The group gathered around 11:00 am, at the Stumpy Pond Landing of Duke Power, on Cedar Creek Reservoir. It is near Great Falls, but across the Catawba River into Lancaster County. Kate Whitaker gave us a quick safety briefing, and as (first-time) Trip Coordinator, Ellen Miska gave us an idea of what to expect for the day. She even had color maps of the lake to pass around. Twenty-one boats were launched out upon the open water, in light wind, and under a pleasant sunny summer sky in the mid eighties. As per usual, it was a quite an interesting and diverse group in respect to experience, gender, and age. The youngest of our paddlers was not yet into their teens ! We had one fishing canoe and then among the kayaks were several new (and still shiny) boats.

All of us were privileged to be sailing under the flag of the United States Marine Corp, and ‘ Admiral ‘ Andy, as we made our way past the upper spillway of dam #1. As the group stretched out, we paddled past a couple of the only houses that we observed all day, set very high up on a tall slope. The next objective was dam #2. Several of us stroked into the swirling current of the water release, but only Mike Hollis was brave (or foolish) enough to approach the dam lower works close enough to touch. The rest of us only got close enough to read the big "DANGER" signs !

Then we back-tracked and paddled a short way up Rocky Creek, to find a nice red sandbar for lunch. As the group began to gather and land there, some folks noticed that the water was rising pretty fast. And although we were anxious to eat, the smart thing was to find a better location for lunch, which turned out to be a very nice grassy knoll. While we ate and visited, a warning horn sounded from the dam, and sure enough we watched as the water began to rise at an even more rapid rate than before. Ellen's boat had to be pulled out of the water before it drifted away. It was amazing to watch, covering yet another sand bar that we had rounded earlier. Then the water went back down, as Kate was facilitating group introductions and welcoming new faces.

After launching into the lake once more, we paddled to a nice island and a beach where we could swim and visit some more. Several people also took advantage of an opportunity to try some borrowed boats. Once everyone had cooled off, the group split, and Kate took half of the people back to the landing around 3:00 pm. Ellen lead the remaining nine paddlers to the upper end of the reservoir, past large granite boulders, and numerous tree "stumps". We saw otters and lots of different kinds of birds. There was a point where rocks blocked any further navigation, and so we returned to the landing around 4:30 pm. We may have been weary, but we were happy to have seen that part of the lake. Altogether, a very pleasant day on the pond.

Mike's GPS read 9.3 miles for the total.

Submitted by: Bruce Monson