O AMERICA By Celtic Woman

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SNOWFALL ON ABRAMS CREEK AT CHRISTMAS-PADDLIING THE MISTRAL

Gary's Outdoor Wanderings2: A CHRISTMAS CANOE PADDLE IN THE MISTRAL

THE PROUD MOMENT OF ACCOMPLISHMENT! DAMN THIS PROPOSED CRANE HUNT IN TENNESSEE!!!!!

Here's a picture of a proud, crafty hunter after his kill on a crane.  The glasses and hunting garb will hide his identity.   What an accomplishment! 
What joy must fill his heart at this moment!  The Kodak moment that every hunter strives for is the result of years of skill and learned tracking ability,  to seek and outwit the prey in it's own territory.  So much bunk!  This proposal to kill cranes is nothing more than selecting another wild creature to kill legally and collect revenue for that privilege.  Believe it!!
To kill, and I don't use the word hunt,  these beautiful birds is sacrilege.  There is absolutely no honor in it.  The term hunting is not applicable to this bird.   The cranes are totally vulnerable and unable to flee fast enough to outdistance the guns that are trained upon them.  The only chance they have is to fly in shear numbers and sacrifice the birds on the fringes of the flock.  What is TWRA thinking?   Has the crane been put on the hunting roster in Tennessee just because other states have elected to kill sandhills?  Does Tennessee have to kill cranes just because other states do?  No;  that's not it at all.  The reason for the kill proposal is because it's a popular course of action to satisfy hunters.  The disrespect levied upon this magnificent bird by TWRA and the hunting community has and is infuriating me.  I guess it does so because I can see no reason for the killing of sandhill cranes. 

The crane hunt will occur this year.  But, it is essential that the non hunting public be unrelenting in their letter campaigns expressing outrage at the mere thought of killing this noble bird.  We can not let the topic get stale.  Letters, letters and more letters must be sent throughout the year.  A powerful, clear message of outrage must be presented to the TWRA politicians who are responsible for this social embarrassment.  Sorry for the rant. 

A MORNING ON THE MEADOW WITH DOGS

click photos to enlarge

It is frigid out.  I mean cold.  Is this really Tennessee?  I loaded the guys up and drove down to my favorite meadow at the old state park.  We walked through the meadows.  See the movie immediately below to watch goofy Shade rolling in the snow.  What a goofball!  A beautiful goofball and a free wild spirit..

The weather is supposed to warm up starting tomorrow afternoon and by Thursday we should see 50 to 55 degrees here in East Tennessee.  That's when I'll pull the canoe out.  If the rain isn't too bad I'll take Shade and Douglas to Calderwood for a camp out.  In the worse scenario, I'll get the canoe on Indian Boundary Lake if it rains.  Today, however, we're just going to enjoy the forest and the meadows.

My feet make crunching noises as I plod along on the frozen surface.  The dogs glide by effortlessly ignoring the frozen ground, cutting left and right at breakneck speed and reversing course without sliding an inch.  How do they do it?

 I brought Happy along today as we won't be out too long.  I'll have them back in a couple hours;  maybe three.  Happy has short hair and will commence to shiver if she sits and rests for long.  I got her a little knit coat to wear for these cold outings.

Happy is far from being a hunting dog but, I notice she is inquisitive about holes in trees, burrows in the ground and the like.  She will raise her head when in the forest, nose to the sky, and test for the scent of things.  She never used to do that but caught on from being with Douglas.  Dogs may not have human thought processes but, they sure know how to mimic other dogs and even humans.

A coldness came over me when we reached the gate to the old mansion ruins.  Maybe it was the icy white snow on the cold stones that once held a gate.

The place reminded me of a living entity that had met a tragic end and the carcass left for the natural world to reclaim the skeleton.  The marvelous mansion that sat upon a strong, three brick deep foundation has gone into history leaving a mere outline of it's once formidable self.  Even the rows of remaining hand made brick, now in disarray, add to the coldness of the Winter view.  I never felt those feelings about this place before.

