It was shaping up to be another great weekend. A small group of us
had planned on spending three days and two nights on the St Mary's
River and everything was looking right. The plan was to meet at St
Mary's Fish Camp at 3 pm on Friday and everyone was right on time. I
had stopped for my usual lunch buffet at Folkston, just can't pass up
the Fried Chicken and Fish along with greens and all the other
fixins. Pulling out I spotted Jay followed closely by Charon headed
to the Camp. We pulled in and arranged my boat and gear along with my
trusty sidekick, Gator dog, into Jay's truck for the shuttle. Bonnie
was next to arrive and it wasn't long before Diane, Chris and Marie
completed our group. On to St. George, our put in, and the packing
began. Jay with his new canoe was liking the ease of packing and
brought plenty to fill his new "Solo Plus" from Wenonah.
The three vehicles were then returned to the outfitters and four of
us sat and waited for the return of the drivers. It always seems to
take forever when they leave but finally they returned and we were on
the water. As it was already 5:30 we knew we wouldn't be doing very
many miles before making camp. We passed the bridge in St George and
started looking for sandbars. As Jay and I had paddled here last
month we knew sandbars would be slim on this section and with the
water up slightly we finally opted for a spot under the trees with no
sand. It was dark before we knew it and with temperature being cool
we soon had a nice fire going. Supper was consumed around the fire
and we all turned in early.
The St Mary's is a very small and twisting black water river. It
drains from the Okefenokee Swamp and seperates Georgia from Florida
on the east side of the coast. I really enjoy this type of paddling
as it offers lots of shade and challenges your paddling skills with
it twists and strainers. There is some development along the banks
but we usually don't enounter many people along the way.
Saturday was bright and warming quite nicely. Packing the boats
always warms a person up and the first swim of the day came early.
Birds sang out and were sighted all along the river. Herons, egrets,
hawks, vultures, ducks, and songbirds were abundant. With the river
having flooded last month there were plenty of downed trees across
the water and it wasn't long before we started dodging under, around
and over them. Everyone took their turn getting hung up or helping
rescue those that were but we were fortunate, no one dumped out. We
took lots of breaks to swim and cool down and couldn't resist one
great looking rope swing along the banks. Almost everyone took a turn
and Chris showed off his expertise by doing several flips off the
rope. I guess being young has it's advantages but I had fun too, of
course I only needed one turn to enjoy all I wanted.
Everyone took a turn leading the group as that's where you see the
most wildlife. Charon and Marie saw several hogs along the bank and a
few nice deer. Ducks and Kingfishers led the way for the most part
with an egret sharing the job. We only reported one turtle for the
whole trip and Chris was very disappointed that this was his second
trip with no alligator sightings. The further we paddled the more
sandbars we encountered. With only covering 2 miles on Friday, we
needed to do around 12 Saturday, leaving an easy 8 on Sunday. Around
5 we found a sandbar that was good enough for the group so we set up
camp for the night. Supper was being prepared when Eric paddled up
and stopped for a rest and a chat. He was planning several more miles
but after some arm-twisting agreed to eat with us and then set up
camp as well.
What a splendid night, stars were brilliant and even with no moon it
was quite bright. We kept a nice fire going with Eric's help and
chatted until we all drifted off to our respective tents. Sometime as
I lay listening to the gentle purring from nearby tents I dozed off
and joined the serenade coming from tired paddlers. Sunday morning
was a repeat with the sun warming the air quickly as we prepared for
the days journey.
As we headed downstream we were joined by Hampton, a canoeist from
Savannah. He had camped a few turns up from us and was headed to
Traders Hill. We introduced ourselves and chatted along as we
paddled. We stopped a few times to swim and just relax. Again birds
were everywhere and kept us pointing, taking pictures or just trying
to decide exactly what they were. Before long we came to the park
just before our take out at Tompkins Landing so we stopped for more
pictures and a long lunch. Hampton said his goodbyes as he was
camping another night and needed to make a few more miles.
All too soon we came to the takeout and after phoning the outfitter
to pick us up there was time for one more quick swim. We soon had our
vehicles down to the landing and as we finished loading we headed our
respective way home. I had to stop in Folkston for a Sweet Tea and
some ice cream and was soon joined by Diane and Chris. Back on the
highway my very tired companion put his head in my lap and went off
to doggie dreamland, a very happy pup. Hope everyone made it home
safe, hope to see you all real soon. Eric and Hampton, it was great
meeting both of you and we hope you can join us on future outing.
