Canoe Trip on Chilhowee Lake

Mushrooms were abundant today of varying kinds.

Canoe Trip on Chilhowee Lake 

First edition of Travels With a Gypsy Blog series

Dana& Kenny Koogler

Monday July 10, 2017

Scona Pictures starting with frame 98
(gallery is a compilation of two trips) 

  Last Summer we bought a canoe from our friend Mike Gourley.  We had it out once on

Calderwood Lake to do a float/hike trip.  It went well. We were pleased with our purchase.

I had always wanted a red canoe so Kenny agreed to paint it.   He got it painted this season.

He also had made some modifications and additions to the seating.   He did a beautiful job on

both the painting and the seats.  We finally got it all ready to go out on our first trip this season.

All the way into July and we had not used it once this Summer!   We had several places we wanted to try, but the best one we wanted most was to re visit the Scona Lodge and Resort site.

It had been years between visits.  We had put it off because of the water levels being down

in Chilhowee Lake.   They reopened the lake to use around July 4th.    Kenny had a screwed up week at work. He got stuck on night shift for a week.   The only good part of it was that he was just going in and sleeping.  Not working the way I worked on nights.  He'd come home wide awake and ready to go.   We decided to take advantage of it and get the canoe in the lake.

     We loaded up and went to Chilhowee.   Our daughter, son-in-law and other family members

had been to the lake July 4th and bragged how good it looked. Water was comfortable.  It was very clear and clean.  We could hardly wait.    We went to the Scona Lodge site before by driving down Growden Boulevard and out to the old ferry launch.  It is only 0.2 miles one way across there. The problem is that they close the gate and lock it at 3 pm.  I did not want to have

the pressure during the entire trip of making it out of there on time.  We went instead to access the site from Tabcat Creek boat launch.   It is 1.35 miles one way to the site, but you come and go when you please.  We would also have to pass two coves on the way which have waterfalls in them that enter the lake.   

  Tabcat Creek 

The newly painted canoe and Kenny.  Setting everything up.  

Boat launch and a look at the lake.

Clear water and lots of minnows

       We got launched without any trouble.  We set out across the lake.  It was a  hot, sunny July day.    We planned on having lots of fun exploring.   The lake was so clear it reflected back the sky, the mountains and the trees like a perfect mirror. It was beautiful.   I looked down as we went along and could see tall weeds and trees beneath the water. It was an odd thing to see, but not completely new.  I'd seen things like that before in this lake and lakes in Virginia.

Above is the mirror of Chilhowee Lake.  Exquisitely beautiful. 

           Now is a good time to mention I finally named the canoe.  I felt it should have a name.

I am always joking about Magicmomma's Crytal Ball of the Future. I also say Kenny and I are like two gypsies the way we ramble around.   I am really like a gypsy the way I dress sometimes. I like lots of colors.   I figured what better name for the canoe than Gypsy.  So Gypsy it shall be.

I have ordered the decal with the name, but it had not arrived yet.   I will be sure to put a special tag on the canoe trip blog entries Travels with a Gypsy.   It can be a source for folks who paddle to pick places they might want to visit.   I know I always love reading other people's travel blogs.  It is one way I decide where to go.    

        We drew closer to the first cove where Miry Branch Cascade lay.  What had been a wide open cove to paddle into and take out was now a tight squeeze.  You could barely make out where  you'd need to go.  The opening was perhaps five feet across if that.    The lake levels being down had allowed more than a years worth of Southern vegetation to encroach the lake. 

It had grown ten to fifteen feet in toward the lake center from shore.   It would die back in time, and return to normal.  The lake had only been reopened a week or so.   The second cove we passed where Nighway Branch cascade lay... was completely closed. You could barely tell it was ever there.   It appeared the further we went along this shore the worse it was getting.   