I have seen a very ancient photograph of the mansion in black and white that was void of any photographical excellence what so ever.  I have it posted somewhere on this blog.  A search would turn it up.  Each time I come here I can visualize that old mansion sitting where the foundation bricks lay today.  A porch wrapped around the entire first story of the place.  Four sets of seven granite steps located one set at each side of the house, permitted access to the porch on all four sides.   It must have been a marvelous home.  If I sit in the front yard and lean back against one of the huge trees;  in my minds eye I can see people standing and sitting on that porch.  Two children sitting on the porch railing arguing and an old lady in a rocker staring out across the yard into the forest are a few of my favorite visions.. I sometimes can see a tall, thin man of about 60 years of age walking, bent slightly at the waste, up the hill in the yard toward the porch.  He has a very wide brimmed, brown hat on with a flat crown.  In his left hand he carries a scythe. His right hand holds a neckerchief that he is wiping his forehead with.  The off white shirt is soaked with sweat.   His steps are slow but deliberate.  A lady steps out of the house onto the porch and notices the man approaching the porch steps.  She is wiping her hands on a light brown apron she wears around her waste.  Her light weight, black cotton dress reaches to the floor and is accented with dirty white colored cuffs at the end of the sleeves and the same color for the shoulder trim and lapel at her neck.  She turns and re enters the house.  It is obviously dinner time.  I could go on and on.....
Oh well;  see how my mind works?  Better move on out into the meadow
"Douglas;  come!  Shade;  Happy:  come!"

 The soil is softening out here.  I can't believe it is thawing out this quickly.   Tractors keep the meadows maintained and it is their tracks we are walking on under the snow.  I guess that has a lot to do with the "almost mud" consistency of the soil.  Movie time:

The birds of the day seem to be crows, blue jays and cardinals.  The crows have been very vocal.  Douglas and Shade scared up a covey of quail just now.  They just stumbled upon them.  the birds were in tall, brown grass that was bent over and covered with snow.  They had a great little house in there.  The snow gave shelter from the wind and prevented heat dissipation as they gathered tightly together.  I'm sorry we disturbed them.  Habitat isn't hard to find here at this old park.  TWRA has kept this property primarily with thought toward the birds that seek refuge here.  Those quail will be under cover instantly.  There appeared to be about twenty birds in that little flock.  Maybe that's a big flock.  I don't know.  Quail aren't a prevalent bird in Pennsylvania where I come from.  In those Northern hills we have ruffed grouse.

Now there's a bird.  The thought of that bird brings to mind the proposal to shoot sandhill cranes in Tennessee in 2011.  Notice I stated, "shoot sandhill cranes" and not hunt sandhill cranes.  There isn't anything about hunting involved with killing a sandhill crane.  Just point the shotgun in the general direction, close your eyes and snap off the shot and a crane will fall.  Might as well tie their legs together and have at em.  Ridiculous proposal to hunt them!  Now, a ruffed grouse is a mighty fast bird.  Their speed is unequaled by any other game bird.  When grouse are flushed from hiding;  they immediately burst from cover at top speed.   They are almost impossible to follow with the eye.  Some fly low and some high straight away from cover.  Some fly low and high to the right and others to the left.  A grouse will always put a tree between itself and the hunter.  If trees are not available, and they always are;  the bird will literally fly directly into or inches above green brier bushes.  More times than not a hunter is shaken by the explosion of birds and the multi-direction they simultaneously fly in and stands there with shotgun raised and in a confused state.  A shot is never fired.
Yes;  there is a dog in the picture below:

There was a time when I lived to hunt but, no more.  I'm not driven to that end in the slightest.  I guess what I'm saying is that if we're going to use the term hunt for purpose of killing animals then,  select animals that have a chance to survive the effort to kill them.  Cranes have no chance at all.  To hunt means to seek out.  To shoot cranes simply means to shoot and kill cranes.  There's no hunting involved.  How glorious that activity must be to a hunter who pursues cranes!  Too often our hunting practices in this day and age incorporate bushwhack techniques that I find repulsive and unsportsmanlike.  How about this;  gather up rotten meat and scraps, guts and whatever else that stinks and pile it up in a spot in the woods.  Then sit in a tree with a high powered rifle and bushwhack the black bear that ambles in to eat.  That's real hunting!  Lay the rifle across the bears back and smile for the Kodak moment.   Hogwash!  This practice and more are reasons why I gave up the "hunting" process and embraced the camera.  I won't get into any philosophical discussions here today.  Promise.  I quit....

