December Holiday Party

Trip Reports

Brazos River
by John Rich

Lake Charlotte
by John Rich

Labor Day on the Sabine
by Paul Woodcock

Labor Day in the Hill Country
by John & Anne Olden

Lake Charlotte
by Paul Woodcock

Lake Charlotte Paddle with Friends
By Paul Woodcock

Thursday Aug 30 Dana called and asked if I would like to paddle Lake Charlotte the next day. I agreed. We did not post this trip on the web sight for two reasons. Fist is was a weekday trip posted at the last minute and we did not think anyone could go with so little notice, and the other was that his friend was not yet a club member and we did not want to have to collect the $10.00 fee.

We arrived at Cedar Hill Park at 7:00 AM hoping to finish the paddle before the heat built up and his friend had to work that afternoon. The gate was locked and a truck drove by and the driver said his son would open the gate shortly. He arrived on a four wheeler explaining that the park usually opened at 7:30. We thanked him and started our trip. We paddled to Mack Bayou. The island had built up larger than it was the last time I had been here. Dana had his GPS and the reading was off by about 50 feet. A gaiter swam in front of my boat. He seemed a little shorter than my boat but they always seem larger when you are close to them. We paddled to the Trinity River. I like this route that Dana chose because it keeps you paddling in the shade, a pleasing thing in the Aug. heat. As we progressed up the cut, Dana said that according to his GPS Miller lake was a short distance on our left. As the water was high we cut through the brush and trees. It wasn’t difficult getting through to the lake and we came out about 100 feet from the channel. We decided to Paddle to Mud Lake and after searching for the channel through the cypress tress we finally found it. I always have trouble finding it from this direction and a lot of tall weeds and grass obstructed the entrance. As we paddled further into the trees it became more obvious where it was. We paddled up the channel until it took a right hand turn. Dana said that Charlotte Lake was straight ahead and as time was becoming an issue we again cut across country. I had some difficulty following Dana as my canoe is longer and wider than his and I became stuck between the cypress roots. I really like paddling across country here and on Caddo Lake but you need a good compass and lots of stamina to do it. We hit Charlotte Lake and it was smooth as glass no wind at all. When we arrived at shore I had to clear all the brush and trash that had collected in my canoe. Charlotte Lake was one of the first trips I paddled with the Sierra club before I joined HCC. It is always a great place to paddle with all the birds, alligators and turtles, for company.