Reference: River level Near Moniac, GA was 6 feet
Air temperature was mid 80's during the day and high
60's at night
Outfitter is St Mary's Fish Camp near Folkston, GA
had planned on spending three days and two nights on the St Mary's
River and everything was looking right. The plan was to meet at St
Mary's Fish Camp at 3 pm on Friday and everyone was right on time. I
had stopped for my usual lunch buffet at Folkston, just can't pass up
the Fried Chicken and Fish along with greens and all the other
fixins. Pulling out I spotted Jay followed closely by Charon headed
to the Camp. We pulled in and arranged my boat and gear along with my
trusty sidekick, Gator dog, into Jay's truck for the shuttle. Bonnie
was next to arrive and it wasn't long before Diane, Chris and Marie
completed our group. On to St. George, our put in, and the packing
began. Jay with his new canoe was liking the ease of packing and
brought plenty to fill his new "Solo Plus" from Wenonah.
The three vehicles were then returned to the outfitters and four of
us sat and waited for the return of the drivers. It always seems to
take forever when they leave but finally they returned and we were on
the water. As it was already 5:30 we knew we wouldn't be doing very
many miles before making camp. We passed the bridge in St George and
started looking for sandbars. As Jay and I had paddled here last
month we knew sandbars would be slim on this section and with the
water up slightly we finally opted for a spot under the trees with no
sand. It was dark before we knew it and with temperature being cool
we soon had a nice fire going. Supper was consumed around the fire
and we all turned in early.
The St Mary's is a very small and twisting black water river. It
drains from the Okefenokee Swamp and seperates Georgia from Florida
on the east side of the coast. I really enjoy this type of paddling
as it offers lots of shade and challenges your paddling skills with
it twists and strainers. There is some development along the banks
but we usually don't enounter many people along the way.
Saturday was bright and warming quite nicely. Packing the boats
always warms a person up and the first swim of the day came early.
Birds sang out and were sighted all along the river. Herons, egrets,
hawks, vultures, ducks, and songbirds were abundant. With the river
having flooded last month there were plenty of downed trees across
the water and it wasn't long before we started dodging under, around
and over them. Everyone took their turn getting hung up or helping
rescue those that were but we were fortunate, no one dumped out. We
took lots of breaks to swim and cool down and couldn't resist one
great looking rope swing along the banks. Almost everyone took a turn
and Chris showed off his expertise by doing several flips off the
rope. I guess being young has it's advantages but I had fun too, of
course I only needed one turn to enjoy all I wanted.
Everyone took a turn leading the group as that's where you see the
most wildlife. Charon and Marie saw several hogs along the bank and a
few nice deer. Ducks and Kingfishers led the way for the most part
with an egret sharing the job. We only reported one turtle for the
whole trip and Chris was very disappointed that this was his second
trip with no alligator sightings. The further we paddled the more
sandbars we encountered. With only covering 2 miles on Friday, we
needed to do around 12 Saturday, leaving an easy 8 on Sunday. Around
5 we found a sandbar that was good enough for the group so we set up
camp for the night. Supper was being prepared when Eric paddled up
and stopped for a rest and a chat. He was planning several more miles
but after some arm-twisting agreed to eat with us and then set up
camp as well.
What a splendid night, stars were brilliant and even with no moon it
was quite bright. We kept a nice fire going with Eric's help and
chatted until we all drifted off to our respective tents. Sometime as
I lay listening to the gentle purring from nearby tents I dozed off
and joined the serenade coming from tired paddlers. Sunday morning
was a repeat with the sun warming the air quickly as we prepared for
the days journey.
As we headed downstream we were joined by Hampton, a canoeist from
Savannah. He had camped a few turns up from us and was headed to
Traders Hill. We introduced ourselves and chatted along as we
paddled. We stopped a few times to swim and just relax. Again birds
were everywhere and kept us pointing, taking pictures or just trying
to decide exactly what they were. Before long we came to the park
just before our take out at Tompkins Landing so we stopped for more
pictures and a long lunch. Hampton said his goodbyes as he was
camping another night and needed to make a few more miles.
All too soon we came to the takeout and after phoning the outfitter
to pick us up there was time for one more quick swim. We soon had our
vehicles down to the landing and as we finished loading we headed our
respective way home. I had to stop in Folkston for a Sweet Tea and
some ice cream and was soon joined by Diane and Chris. Back on the
highway my very tired companion put his head in my lap and went off
to doggie dreamland, a very happy pup. Hope everyone made it home
safe, hope to see you all real soon. Eric and Hampton, it was great
meeting both of you and we hope you can join us on future outing.
Reference: River level Near Moniac, GA was 6 feet
Air temperature was mid 80's during the day and high
60's at night
Outfitter is St Mary's Fish Camp near Folkston, GA