Shade;  you're beautiful!

Douglas has long hair that grows on his feet called feathers and those hairs collect snow and freeze.  I should have cut those hairs off at the beginning of Winter but didn't think of it.  He constantly sits and tries to bite off the ice that forms on the hair. It obviously bothers him.  I'll trim it tonight.  For now;  he's delighting in plowing through snowy, tall grass.

They are having a wonderful time thrashing about in the tall, snow covered grass.  These dogs have it made.  My feet are getting cold and we'll be changing course for the truck.  Speaking of feet;  below is Happy's snow print:

The world is beautiful from my vantage point here at the old state park.  It is quiet and a winter wonderland.  I'm with my best friends and we're all safe and sound, if not just a bit cold.  The scenery is wonderful but, I'm having thoughts of gliding along in my canoe.

This peninsula that projects out into Tellico Lake offers a variety of landscapes for the pups to run and play in.  We have forest, meadow's and lakeside.  They even have a beautiful lake to swim in.

They are very lucky dogs.  Without my hand in their lives; places like this would be an environment they could not survive in.  They would each face a miserable short existence and a horrible demise through cold and starvation.  So, think before you ever give consideration to turning your dog out into the forest to fend for himself.  He can't survive.  At best he will be lucky and a bobcat or coyote will find him and prevent his slow torturous death.

But, you see, my dogs do have me to look out for them.  All they need do is have fun every day of their lives.  I would place myself in peril for any one of them and prove myself a formidable opponent to any danger that would threaten them.  With those cheerful words spoken;  I believe it's time to get in the truck and leave.  Lets see;  work tomorrow and off Thur, Fri and Sat.  Wonder what the next blog entry will be about?  Take a guess.   See you later.  I hope you all had a great Christmas.  Be careful on New Years Eve.  They have endless energy and power.  This place is a beautiful playground for them.

A final word about advertising on this blog.  Some of it seems appropriate and a lot is not.  I'm going to see if I can pick and choose what I like.  There are some products I would personally endorse and I haven't seen them appear.  For instance;   Muck boots.  Those are the finest boots available for canoeing.  They come in all heights and even therm o lined.  Gerber knives are great for canoeing and certain models will handle any camp chore.  Gerber and Kershaw straight knives are excellent tools.  Hatchets have become a topic of interest with me.  Camping doesn't require an ultra quality hatchet but, a hatchet has become a necessity with me.  Imagine losing both canoe paddles.  Hard to believe but possible.  A hatchet would make it possible to create a paddle from a tree limb.  Really;  it's not that hard.  A saw would be cumbersome at that task and could take too long.  I could whittle out a canoe paddle of sorts before the storm hit.  I'll see what I can do about the advertising.  And then again;  I am just about ready to toss it all out.  It's not really my style.

SNOWFALL ON ABRAMS CREEK AT CHRISTMAS-PADDLING THE MISTRAL

click on photos to enlarge
To walk through a wilderness in winter is beautiful; to quietly paddle a canoe through it is nothing short of glorious!

My infatuation with the wilderness wouldn't allow me to stay in doors today.  I looked outside this 
morning to see heavy snow falling.  The ground and trees were white.  I had to pinch myself to assure I wasn't back in Pennsylvania.

I couldn't resist getting the canoe out for a paddle up Abrams Creek.  As I backed the truck up to the fence to load it; my family had gathered at the gate.  I suspect they thought we were all going to the woods.  All, that is, accept Douglas.  He knows when it's time to go.  He just lays back and show's no interest because he knows it's not time yet.   Maybe later.  This morning on the water would be a good test of the Mistral canoe and I guess, of me handling it.  The roads looked pretty clear of snow as I drove South toward Chilhowee Reservoir and Abrams Creek.

Abrams Creek is back in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and it flows into Chilhowee Reservoir.  In short;  that's mountainous country.  The closer I got the worse the roads became.