Finally we could make out the flat of the golf course along the shore, but it was barely detectable.    We approached the ferry landing. It was pretty, but I had not remembered accurately how it was before.   It is a long jetty extending into the water.  Behind one part of it is a closed off section of Chilhowee Lake.  I also did not recall the outbuilding being there before, but it probably was.     We paddled over to it.  This was where we launched our kayaks from the previous trip. We paddled straight across.  I was now flabbergasted to see the far shore.   You could no longer make out the landing on the other side.  You used to be able to easily see and take out on the tarmac.  It was completely hidden in vegetation.   The only way we were sure we were in the right spot was the trout pond barrier below it.  We paddled over to have a closer look.   The weeds and brush beyond the trout pond barrier were horrible looking. 

We did not plan this outing very thoughtfully.   We were here in August before and had no troubles. I joked about it being like the jungles near Saigon, but I had no idea how bad it could get.   I was seeing that now.    

      We never saw the first snake that August trip.   I knew better though.  They are here regardless if you see them or not.   We talked it over and decided that we'd best forget it and come back in cold weather when the lake had been filled long enough to kill the weeds and brush.   It was a huge disappointment, but we both felt it was the smart thing to do.   Neither of us felt safe climbing out into that mess.   I was kinda sad, but it was not the end of the world.

I'm sure I'd have been far sadder had one of us gotten snake bit.    We decided to go back.

We would put the canoe away and drive round to the road and explore a little bit on land.

         We put the canoe away and ate some lunch.   We then drove the short distance up to the road entrance to the former town of Calderwood.  It is now a TVA property and the company town is a ghost town.   It is abandoned and most of the buildings torn down.   It is odd to see the sidewalks, house foundations, fire hydrants, flower beds all still there.  It sent a pang of sadness through me.   Did these people want to move? Were they forced to move? Did they have a choice at all?  What would it have hurt to let them continue to live there if they wanted to? 

All these were questions spinning round my mind.   I am a sentimental fool over history.

       We stopped to see the Calderwood Methodist Church and cemetery.  It was neat as a pin and well tended and kept.   Many of the birth dates in the cemetery were 1790s.   No doubt folks from Blount County who were born and raised and died right around here.    I recognized lots of local names. Burchfield, Garland, Hardin were some.    

Cemetery viewed past the huge old oak tree

Calderwood Methodist Church

      We went on over toward the Calderwood  Baptist church.  It was quite a contrast to the Methodist church.  It is in far worse shape and decaying. It is being reclaimed by the forest.  Vines and brush are covering much of it.  It is sad to see, but not unexpected.  Mother Nature will reclaim whatever we leave unattended.   

Above and below .. two shots of the baptist church falling into ruin.

I plan to return during cold weather to get better shots of this structure and some of the other structures around Calderwood.   Once again..... very hot and snakey today.   

     

The boat launch at the old ferry landing site.

View across the lake at the mountains.  It is beautiful.   

     We wrapped up our day and headed back in the direction of home.  We stopped on Foothills Parkway to enjoy the view.   I think the crystal ball of the future needs to go into the shop for a tune up!  It is not hitting on all cylinders. Clearly not showing all the ins and outs of things.  

I suggest to anyone wanting to access the shores of Chilhowee Lake .. take along a brush cutter or machete for awhile.   You're going to need it.    

       We will return in Winter or Spring 2018 to explore Scona.   We will explore Panther Creek this Fall.   Still glad Chilhowee Lake has water again.  I didn't think I'd be glad, but I am.   It was nice for awhile to see the Little T back in its banks.   It is proof to me though that time marches on and doesn't care or wait for any man or woman.  No matter how sentimental they are.   

Glorious view from Foothills Parkway toward West Millers Cove

Abandoned fire hydrant in the former town of Calderwood...........open and spewing water ever so slowly down the bank.   No one there to care or to stop it.   It sums up the tone of what is left of the town and the way it makes me feel inside.   

