Recent Trips and Events

June 16, 2007, Summer Picnic

The WFCKC summer picnic was held on June 16, at Bone Creek Recreational Area. It was a wonderful place for our club to meet, with a large spring-fed pond for paddling and swimming, a spacious pavilion and clean and neat facilities. Chris and Frances were the first to arrive, and Chris assisted Frances with the large task of unloading her car. Thanks, Chris!

The weather was perfect; it was a great spot for a picnic and the paddling contests organized by the Jarretts. There were about 40 members in attendance. In addition to the cookout and great meal, the paddling contests, the unintentional swims, Jan and Delbert swam across the lake. Delbert said he was checking out a large flowering water lily. Here are the results of the paddling contests:

Winners of the Obstacle course

Kayak

Solo Canoe

Tandem Canoe

Winners of the Dead Fish Polo Game

Kayak: Delbert
Solo Canoe: Jane

Upside Down Canoe Award: Laura Hiltabrand

Special thanks to Russell Jarratt for setting up the course, Russell, Judy, and Linda for grilling duties, Tina Murphy for the cooking contest and game prizes, and Frances Stone for coordinating the great lunch!! - Jimmie Jarrett

"River Rat Cooking Contest"

Second place in the cooking contest went to Laura Ploughman who baked chocolate chip cookies with a camp oven that used a propane camp stove as a heat source. Laura mentioned that she had baked cookies on the riverbank on a previous trip.

Jane Mosteller won first place with a recipe from a book titled "Favorite Recipes of the Nantahala Outdoor Center" Big plug for our club library! This book is available for checkout with a $1.00 deposit, which you will get back when you return the book. So take a look and see what other things one might take on a paddle other than tuna salad or a sandwich.

June 9, 2007, Turkey Creek, FL

We had a great trip on the Turkey Creek on Saturday, June 9. The most exciting thing was seeing a bear cub and its mama on the shuttle in the morning! Baby Bear was scurrying along the road, just past the Turkey Creek Bridge, and Mama Bear was in the woods waiting for Baby. There was a total of 14 paddlers of mixed "denomination" (canoes and kayaks), five who had not paddled Turkey Creek before, two who hadn't paddled it in a while, and all enjoyed. Linda led us down the creek, which was real low, beautifully clear, and wonderfully refreshing on a hot June day. Riley Waggle and her friend seemed to enjoy floating along in their PFDs almost more than paddling. Russ and Jimmie spotted a dead snake in the water, and we wondered why it had died, as there were no signs of trauma. My plan to have lunch at the culverts was scrapped as hunger hit earlier, so we ate at the first bridge, and looked for bear sign! Helen and Laura found refuge from the yellow flies by eating their lunch while submerged in the creek. Sonia and Jim paddled sweep along with Sonia's new toy, "Robbie" (camera on a homemade tripod) and were busy capturing the beauty of Turkey Creek's sights and sounds. Can't wait to see her next video!

By the time we got to the culverts, we were all ready for another swim. Doug was first to float through the culverts in his PFD. Then we formed a chain and bumped our way downstream over the rocks and through the culvert, screaming in the traditional way. I'd never gotten bumped around before, so that tells you how low the water was. Jane and Sonia tried to paddle back up through the culvert, but were unsuccessful due to the water being too shallow and too much current. Riley and her friend seemed to enjoy floating through the culvert; they probably did it at least 5 times! Being much smaller and lighter, they apparently didn't hit the rocks like us bigger folks did.

Shortly after leaving the culverts, some clouds rolled in, then distant thunder, then raindrops, followed by a pretty good downfall as we paddled alongside the Turkey Creek boardwalk into Boggy Bayou. The wind was kind to us across the bayou and we made the take-out without any problems with wind or waves. Everyone seemed to have had a good day, some of us ending it with a meal at RaRhumbas in Niceville.

Thanks to all who made it fun, and especially to Jimmie and Russ for shuttling. - Jan Heart

May 27, 2007, Sardine Creek, AL

Mark's trip on Sardine Creek was a great success. The creek was running nicely at a low level with lots of little shoals. At Jan's direction, members donned life jackets and floated down at the junction with the Sizemore. Charlie insisted on swimming the creek while Peanut and Jack exhibited more restraint. Loads of fish and turtles were spotted during the day. Thanks as always to Sandra for her help with the shuttle. Thanks to Carl for his work as shuttle co-pilot. One unplanned swim was handled with grace and good humor. Wes demonstrated the correct way to carry all the boats you own piled on one vehicle. Tina brought the teen-agers who helped rescue Jane's niece Edith from a wobbly situation atop a log. Way to go Robert! Helen and Linda seemed to enjoy their first trip on the Sardine. Mark identified wild blueberries and paddlers gobbled a tasty dessert...definitely more flavor than the larger berries I get at the supermarket. The rock ledges, Magnolias, and mossy creek banks add to the charm of the Sardine. The trip took all day with a 9 am start and a 5 pm take out. Someone said it is about 12 miles. Weary paddlers ate pizza at the Flomaton Pizza Hut before heading home from a super paddle. - Susan Guttmann