The Latest from the Bateman Section or Beaver Rampage

10/21/11

Beaver Apocalypse

I did the Bateman section today. The river level was 5.66 feet at the LaGrange Bridge. This is a low, and there were sand bars that I had never seen before. The clear water allowed for good visibility. I could see the bottom in most places. The temps were in the low 60s but would drop as the sun began to set. 

We got a late start today, not getting on to the river until almost 3:00 pm. The “Little Ghost” section was beautiful in the afternoon sun. The river spilled between the cypress trees creating small rapids then calm pools. As the river re-entered the old channel, we saw several king fishers and a couple of great blue herons. We entered the grasslands easily. I expected to run aground on a sand shoal and have to portage. Instead the water was deeper and wider than expected. The grasslands were stunning in the autumn sun. I saw many places were open Asian clam shells covered the bottom.  We began to hear trickling water and then I discovered the reason for the deep water. Beavers had built an extensive dam of sticks and mud. It effectively blocked the river and the canoe trail. The water on the other side of the dam was almost two feet lower. I tried to find away around it, but the dam extended into the brush. It was clear that we would have to portage over at some point. So, we decided to stay on the canoe trail. I tried to bust a hole through it, but it was difficult without tools and the sun was beginning to set. We portaged the dam and continued. We saw other partial dams and a lodge as we went. On one of the higher dams, a water moccasin basked in the sun while remaining in a tight coil. His head protruded higher than his body giving him an almost regal appearance. He was truly the king of this swamp. I took some pictures of the four foot serpent as he slithered away. We continued to the lunch spot and stopped briefly. This is where the river re-entered the old channel. As we moved downstream, I saw several deer. One being a buck with a large set of velvet covered antlers. We also saw an owl flying through the trees. I did not get a close enough look to identify the species. The leaves had begun to drop  offering a better view of the surrounding swamp. I could see the open area beyond the trees. Here was a vast network of sloughs that drained into the river by trickling streams. I had entered some of the sloughs before, but since it was getting late we passed up opportunities to explore. We hurried to the “enchanted” cypress forest as the church bells of Moscow began to chime. Slits of orange sunlight illuminated the watery forest. It had grown colder so we hurried through the trees and under the bridge. The sky had turned a peach sherbet color as the sun disappeared below the tree line. The canal to the mini mall parking lot had recently been improved. My thanks to whomever dug it out. We joked that it was the work of beavers, but it looked like someone had dug it out by hand.