11/08/2009 - ASRT Ghost Paddle

Launch: Isaac Creek Campground River Bank

Event: ASRT Ghost Paddle

1) Sunrise on our last day.

2) Superb cloud work. Little did we know a storm was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.

3) Fog on the Alabama River burnt off quickly.

4) Jacquemontia densely absorbed the morning dew.

5) Everything was wet with dew including this rattlebox wildflower.

6) Golden rod seeds with the damp kayaks in the background.

7) Cleanup after the breakfast. What is missing from these photos are the meals and entertainment both of which were good. I was too busy eating the good food to take photos.

8) Kayakers were beginning to launch and were ready to experience today's dam paddle.

9) The park manager in his power boat cautiously led everyone toward the Claiborne Lock and Dam.

10) Approaching the Claiborne Lock entrance.

11) Entering the lock via the large open doors. Note the waterline color on the wall.

12) Gathering for a group photo. Waters started to recede quickly.

13) The exit doors open inward. Note the water line level now. For perspective, one of the dam workers can be seen on the upper right part of the structure. 

14) The last of the kayaks were exiting the lock.

15) Now on the downside of the dam looking up, you can see the water flowing over the submerged dam on the left.

16) Once past the dam, there were occasional sandbars but for the most part, the banks were very silty mud.

17) Unlike the Alabama Port where dock bumpers are relatively low, docks on the Alabama River in this area must tall to accommodate all the different river levels.

18) It is amazing where plants will try to grow.

19) Underwater pipe flow coming from a local paper mill left the water smelling like exactly like a paper mill. (Phew)

20) The US Hwy 84 bridge over Alabama River. It is also the location of the Claiborne Boat Launch which was our exit point and sadly the end of our journey.

21) On the top of the Claiborne boat launch.

So, what was the deal with the Ghost Paddle? If you weren't there, you missed hunting for the Ghost of Nancy on Haines Mountain with real paranormal investigators and yes, we had unexplainable occurrences that were not fabricated.

This three day paddle up around Claiborne Lake on the Alabama River is not really part of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta so it is a bit off topic from the theme of this blog. It is actually part of the Alabama Coosa Tallapoosa Basin. The area is quite remote and beautiful, only about a two hour drive from Mobile and well worth taking a weekend camping trip to explore. For more about this basin, read this PDF by clicking here.

Video from the Ghost Paddle

11/07/2009 - ASRT Ghost Paddle

Launch: Haines Island Park / Davis Ferry Boat Launch
Event: ASRT Ghost Paddle

Header Image

1) The Haines Island Park / Davis Ferry launch site. Boat ramps in the Clairborne Lake area are long because river levels can fluctuate as much as 50 feet.

2) The kayak group is underway. The Davis Ferry cable can be seen overhead. (The 1 or 2 car ferry apparently operates only on week days.)

3) Headed toward the south side of Haines Island.

4) This is the narrow cut around the south side of Haines Island. There are several creek branches to explore off this cut. The group only went up one. Three members paddled up one of the other branches and got separated from the main group. The main group had to wait for them to catch up as two kayakers when back looking for them.

5) Motorboat's dog owner trying to get his dog to see the dog in the kayak. His dog was more interested in the camera.

6) One dog joined us on the kayak trip.

7) Starting up Cane Creek. There was reluctance on which way to go as the creek splits into Cane Creek and Camp Creek. We were looking for a lunch site.

8) Thinking that everyone was in agreement to go up Cane Creek, several of us kept paddling only to realize after about ten minutes that the rest of the group stopped and turned around to go back to the main river.

9) Four of us found the boat ramp and camping shelter and proceeded to have a quick lunch there.

10) We started seeing some birds when we entered the Stump Lake area.

11) Starting to enter the wider area of Stump Lake which isn't that big.

12) The fall colors in Stump Lake were beautiful.

13) Looking at yellow Bur-Marigolds. The grayish color on the leaves is where the waters had been just a few days earlier - about 4 feet higher.

14) The colors in the back of Stump Lake were beautiful.

15) This was one of the few areas with signs of civilization. Claiborne Lake is the most remote of all the Alabama River Lakes.

16) Some areas of the river banks are steep with 50-100 foot sheer drop-offs.

17) The ASRT kayak group was shadowed by a park ranger in a power boat.

18) It was quite chilly at the beginning of the trip but by late afternoon, it turned out to be a perfect day for paddling.

19) If you look closely (click on thumbnail image for larger view), you can see a motorboat on the right side.

20) Here is what it looked like when the power boat took off. (Phew)

21) Our takeout point was a fairly steep bank just south of the entrance to Isaac Creek, which was next to our camping area.

22) After a nice shower, it was time to relax and watch the sunset.

23) Sunset across the Alabama River.

24) Just when it looked like the ten minute sunset was over, the gray clouds started to colorize and it lasted for another ten minutes. Awesome!