Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Sadlers Creek State Recreation Area, South Carolina. Part III. Kayaking on Lake Hartwell

Click here for the first post in this series and table of contents.

Lake Hartwell is a delight for those of us who prefer smooth water kayaking. And Anderson County’s Sadlers Creek State Recreation Area is an ideal launch site.

lake hartwell 01 The Park includes a wide, gradually sloping boat ramp, with plenty of surrounding parking.

boat ramp lawn I didn’t see any tables here. But the surrounding lawn would be a great place for a picnic.

heron-like stump Just beside the boat ramp I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a large great blue heron. Or thought I did, anyway. It was very close. I grabbed the still camera, quietly turned, and snapped a photo of this peculiarly shaped stump. I wonder how many early-morning fishermen have seen this and thought it to be a heron! Well …. the photo here doesn’t do it justice. You have to have been there, as they say.

 

shore at 58 However, today I didn’t need that concrete boat ramp. It’s possible to launch right from the shore at Campground Loop Two’s site number 58. The lake is down about five feet now, extending the shore out considerably, as you can see in the photo above. But the ground is solid enough for a convenient launch.

Here’s a short video taken at the outset of today’s paddle.

I’ve still got a lot to learn about shooting and processing video. It takes time! So many variables. Oh well, it’s fun to do. Of course, I can’t take the camcorder out in the kayak. It wouldn’t respond well to a dunking. So these videos are taken with a digital Canon pocket camera that fits into a small waterproof bag.

They’ll get better! Hopefully …..

shore from kayak Back in to dry off the kayak and enjoy other parts of this beautiful Park. So stay tuned for more material.

Click here for the next post in this series.

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