I'm not used to seeing the nose of a canoe hanging over the cab of the truck.

The further I drove, the whiter the country side became.  But, the road was still clear.  These shots are well North of the Reservoir.

Slush started to appear on the road about five miles away from the mountain and Abrams Creek.  It's obvious the road crews maintain the roads in towns and nearby suburbs but, the outlying stretches of highways are less than desirable to drive on.  I'm used to Pennsylvania so it doesn't bother me at all.  I can see, however, why this much snow causes havoc down here in the South.  It just doesn't snow much down here.  Well, rarely..

The shot above was taken on Route 129 which runs along Chilhowee Lake.  The overpasses are frozen solid and must be approached with care.  Yes, they freeze like that in Pennsylvania too.  That's why I'm sensitive to overpasses.  I had very scary experience driving over a frozen, icy overpass with a motorcycle many years back and I lived through it.  During deceleration on the surface of the overpass, the back wheel of the bike slid very slowly up beside and slightly behind my position on the seat.  I remember saying out loud, "just a little more and I'll be across this bitch.  Hang in there just a few seconds more."  The front wheel touched the road surface on the other side of the overpass and when the rear wheel caught the unfrozen surface it put the bike into very hard left then right movement.  It straightened out and I kept going.  I never forgot that moment.

I pulled off the road for a picture of Chilhowee Lake.  It may appear like a cold, bleak place but, to me it represents what real life is.  This is real.  It isn't contrived by the human hand.  Oh, humans created the lake with the help of the Little Tennessee River but, humans can't control the weather.  Well, not yet anyway.  It is beautiful out there.

The point where Abrams Creek flows into Chilhowee Lake is just ahead.  My morning would finally begin.  The big canoe was frozen to the top of the truck cap.  The protective bunk material (carpeting) had snow on it when I loaded the boat up this morning.  I had to pry and twist the canoe about to break it free.  Finally it rested on my shoulders and I walked down a steep hill to the water's edge.  Not bad at all.  I brought the attachable canoe wheels along just in case.  They certainly would not work on this stone strewn little hill.

I still can't get over the size of that canoe.  She's a big girl for sure.  It only took a few minutes to get under way.  A very light snow fell from the sky during the launch process.  It is only 28 degrees and a heavy snow is quite possible.  Ha;  bring it on.

I was instantly amazed at how much the terrain had changed with the addition of snow on the boulders and trees.  The views were breathtaking!  I forgot about the cold and held myself to an easy paddle cadence.  The big canoe glided upstream effortlessly.  

The water's surface was smooth but, I could hear the wind in the tops of the trees making it's presence known.  "Threaten all you want to Winter breeze;  I ain't goin back."

Something just submerged across the creek near the stream bank.   I missed it.  It wouldn't matter because I elected to bring the Canon Elph camera today.  I envisioned much trouble handling the big D50 Canon with gloves and taking it out of and putting it back into the Pelican waterproof box.  The Elph resides in my parka pocket, easily withdrawn for a quick shot.  However;  it would be useless for wildlife shots.  I still have to get the glove off my right hand to take a picture.  It's just the nature of things.

The wind has finally reached the water.  You can see the slight washboard effect it is causing on the surface.  This is not a problem at all.  The canoe is handling perfectly.

I am surrounded by gorgeous sights.  The water and surrounding mountainside are spectacular with their blanket of snow.

 A normally blase shoreline of brown becomes supremely gorgeous after nature highlighted it with white from her Winter brush.

A little head poked through the surface only for an instant.  It is an otter.  I can do nothing with it.  My camera will not serve the purpose well.  I notice the little fellow is not curious like his cousins on Indian Boundary Lake.

This little guy made only one showing and I guess, went into hiding.  The otters on Indian Boundary Lake are curious and will pop up here and there around the canoe.  They will even follow for awhile showing themselves occasionally by popping up for five to ten seconds at a time before tiring of the game.

The water's surface has gone smooth again.  The slightest bend in the creek changes the direction of the wind.  A small change down here is a major change way up on the side of the mountain.  That's where the wind comes from.  I'm happy the wind isn't blowing hard.  It's very cold out here.

