Catawba River - Landsford Canal - May 23, 2004
Submitted by Pam Reutebuch on March 7, 2006 - 11:18pm.
By Brian O'Cain
  On Sunday May 23, the Palmetto Paddlers met at Landsford Canal State Park for a trip down the Catawba River. The highlight of this trip was to see the blooming endangered Rock Shoals Spider Lillies. The largest colony of the above mentioned flower in the world is located in the shoals adjacent to the park.  After everyone met at the park and unloaded boats and gear, we shuttled all the vehicles to the highway 9 landing which was our planned take out. A big thanks to Kyle for shuttling the "9" drivers back to the put-in in his versatile VW bus. Before we hit the water, Andrew, a volunteer at the park gave us a short talk on the history of the canal and the lilies.  After everyone launched, the group headed a short distance up river to go around a large island. Paddling upriver and around the island allows paddlers to access the main flow of the river to make the task of negotiating the shoals at low water a little bit easier. After passing the lower end of the island, the group worked their way through the shoals to the right side of the river where the colony of lilies is located. Upon reaching the flowers, paddlers meandered through them, some getting out of their boats to get the perfect photo op. After everyone had ample time to enjoy the flowers, the group decided to break for lunch.  Some of the group chose a large outcropping of rocks to dine on while the rest of the group headed over to where the lower end of the canal enters the river. Once everyone had secured their boats, the group headed up a short trail to an open area along the canal where a stone bridge crosses the canal.  The granite stonework of the lock works provided the perfect spot to spread out lunch and imagine what it was like for boats traveling on the canal. After finishing lunch, some of the group explored the canal for a short distance. Items of interest were: unusually large wild strawberries, a fence lizard, a broad headed skink, and a large black rat snake that John was able to pick up and handle so the group could get a close-up view of.  With lunch finished, the group headed back down the trail to the river to hit the water again. Below the shoals the current slowed and the energy from lunch was put to good use to move the boats along. The rumbling of thunder boosted the paddlers speed, working their way down the Catawba, around several small islands to reach the highway 9 bridge. The landing was a welcome sight with the approaching storm. After the boats and gear was loaded, most of the group headed to Winnsboro for a seafood feast at "The Captains Galley".  Paddlin' down the Catawba View Photo Album |
