By Kate Whitaker

Fair Bluff, NC - Crossroads of Hwys 904 and 76 To Nichols, SC
(just downriver from the bridge on Hwy 76)
River level at Boardman, NC: 500 - 590 CFS
Gage Level: 4.75 - 4.95 feet
Chance of Thunderstorms: 50%
Actual Rain On Us: 2 Min. Misting; No Lightning,
Distance Paddled: 16-18 River Miles

A River Border Crossing or What a Way to Spend a Weekend!

After a number of last minute canceling emails and phone calls, we finally ended up with a very tidy little crew for this 4th of July overnight trip - Pam, JT and I all met at the landing at Fair Bluff around 11:30 on an overcast Saturday morning. Pam and I were a little late after enjoying the challenges of driving with the weekend beach-bound traffic through Florence (count on about 2 hours from Columbia taking I-20 to Florence and then hwy 76 through Marion, Mullins and Nichols, taking a right just after the bridge to reach the take-out) and we met JT at the river in Fair Bluff as he was finishing the pretty river walk there at the landing. What we lacked in numbers we more than made up for in enthusiasm and eagerness to get started. After loading up our boats, we met with River Bend Outfitters, (205 Main Street, Fair Bluff, NC 28439, 910-649-5998) and for a nominal $25 they ran a pre-arranged shuttle for us. Pam and JT took their cars to the take-out and the outfitter drove them back to the put-in, leaving both the cars at the take out near Nichols, SC. It is a busy landing with lots of parking and has houses near by and is a fairly secure site to leave cars (knock on wood) overnight.

So we were in our boats and outward bound by 1:00 on a river with a very respectable current and lots of water, though still well within the banks. Pam surprised us with the presentation of a red, white and blue, star-covered bandana in honor of the nation's birth. Fun surprise! It was a beautiful, lazy paddling day. There were some grassy sandbanks but a lot of them were underwater as we paddled down current. This stretch has no troublesome downfall and is quite wide in places; very few houses along the way. Soon we were in SC (we know because we asked some homeowners enjoying the river from their dock) and we decided that next trip we would bring a 'welcome to SC' sign to place along the river (the river looked no different in NC than it did in SC!!). We soon came to our lunch spot, a narrow spit of sand on which to enjoy the food and fellowship. After a nice break we were soon back on the river, floating past the scenery at a good pace; very little paddling necessary at this current level and going this easy distance. There was lots of evidence of beaver activity in the trees near the banks and we even got a quick sight of one swimming across the water. Yea! Pam spotted a brown water snake (or two) and was able to get some good pictures of the cooperative reptiles.

This river seems to follow the five minute rule. We started looking for a camping spot and we soon found one we thought would do but it was not perfect so we kept on, with some trepidation. And luckily, about five minutes later (about 10 miles from the put-in) we came upon a perfect sandbar - it even had shade trees, great for wet clothes, and water and trash bag hangers. This oasis seemed to be fairly wide and high out of the water so we had few fears of an evening inundation. So by 6 PM we were ensconced on a beautiful spot with our tents up and dinner started.


While JT had a pre-dinner snooze, Pam started the coals for her dinner. She had brought a pre-packaged, small bag of charcoal which was just enough to cook her steak and warm her pre-cooked baked potato; it worked great. JT and I marveled at all the gear she was able to pull out of her boat as she went about getting organized for the evening. I cooked a more conventional dinner on my camp stove so we all had a hot, evening meal and, after cleaning up, enjoyed a drink and chitchat together as the sun lowered in the sky. We discussed the best place to store our food for the night as we had seen raccoon tracks in the sand when we arrived; the trees were not really robust enough to hang bags from and we knew leaving it in our boats were risky with those pesky bandits so we finally opted to keep our food in our tents - which turned out okay - no raiders in the night this night. Soon (around 9) the annoying mosquitoes had driven us into the relative comfort of our tents where we enjoyed chatting for a while longer (slumber party style) before drifting off into a well-deserved sleep.

The day dawned a little overcast and thanks to an early motor-boater, we were soon stirring around, enjoying the morning sights and sounds. It was peaceful; we had only the one boater to remind us that civilization was nearby and we really weren't the only people in the world. After a lazy breakfast, the rain looked to be looming so we got packed up while the tents were still dry. And eventually started on our way down river. Again, we mostly drifted with the current; we figured we only had about 6 or 8 miles to the take-out and we were in no hurry. We passed another big sand bar; this one taken up with tents, gear and canoes for about 8 folks who were enjoying the 3-day weekend on the river and were fishing and lolling about. We stopped a few minutes to chat and they told us the sandbar we spent the night at was called "The Oasis" - an apt name, we thought. They had a motion-sick paddler and asked for medicine but we couldn't produce any for them for that particular malady (alas, where was Joe when you needed him??). They had sent a canoe out early that morning to the take-out for a drugstore run and were expecting them back any time and sure enough we soon saw them paddling industriously up-river and we had a quick chat with them too, though they didn't stop as they were on a mission.

We took a lot of side trips on this river, exploring ox bows and swampy areas off the main channel. Some were very pleasant and one even had a neat house and dock on a small lake which was fun to explore, though there were no people in evidence at the time.

All too soon we passed under the railroad bridge and were nearing the finish of the trip. The bridge at HWY 76 is being worked on but there was a passage through the construction. This section of the river had a lot more motor boat traffic, but everyone was polite and we didn't get swamped. The take-out on river left appeared all too soon and we got packed up fairly efficiently. We did consider running a shuttle to the next take-out just after the confluence with the Little Pee Dee, but opted out of this possibility, though it is only about 4-5 miles further to the first landing on the Little Pee Dee and was definitely doable. Regretfully, the trip was over.

JT headed out to visit his granddad and Pam and I headed for a BBQ hut in Nichols we had spotted earlier but alas, they were not serving BBQ this day; but did have good food - a buffet of turkey and chicken and seafood (yes, Tom, they had your shrimp, fried not broiled). (Williamsons Bar-B-Que & Seafood Restaurant, Hwy 76, Nichols, SC 29581, Phone: (843) 526-2364) After enjoying a hot meal and cold drinks, we started for home but changed our minds as the road to the next landing down made an appearance. So instead of just going back to Columbia, we prepared for the next trip, documenting and photographing the landings on the Little Pee Dee all the way down to Galivant's Ferry. A fun side trip; we had such a good time on the Lumber; we're ready for more of it - which would be the Little Pee Dee. But that will be another trip; another story. This was a terrific way to spend the 4th and the small party and beautiful, black-water river made for a perfect river trip.

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