreground boat, covered with leaves. Note the small size and minimal freeboard of some of the canoes. |
Aborigines would fish and hunt from the canoes. One fishing technique was to stir up the bottom of the muddy river with the pole in an area suspected of harboring fish. When fish then fled into areas of vegetation, the paddler would follow their progress and deduce their location by the movement of the plants, and then thrust his spear "blind," so to speak, but often successfully.
For night-fishing, a small fire would be built near the bow on a platform of mud, bark and sticks. The fire would attract fish, which could then be speared by sight. One man would tend the fire, while another would handle the boat and wield the spear.
Early European explorers and settlers used the canoes, sometimes stealing them from Aborigines; sometimes acquiring them through barter or commissioning their construction, and occasionally building them for themselves after having observed the native techniques. One European recorded using a bark canoe to ferry as many as six sheep at a time across a river. Another told of carrying 400-pound bales of wool.
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On the Darling River, 1904. The canoe is in the South Australia Museum. |
(Most content and all photos from: Aboriginal Bark Canoes of the Murray Valley
Monday, 6 February 2012
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