Day 2 – First day on the river

Today’s miles: 12.3  Today’s paddling miles: 12.3  Cumulative miles: 40.8  Cumulative paddling miles: 12.3

What a fine day!  Kathy took me to Helen this morning, where we tested for rhodamine to locate our water mass.   Because of some contradictions in Georgia law, some property owners near Helen claim ownership of the water and do not allow canoeing on “their water”, so we went well outside of town, carried boat, testing gear and encamping gear down a bridge abutment to the river.  I collected samples for EPD, dosed with rhodamine, and headed on down the river.

Junk cars in the river bank about 1 mile downriver of GA 75.

More testing and an embarrassing rendezvous with Kathy because I forgot to bring a crucial map, and then I put some miles under the boat.  I haven’t measured, but I think I paddled about 12 miles today.   I met a delightful gentleman, whose last name I missed, but who goes by Jerry The Juggler.  Jerry helped me get my boat through a particularly difficult rapid at the end of the region known to paddlers as  The Dead Sea.  Jerry called his neighbor, Katie Deal to get permission for me to camp on a beautiful piece of family property, which is where I am now writing this.  I remember Katie as a delightful teenager, who used to sing the National anthem in Dahlonega. She was too young to drive then, so her dad would drive her to town in the family Jeep Cherokee.  Thanks Jerry, thanks Katie, and thanks to the Deal family.  G’night all.

Leg-grabber W side of Smith Island-the reason for that rule about keeping your legs up if you come out of your boat. At high water, this would be a fine place to break your leg and become entrapped.