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| Good Morning Lake Jocassee!! |
Standing at the end of the new remote boat ramp looking north. The foremost group of trees is an island, we will paddle to the right side and circle around it then proceed up the lake. You can see the ripple on the surface, another light breeze and no boat traffic. Excellent morning for a canoe trip, not even eight o'clock yet and we are already on the water. Don't have a destination in mind just a desire to be paddling and get away from the civilized life! Gracie and I left home before seven, we made a quick stop at the local Hardee's for a steak biscuit combo and then an uneventful drive to the lake. "I'd rather be lost on the lake then found at home." I have that hanging on the wall at home along with another one that says, "I love canoeing". Those are two good things because today I felt as if I was lost on the lake.
We paddled to the island and stopped to listen to mother nature talk to us about how sweet the birds sing and how many different ones we can hear if we just sit still and absorb the sounds around us. We rocked with the movement of the still lake water. The cloud cover and the surrounding tree covered hills created an amphitheater for the blend of notes bouncing around the canoe making me smile. We continue paddling up the right side of the lake following close to the shore. This shore line is not friendly toward us canoeist, no place to stop and stand on good old Mother earth, we just paddle and listen for the small hidden waterfalls tumbling into the lake.
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| Very small Falls hidden back in a cave. |
I hear several of these and can see most of them but a few are behind the under growth. Pull out your map of the lake and find Bootleg Mtn. on the eastern side of the lake, this is where we are following the water's edge. When I get to the end of the point I normally make a beeline for the Oconee county side and skim pass the land mass jutting into the lake, but today we stay with the shore and curve to the right entering a part of the lake where I usually do not go. I have seen fish jumping all morning, but something new pops up next to the canoe and I am surprised to see a group of otter sliding into the lake. One is most nosey and keeps popping up and holding himself for three or four seconds trying to figure out what I am. I did the best I could to get this picture, he did not pose for me. [ If I ever capsize on the lake, it will be trying to take a picture! ]
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| Otter head |
Gracie and I see a place to beach the canoe and eat some lunch, maybe kick back and relax for an hour. I never like to come to the lake if I have to hurry.
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| Almost Heaven |
We stay here a couple of hours and you ask the question. "What do you for two hours on that small bit of beach?" The answer -- NOTHING -- Now do you get it? Life really "don't get much better then this" I know that there are some people who are afraid to be by themselves, I guess they are scared of what they see when it is just them and themselves all alone with no place to go! Remember a wise turtle once said, "Hiking is good for the soul and canoeing will make you whole!"
Enough introspection! Paddle on to new adventures! There are more trees to see. Rock formations rising out of the cold depths of clear water! Dead trees standing guard over crumbling cliffs! The exciting danger filled days of a flat water canoeist on a lazy hot summer day. Off in the distance the sound of a motor powered boat and all five senses are on full alert anticipating the wake heading my way, the canoe will rock once, twice, maybe three times and then the instability and danger will be past until the next time! Gracie sleeps on! I paddle steadily! What new action packed story will I have to relay to the wife when I return home? Hold on to the gunnels it could get rough!
OK then, moving on toward Laurel Fork Creek Falls my mind goes blank. I don't know where on the lake I am. Really where am I? I see nothing familiar and sit in wonderment at my lack of knowledge of this part of the lake. Just keep moving with the shore on your right and something will be familiar in a minute. Yes, now I know where I am! Have stopped here many times on my way to the suspension bridge and the Toxaway River.
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| Trail into mountains. Not Foothills Spur Trail. |
From here we go to the water falls behind the rock, boat traffic picks up the closer we get to this popular waterfalls. A spur trail of the Foothills trail stops at the lake giving access to the camping area at the top of the falls. Have hiked to the camping area and did an overnighter a couple of times, came in from the 178 trail head, my most favorite part of the Foothills trail. A good rugged hike for an old man. There is a parked pontoon blocking the entrance to the falls, people are fishing! People move the boat! We have come to see water falling from on high not "persons of interest" fishing.
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| Laurel Creek Falls from a distance. |
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| Laurel Creek Falls |
You can see Gracie is not happy, we are bumped up next to the pontoon and a fishing line is almost in the canoe. The dog on the pontoon is barking and I'm trying to take a picture so we are just free floating. I say I'm sorry for being in their space, but I'm really not! They need to move! They don't! This is a beautiful place, the mist from the falls keeps everything green and cool. We paddle out to the main part of the lake and turn toward the boat ramps and return the way we came. We still don't get in a hurry and steadily move on down the lake. The sun is out and it has warmed up, I stop and take a quick swim to cool off, drink some Gatorade and hand comb my hair back over the top of my head. This is important to understand when we get to the ramp and the other boaters are giving me strange looks. When I go to the car I look in the mirror and see my hair sticking up and out all over my head. Wild man look! That and no shirt seems to scare people away!
On the lake,
Turtle
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