Extreme Kayaking

A few people have hinted that I take kayaking to the extreme. Hahahah. That is entirely incorrect. Below are a few examples of extreme kayaking.

04/04/2010 - Mobile River

Launch: Causeway Boat Ramp (just west of Oysterella's restaurant)

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1) The BluzCruz kayak race on the big Mississippi River is coming up in less than two weeks, so today I wanted to get out on the Mobile River and push the pace a little for training purposes. Not many photos today. Tried to reach this break stop in less than an hour and missed it by 60 seconds.

2) As always, there is dredging going on in the Mobile River.

3) Between the 10-15 mph wind, current and tug boat wakes, Mobile River was a little choppy and I ended up getting soaked.

4) Down by Choctaw Pass, surface conditions are almost always a worse than anywhere else along the loop.

5) This huge drill bit on another Dredging vessel looks like it'll loosen up the river sediment easily.

6) Waves on the Tensaw River were perfect for catching 6-7 mph rides for short distances. This 17 mile loop only took 3.5 hours with an average speed of 5 mph. Can't wait to see what the big Mississippi River is like.

04/02/2010 - Twelvemile Island Loop

Launch: Steele Creek Lodge near Satsuma, AL
To see or download the track of this trip, Click Here

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1) Today's destination was to loop around Twelvemile Island and paddle in a few of it's tributaries. I was fighting the wind and current going down Bayou Sara. Mobile River was a little bit choppy.

2) This boat operator only had a few inches of clearance.

3) Most of the tributaries in Twelvemile Island were open with very little shade - something you might consider if planning to do this in the heat of summer.

4) Each tributary had one or more members of their welcoming committee members there to greet visiting kayakers.

5) What once was a great place to get out on a wood dock to stretch the legs is now buried under this metal roof.

6) It's a Porta-Potty that will eventually recycle back into the environment - maybe in about 500 years.

7) There were quite a few snowy egrets along the bank of the Mobile River. 

8) The railroad bridge over Big Bayou Canot. This is where the 1993 Amtrak train disaster occurred that killed 47 people.

9) There was an unusual amount of boats out on the water today - it might have had something to do with Good Friday. Every Friday that I kayak is a Good Friday! The boat in this photo had 5 dogs chained to the front of the boat. The boat was passing close because the Gas Line canal is narrow.

10) This smiling lady had just netted a Drum fish.

04/01/2010 - Bayou Tallapoosa / Bayou Jessamine Loop

Launch: Rice Creek Landing near Stockton, AL

To see or download the Track of this trip, Click Here.

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1) Rice Creek Landing - water levels are finally down - 6 to 7 feet down. Check out the high water line.

2) Waldo? Forget Waldo - see if you can find the dangerous limb hook in this photo that is at face level. Yes, limb hooks sometimes blend in with the environment and are HARD to see. Click here to see the hook highlighted.

3) I hadn't expected to see such a wide variety of color in the trees today.

 4) The foliage was magnificent.

5) Receded waters left the forest floor coated with mud making it easy to spot where critters have been. 

6) Can you figure out what animals left these tracks?

7) Today's route was a loop through Bayou Tallapoosa with stops at Dead Lake Island and Jug Lake platforms. The carpenter bees were horrendous around the platforms so I stayed in the kayak. I also checked to see if the waterways were open to the Chippewa Lakes and Dominic Creek but water levels have to be higher to gain entrance to them.

8) There were about a half dozen snakes that dropped from tree limbs into the water today and in narrow waterways, one needs to pay attention when going near limbs. This harmless water snake, a mere foot away from the kayak, was soaking up some sun on the mud bank.

9) Alligators are not always easy to spot. Today I had to hug the bank to get around quite a few fallen trees. One alligator, high up on the bank and out of view, came crashing down the bank about 5 feet away while I was trying to get around a tree. That woke up me.

10) This is the Two Rivers Point WMA campground. Unfortunately, the metal stairway has shifted out into the water (top railing visible to the left of the kayak) and anyone wanting to camp here now must negotiate the mud bank and the climb could be 4-8 feet high. The root of the tree visible in this photo, is a helpful climbing aid.

11) These little ducks tried to keep up with the Hobie kayak but were no match as it passed them by. They were peeping loudly while mama watched from a distance.

12) An interesting camp site along one of the waterways. Probably a meth lab.

03/30/2010 - Lower Crab Creek / Tensaw River - Six Tributaries

Launch: Causeway Boat Ramp (just west of Oysterella's restaurant)

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1) Late morning started off perfect - sunny, calm waters and no wind. Had started to do the Mobile River loop but changed the mind due to a windy afternoon forecast.

2) Started by doing a loop around Delvan Bay and went up the narrow tributary at the top of Delvan Bay.

3) Blooming Shoreline Sedge (Carex hyalinolepis) was very abundant along the banks in some areas.

4) The flower on a Black Willow tree (Salix nigra).

5) Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera) aka Bayberry. A sprig of aromatic Wax Myrtle kept in a drawer is said to keep cockroaches out.

6) Today's kayak trip was rather exciting because the route included going up into six different unnamed tributaries until it got too shallow or over grown to go any further.

7) Red maples were still in seed.

8) An osprey eagle coming in for a landing on its nest.

9) Saw a lot of alligators today.

10) Quite a few alligators scared the daylights out of me as they wildly thrashed to get into the water, usually before I ever saw them.

11) A rare place of rest for the weary kayaker in the lower marsh lands.

12) As predicted, the winds were rather strong out of the south on the return trip. To see the track of this trip, Click Here.