Slickrock Creek to Lower Falls Kayak & Hike Trip

Looking over the front of my kayak on Calderwood Lake


Lower Falls on Slickrock Creek-Kayak & Hike Trip

Dana & Kenny Koogler

Sept. 25, 2011
Paddle distance 2 miles approx.
Hike Distance 2 miles approx. 

**Repaired Blog with missing photos**
Slickrock Pix

     Kenny and I loaded up a picnic lunch and the kayaks and headed across the mountains to  Deals Gap, North Carolina.  We fixed us a tailgate lunch since it was already noon.  We put the kayaks in the water at Calderwood Lake Access.  We had spotted loads of cars at the trail head for Slickrock Creek before we headed to the dock.  Lots of people were boating and camping today.  It was hard to find a spot to park.  The day was about 70 degrees. Crystal clear blue skies with just a few pretty puffy white clouds.  The lake looked like silver.

         We paddled from the dock about a mile.  Our goal was the mouth of Slickrock Creek and a hike to Lower Falls.  We spotted a bald eagle while we paddled.  We also saw a king fisher bird.  Everyone we met on the lake was in excellent spirits and very friendly. The water smelled fresh and clean.  Paddling my kayak or a canoe is to me the most Zen experience.

I always sleep like a baby after a day out on the water. It is a dose of Mother Natures Nerve Medicine. Good old fashioned exercise. Sunshine. Fresh air. Cool water. Beautiful scenery.  And no weird side effects!

      We soon made our way round the bend and paddled the rest of the way up Slickrock Creek.   We could hear the creeks cascades crashing down ahead of us.  Two men and two backpacking tents were camped by the stream.  They were smiling and admiring the kayaks.

The creek here is quite shallow just a few feet in from the lake.  Calderwood Lake used to be part of the Little Tennessee River until it was dammed.  The water in the creek was even clearer and colder.  We beached the kayaks and climbed up to reach the trail that heads upstream. 

      I had hiked this trail twice before. I hiked it in Spring several years ago from Cheoah Dam to Lower Falls. It is an excellent Spring wildflower hike.  We did a shuttle hike one Summer on this trail. We put a vehicle at Cheoah Dam and drove round to Big Fat Gap.  We hiked from the gap all the way through to Wildcat Falls, past it and continued through to Lower Falls and back round to Cheoah.  That day we got to take some good swims in the river and saw a rattlesnake.   Now I was seeing what this area looked like in Fall.

      A wilderness hiking trail is not much like the well traveled, groomed, maintained trails of a National Park or State Park.  The further you go from a popular trail head the harder it can be to follow.  We passed one group of about six or seven adults who were dismayed at the mats of washed down sticks and debris and rocky conditions. They turned around and left.

I always like the challenge of route finding and surmounting different obstacles. Creek fords can be hilarious unless it is so rapid and deep that its unsafe.   Today was warm. The water levels were low and fording was just a nice time to play in the water.

Hell yes, that is too a path! It's a wilderness. Ain't goan be no normal, maintained path!

 
 It was no time until we arrived at Lower Falls. It is not the most spectacular waterfall for size, but the whole scene is pretty. Great swimming hole too! I can say that from first hand experience.  There are lots of calm, deep pools of water with leaves falling into them. They gleam black in the light.  We passed lots of pretty cascades on the way.  There is a mossy cliff covered top to bottom in mosses, lichens, and cliff clinging vegetation like galax and grass of parnassus.  It drips water even in the driest times.

       We spent some time relaxing at the falls then turned for the trip back.

It was a nice easy hike and paddle trip.  By the time we returned it was about 4 pm and there was not a soul around.  Everyone had left. Once we passed those few people nearer the trails start we never saw another person. 

      The woods smelled of the coming of Autumn.  I look forward to many more hikes in crunchy leaves to beautiful spots this year.

 

Bald Eagle in the trees over the lake.



Golden light on Slickrock Creek and fallen leaves



Lower Falls on Slickrock Creek