The canoe is handling perfectly.  At no time do I feel threatened with feelings that the craft is unstable.  I feel I could easily stand and move about freely in this boat.  I have paddled it today from a kneeling position and I actually liked it.  There is a feeling of greater control while paddling from that position.  I believe, in reality, the weight transfer of the paddler more forward in the boat helps put the front end down deeper in the water thereby creating basically a longer boat.  A longer boat glides with less effort and is less prone to be moved by breezes. 

If you look closely you will see that the canoe is slicing through near frozen water.  It is cruising through a thick slush that is very near frozen solid.  Cruising isn't really the word.  Sloshing is more applicable.

I can hear the shriek of a Bald Eagle.  I'm sure of it.  I chastise myself mentally for not bringing the big 500 mm lens and the D50.  But then; I pull myself down to reality and think about what I'm doing out here today.  I'm here only to enjoy a Winter's snowy day on the water like none I have ever had before in my life.  This is a real first for me and already memories have been burned into my memory that have no equal.  But, the Elph is in my hand at the ready.

A commotion in a large pine tree off to my right can be heard and a beautiful bald eagle launches into the snowy sky, shrieking loudly,  proclaiming his position as king of all that is below him.  His graceful, yet powerful flight represents absolute freedom.  What a wonderful bird to represent this nation of ours.   He disappears as quickly as he appeared.  I feel a cold chill run down my spine as I watch this natural wonder fly toward the highest point on the mountain.  Magnificent!

These slushy areas are becoming more prevalent the closer I get to the mouth of Abrams Creek.   I can foresee becoming trapped at a camp site by a frozen over creek.  This slush will certainly freeze solid tonight if the temperatures stay as they are.  I had to really paddle hard to slosh my way through the slush.  A guy could get tongue tied using words like slosh and slush to frequently together.  Below is an over the shoulder shot of the slush.  The snow is really coming down now.

I see movement to the left and a really large otter slides down the bank and into the water.  I've got to get over to the bank and wait to see if he comes up for a look around.

This is a good spot to watch from.  The wind is picking up as can be seen from the texture of the surface.  It's really cold out here.  Sitting and waiting in the Summer is easier than sitting here and freezing in the Winter.  I need to keep moving for warmth.  I'll give it another ten minutes.

I can see the snow falling pretty hard up ahead.  There is one more bend in the river before arriving at the mouth of Abrams Creek and the wind is blowing down that course of water directly toward Abrams Creek.  You can see the snow blowing if you look at the top of that big, tall pine in the right side of the shot above.  Look closely at the water below the paddle blade.

That otter isn't showing.  I'll move on ahead.  The snow is falling steady now.  It's beautiful out here.

I believe the entire end of this creek will freeze over by tomorrow morning.  I'd not want to leave a camp tomorrow morning and find this entire expanse of water frozen.  I have no idea what one would do.  A canoe could not be lined over ice.  The ice would not be thick enough to walk on so portage is out of the question.  The cliff side goes too vertical from the water to walk along.   I guess a fellow would just have to sit it out until the thaw occurs.  
We finally arrive at the mouth of Abrams Creek.

We are greeted by huge snow covered boulders.  I have been here many times but it looks foreign today due to the new white designs nature has painted on the landscape.  I have to keep my eyes on the bottom of this section of water also.  Enormous boulders lie inches under the surface.  The Mistral glides over or around them effortlessly.  She responds perfectly to the paddle strokes.

I paddle up the center of the channel to the boulders but think twice about landing here.  There isn't much sense spending time on land as I need to wander back down the waterway toward the truck.  I want to keep this leisurely pace and not rush for a moment so I'll let the current turn the Mistral down stream from whence we came.

It is so pretty back here that it is a struggle with my conscience to stay or leave.  I'll float about for a few more moments.  Finally I let the current have it's way with the Mistral.  She turns with the flow and points herself downstream.  I sit back and let the water carry us along.

The picture below is an accident.  I have named the composition "Frozen Feet."

