By Claude Terry
Updated August, 2008

Could it be? Someone was making a strenuous effort to hand crank a model-T Ford, and in the process was causing an unholy row. I was sure of this as I came awake in my sleeping bag. When I finally opened my eyes, I remembered we were sleeping on the board dock of an overnight shelter in the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp. Model-Ts in the Okefenokee? I sat up and saw my “Model-Ts” come flying over. They were large birds with white bodies and wings, black wing tips and a naked head. As they banked and glided by, they once again emitted the ear-jarring cacophony, which had roused me from sleep. Such was my introduction to the wood ibis, the only American stork.

The Eastern United States has too few wilderness areas, places where you can forget that persons other than your party have passed. Okefenokee is not only such a wilderness, but also a unique biological and geological area, housing many unusual species like wood ibis.

Various canoe trails twist through the park, exposing the paddler to an incredible variety of views. There are islands and hammocks templed by the columns of cypress, open prairies of low vegetation laced with water channels, and expanses of tea-colored water. The water is the home for sunfish, pickerel, bass and plenty of alligators. I’m not sure if it’s a result of efforts to stop poaching, or if we’ve just been lucky lately, but we’ve been seeing big gators on our last few trips into the swamp. I was still looking after the last of the wood ibis when a member of our party approached from the shelter. Seeing that he was looking past me attentively I asked, “Did some of the birds land opposite us?” “No,” he replied, “I’m just watching that gator under your feet.”

Sure enough, two wide apart bumps glided by, followed by faint twitches of the water, which revealed a 10-foot gator passing. This fellow was almost a nuisance at the Bigwater Shelter, apparently having been fed scraps by previous parties. I personally think this is akin to feeding park bears, and strongly recommend against it. (more…)

By Doug Purcell
Executive Director, Historic Chattahoochee Commission

Interestingly southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia share a water resource known, over time, by at least three names—Walter F. George Lake, Lake Eufaula and Lake Chattahoochee. This U. S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundment was formed following the construction of the Walter F. George Lock and Dam at Fort Gaines, Georgia in 1963. Today the lake covers 45,192 acres, is 85 miles long and has a 640 mile shoreline. In 2007 almost 3.8 million visitors took advantage of this asset for fishing, boating, sailing, skiing and a variety of other uses.

To further complicate the situation, the sprawling impoundment has obscured the western Georgia boundary where the Chattahoochee River intersects with a portion of Alabama’s eastern boundary. That boundary was established by the (more…)

From Turners Corner to the Highway 52 Bridge

Born in the rock faces of Blood Mountain, the Chestatee cascades out of the Chattahoochee National forest as one of Georgia’s best trout streams. From Turner’s Corner to Georgia Highway 52 the river is one of the best canoeing streams in the state. Although the small watershed limits the rivers use to winter spring and rainy periods in the summer, the beauty makes it well worth the effort involved in planning a trip for “when it rains.” Individual preferences for water levels also come into play here, since some people may not mind dragging their boat over shallow ledges. The scenery is excellent, particularly in the spring and early summer. Azaleas and dogwoods in April, laurel in May and rhododendron in early June provide small splashes of color against the rich magnificence of the white pines and hemlocks.

The first six miles or so from Turner’s Corner is down a green-lined tunnel, with no real rapids of note, but plenty of beauty. The first really challenging rapid is a ledge with a “s” turn (1) There follows a series of moderate rapids, with abrupt turns in the river revealing steep banks covered with white pines. The next rapid is just above the lunch spot, and is preceded by an old white pine covered in “old man’s beard” lichen. This runs best on the left. (more…)