Guide Appreciation Night (The Ghost River by Moon Light

10/27/12

            The WRC was nice enough to offer a guide appreciation float on the Ghost River Section. The idea was to float on a night with a full moon in the fall or winter. The full moon of course provides light and it being fall, the leaves don’t interfere with the moonlight. Despite the season, there were still green leaves on the tupelo trees and the bald cypress fronds were just beginning to turn a yellow orange. The maples, however, were full on red and purple. The skies were clear with temps in the mid forties but dropping as night grew closer.

            We prepared to put in at sunset, but not before taking a few group pictures. A couple of us, including a professional photographer took pics and video of the group. I was asked to take the point position. Considering that the group consisted of a who’s who of the WRC river guides, I felt honored. However, I knew that it would be challenging to lead the group through the Ghost in the dark.

            I slid my single seat Old Town canoe into the gently flowing river and was surprised at the clarity of the water. I could see a couple of feet down.  Another paddler remarked that it was like floating on smoked glass. The relatively clear water allowed me to see colorful, fallen leaves plastered to submerged logs. I followed the meandering river into the setting sun.   There is a special beauty to magic hour, dusk on the river. The peach and yellow sky reflected off the ripples of the river’s surface.

            The course of the Wolf is ever changing, and we noted that some past channels were no longer navigable. I had to lead the group down the canal that runs adjacent to the manmade fishing lake. We arrived at an open spot where eagles were often sighted. I looked for the raptors, as I floated into a small bay near stop 1 to wait for the others. When the last of the group arrived, the photographer took a group shot from the water.

            Multiple 90 degree right and left turns brought us to stop 2 a little after civil twilight.  A flowing slough enters the river at the bend of one of turns. A fellow paddler and I discussed our adventure of two summers ago up the slough to an area known as the cathedral. 

            I continued in the point using my headlamp to find the next canoe trail sign. I noticed that the newer signs have fluorescent paint that glows in the lamplight. The older signs are much harder to see. It was a good idea to include the fluorescent paint as they are much easy to navigate by at night. Some paddlers asked that everyone turn out their lights, but I found while I could see the ghostly outline of the moonlit river I could not find the canoe trail without a light.

            We arrived at stop 3, the lunch spot, and enjoyed refreshments provided by Ghost River Brewery and Brad’s BBQ. We took pictures and told stories, but the supplies began to run low. The group decided to push on, but not before we voted that we should camp at the lunch spot next year.  Sadly, when I went to my boat, I noticed that my wedding band was gone. I had lost it somewhere between the truck and the lunch stop. I have a feeling that I may have lost it at the LaGrange access. If anyone sees a tungsten, a gray metal, ring, send me a message.

We continued to the Ghost River Section. Along the way, I noticed small glowing orbs that turned out to be spider eyes, a couple of which belonged to large wolf spiders. I stopped to point the Leatherwood “access”. It was marked by a couple of signs and a small white cross made of circles.  At one point, we could hear a deer running parallel to the right bank of the river.

I stopped the group to rendezvous at the entrance of the Ghost River Section. While I waited, I heard the news that a couple of paddlers decided to go swimming. The water temp was warmer than the air temp, as indicated by the rising steam, but it seemed a little cool for a swim.

Entering the “Ghost” was like entering a dark tunnel. Most of the trees still had their leaves and the itea bushes were just starting to turn red. The vegetation blocked the moonlight but did allow an eerie glow that lit the surface of the water. Most of the time I used my headlamp to find the trail signs, but I also stopped and turned off the light to experience the moonlit river swamp. The current slackened by the time we reached stop 5. I gazed into the dark tupelo forest while waiting for the others. I thought about taking the secret tupelo trail, but I don’t think the group would have been interested. Instead, we followed the gradually widening trail that led us to Spirit Lake. From here, everyone plotted his or her own course through the lake. Some followed the channel while others set a compass for 270W, the coordinates that lead to the lake outlet. We met briefly near stop 6, and then entered one of the fastest runs of water on the river.

The Devil’s Terrarium at night was as entertaining as I’d hoped. The divergent river course allowed paddlers a number of correct routes to the Bateman access. I played it safe and didn’t take the far left chute. I could see that some of the canoes were having trouble with the cypress knees in the dark. I took an alternative channel to avoid hitting a canoe that had turned broadside to the current. After a few turns, I was in the grasslands. Other paddlers passed me, as I floated in the rippling water under an almost full moon. I wanted to enjoy the last few minutes on the Upper Wolf.