There is a little natural landing just ahead that I will, must, pull into so I can walk about and thaw out my feet.  I'll take a few traditional shots of the Mistral floating alone.  I love those shots.

Just after this picture; the paddle slid off the gunnels into the water.  The canoe almost passed it by.  I lunged for the staff and just caught it on the palm grip.  Another split second and I would have been without a paddle.  And I would have deserved to be without a paddle.  Two paddles should, must, be in the canoe at all times for just this reason.  I am angry with myself for making the mistake of bringing only one paddle.  I'm not sure how I would have retrieved the floating paddle had I missed my grab.  I ended up with a soaked glove.  It could have been worse.

That error leaving the second paddle in the truck is irritating me.  When out here totally alone; one must think of every conceivable thing that can go wrong and be prepared for that possible occurrence.  There is no partner to assist in emergencies.  Emergencies happen sometimes.  They don't need assisted by lack of good judgment by somebody acting like a pilgrim on the water.  I'm mad at myself.  It will never happen again.
My pull off is just ahead.  This is the area where I saw the otter.

This is a very nice spot to hang out in.  A thought just crossed my mind.  Imagine that!  I wonder what kayakers do if they lose a paddle?  I don't think they have room to carry one of those spare long paddles with a blade on each end.  Maybe their paddles screw apart into two sections somehow and fit into those little hatches in the boat.  I'll have to ask somebody.
The Mistral looks grand floating here in front of me.

That boat sure has a huge capacity for gear.  We'll find out shortly.  That ol girl is going to Calderwood the first chance I get.

That black thing sticking up off the seat is a seat back.  Thank you Paul.  That is one of the best things I ever got for a canoe.  I have a sciatic nerve thing going on and that seat back allows me to take the tension off my waste as I do power strokes with the paddle.  A great thing to have on any canoe.

The next shot shows me something I have been concerned about with the Mistral ever since I ordered it.  See where the bottom of the boat curves up out of the water.  The canoe is actually 17.5 feet long but, there is about a foot of it out of the water.  That is caused by the fact that it has what is termed a steeper rocker, the degree of angle from center of the boat to the bow and from center to stern.  In short, that little section of the boat is not in the water.  It allows wind to push the bow or stern left or right more easily.  It also allows quick, easy steering.  This canoe has a 3.5" rocker.  My Champlain has a 2" rocker.  The Mistral has white water capability and in white water one needs a faster turning boat.  On flat water, like I do, it isn't as necessary to turn on a dime.  So, Esquif built a boat that is sort of in the middle of the road.  I have about 50 pounds of ballast, logs, in the bow right now and the bow is still out of the water.  I would suspect it would take a good hundred pounds to push that bow into the drink properly.  It is a freighter canoe and when loaded the bow will be in the water further.  It's just an observation.  Look closely and you'll see the effects of rocker.  The bow of the boat is out of the water as can be seen in the photo.

It's not a big deal as I don't intend to paddle this boat much unless I'm going camping.  I have the Chaplain for afternoon cruises.  Wow;  it's great out here.

It's time to float on down the stream.  This has been a fantastic outing.  My kids are awaiting my return.  It doesn't look like I'll get them out to the forest today.  That's OK as New Years day is coming and I believe I'm off work that day.  There's plenty of time for them to get in the woods.  This slush is getting thicker.

Getting close to take out now.  I may put a slide show of all the shots from this entry up here.  I love the tune Pachelbel.  If I can remember how to put the slide show together;  I'll use Pachelbel Canon as the music for the slides.  I think I'd select Pachelbel performed by George Winston.  That's a piano piece.  I'll see.  Hey;  how bout another short movie clip?

Today has been a very special day for me.  I'm blessed to be able to live the life I love and it is a privilege to invite you along for the ride.  Merry Christmas to you and I hope you enjoyed this entry to the blog.   Today has been a very beautiful experience for me.  I love my canoes....
Copy and paste the following link into your browser for a compilation of all the pictures in this entry

http://picasaweb.google.com/loucksgl61/MISTRALONABRAMSCREEKATCHRISTMAS?authkey=Gv1sRgCOT7jO_4heKMxQE#5561489785900529762