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Tag: kayaking

The West Bank of Jocassee

Posted on August 18, 2016August 18, 2016 By Tom 2 Comments on The West Bank of Jocassee
Paddling

Lake Jocassee-7

Jocassee can be many things. Beginning paddlers can hang close to the bank and still get to some cool geological features and small waterfalls. Intermediate paddlers and venture further up to Wright Creek Falls and the Thompson River and Whitewater River areas. Experienced paddlers can take longer trips across open water to the Horsepasture and Toxaway arms of the lake. Regardless of the route taken, conditions on the lake can change in an instance, turning a leisurely paddle into a real challenge. That was really born out on my most recent trip to the lake.

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The Coves of East Jocassee

Posted on June 25, 2016June 25, 2016 By Tom No Comments on The Coves of East Jocassee
Paddling, Photography

Lake Jocassee Kayaking-3

The day was supposed to be hot. I thought the perfect antidote would be a cool mountain lake. So, Thursday morning I headed out early for what I thought would be a quick morning paddle on Lake Jocassee. As usual, I got caught up in the thrill of wanting to see what was just around the next bend, and wound up spending most of the day there. It met all my requirements for a cool lake, and then some.

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Kayaking and Coffee

Posted on June 9, 2016 By Tom 2 Comments on Kayaking and Coffee
Paddling, Photography

Kayaking Coffee

When I’m down in Florida I like to do at least one sunrise paddling trip. With the weather as iffy as it’s been, I’ve been wavering on when to paddle. I usually get up around 5:00 to walk the dog, and that usually gives me a good idea of conditions. One morning the skies were clear, but weird lightning kept me on-shore. Finally, one morning this week I decided to go for it, despite clouds and a bit of heat lightning.

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Paddling the May River with Lowcountry Unfiltered

Posted on May 17, 2016 By Tom No Comments on Paddling the May River with Lowcountry Unfiltered
Paddling, Photography

May River Paddling with Lowcountry Unfiltered-98

It’s another Lowcountry Unfiltered Second Saturday, which means paddling with my friends. Last month we traveled up to the Fall Line to paddle Turkey and Stevens Creeks. This month we would be hanging close to home, at least for the majority of our paddlers. We would be paddling the May River, launching from Bluffton. It wasn’t close to home for me, though. I made the four-hour drive down yesterday in time to do some pre-LCU paddling with Tim Brown on the New River. Today’s exploration with the larger group would be quite different.

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A River with an Identity Crisis: Paddling Turkey and Stevens Creeks

Posted on April 11, 2016April 11, 2016 By Tom 2 Comments on A River with an Identity Crisis: Paddling Turkey and Stevens Creeks
Paddling, Photography

Turkey and Stevens Creeks-60

Another Second Saturday and time for a Lowcountry Unfiltered adventure. This was actually a cross-over event, with as many participants from the Church of the Double-Bladed Paddle group on Facebook as LCU participants. Granted, two of us were in both groups, but still. The venue was one for the books – Turkey Creek and Stevens Creek in McCormick County turned out to be a waterway with an identity crisis. It didn’t know if it wanted to be Upcountry or Lowcountry.

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Sparkleberry at Low Water

Posted on September 14, 2015 By Tom 2 Comments on Sparkleberry at Low Water
Paddling, Photography

Sparkleberry Swamp with LCU-133

It was a Second Saturday and time for another Lowcountry Unfiltered outing. This time we planned to paddle Sparkleberry Swamp. Our group had paddled here a couple of times before, and I’ve been here lots of times, most recently with Dwight and his son Adam back in June. I’ve already written huge amounts about what a magical place it is to paddle. This time we had some newbies with us, and this time we experienced the swamp as we never had before.

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The Remote Savannah

Posted on August 18, 2015August 19, 2015 By Tom 4 Comments on The Remote Savannah
Paddling, Photography

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin! Lowcountry Unfiltered on the Savannah River.

We missed our traditional Second Saturday trek with Lowcountry Unfiltered. Laura and I were still in Florida, and Matt was tied up with moving. Several others of our group also had conflicts, so we decided to postpone the trip to the third Saturday. For this trip, we decided to tackle a wild and remote section of the Savannah River. We would be putting in at Burton’s Ferry Landing and paddling 15 miles downriver to Cohen’s Bluff.

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Seventh Annual LowCountry Unfiltered Beer Commercial and Rope Swing Edisto Adventure

Posted on July 14, 2015July 16, 2015 By Tom 4 Comments on Seventh Annual LowCountry Unfiltered Beer Commercial and Rope Swing Edisto Adventure
Paddling, Photography
Lowcountry Unfiltered on the Edisto
Skies part…angel chorus sings as LCU hits the Edisto once again.

My, how time flies. Back in 2008 I spotted a couple of guys online on Flickr that posted photos similar to mine. They were planning a trip down the Edisto and invited me to tag along. That turned out to be an epic adventure. Seven years later and we’re still going strong, taking an adventurous trip somewhere the second Saturday of each month. These guys have become some of my closest friends, and it seemed right commemorate this auspicious occasion.

The “Rope Swing” part of the title should be obvious. Our ADD paddlers tend to stop at just about every sandbar, especially if it has a rope swing. As for the “Beer Commercial” part, that comes from various home brewers in our group, most notably James Brown, trying out their wares on our group. It’s not a serious paddling trip – basically a party on the river with kayaks as the mode of transportation.

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Mid-Week in Sparkleberry

Posted on June 6, 2015 By Tom 1 Comment on Mid-Week in Sparkleberry
Paddling, Photography

The Cathedral-1

Last week Dwight sent me a message asking if I’d be up for a mid-week paddle. Laura would be out of town with family, so I thought it would be a great chance to head down to one of my favorite paddling venues, Sparkleberry Swamp.

The sky was a bit overcast and there was a chance of thunderstorms for the afternoon, but it looked to be a good day of paddling. Laura had an early flight that morning, so I dropped her off at the airport and headed on down to rendezvous with Dwight and his son Adam.

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Lake Hartwell from Lawrence Bridge

Posted on May 21, 2015May 21, 2015 By Tom 4 Comments on Lake Hartwell from Lawrence Bridge
Paddling, Photography

Lake Hartwell at Lawrence Bridge-74

I really wanted to get out on the water. It was a beautiful day, but storms were predicted for the afternoon, so a morning paddle would have to do. That meant selecting from one of the many short-paddle options nearby. I had been threatening to introduce Ken Cothran to kayaking, so I decided to pick him up and head to Lake Hartwell. Specifically, we would be launching from Lawrence Bridge on the Keowee River branch of the lake and exploring some of the coves nearby.

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