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

Sabine Labor day trip
By Paul Woodcock

I have been on the Sabine Labor day trip for 13 years and this is the seconded time I took my grandkids. The last time a few years ago I ended up towing them. They are older now and I told them that they would have to paddle all the way themselves as I can’t physically help them any more.

(the putin for the Sabine trip)

(Ken carries his gear to the put in)

I gave them my 15 ft Intrigue and a double blade and they took off and I had a hard time keeping up with them. They still need to learn to help more around camp but they can paddle. I paddled with the big thicket voyagers as I did not want to pay the $10.00 fee the ACA for them. They had to endure my camp cooking.

(grandkids enjoy catching minnows)

The first night I picked out the campsite as we arrived to the sandbar first. I know the dam release will cause the water to rise. So I placed the tents and the traditional tarp city up the sand bar at what I thought would be a safe elevation. We were sitting under the tarp when someone said to look over toward the east. Black clouds and a wind started us scouring around putting up cook gear and heading toward our tents. The rains hit hard.
(Tent and camping gear set high away from river's edge)

In the middle of the night my grandkids came to my tent saying that their tent was leaking so I had them get their gear and join me. Some time later someone knocked on my tent saying that the water was almost to my tent. I got out and discovered that water was ankle deep in the kid’s tent and the kitchen area was under water. We started moving things. We had tied most of the boats to the tarp to secure it so we drug them to higher ground. When I moved the kid’s tent I broke one of the fiberglass poles. The next morning we discovered that Mary’s boat had floated down river as well as some of my cookware. For the first time in 15 years we had lost a boat on my watch. CC. had her raft and she and Mary went down stream to search for her canoe. As we were finishing packing they returned. They had found it down stream in a strainer.
The next camp was the night for the games. They were delayed because of the rains but when it cleared, they were a great success lead by Mary Z. All the kids and adult alike were grinning with pride over their medals provide by M$B canoe and Kayak. The Margaritas were also a great success and added an element to the adult participation in the games.

The last day of paddling was easy - just dodging the strainers. There was no headwind as there usually is. As we packed the gear up the sandbar, I discovered that my rehab has a ways to go. I just couldn’t carry my gear. Club members and friends pitched in and carried my stuff to the truck. Mary had hired some to pull the canoes up on their four wheelers. I want to thank all who helped me on the trip. I can paddle the 38 miles but portages are tough.

The grandkids had a great time even thought they had muscles so sore that they claimed they couldn’t even move the next week I am just hoping they will develop my love of the outdoors.
The Earth is my mother. The Animals are my brother and the canoe lets me get closer to them.