Back in June, Linda Shead and I paddled through the cypress swamp at Lake Charlotte with the idea of making a video that might fit into the “Moment of Zen” series being run by KHOU Channel 11. Our first choice of locations was over on the east side of Lake Charlotte, where the spacing of the trees makes them highly photogenic. Even though conditions at that spot didn’t pan out, we were fortunate enough to capture a suitable video clip down at Mud Lake later in the day. Not willing to give up entirely on our original plan, we kept an eye on the weather, looking for a day when we might be able to give it a second try.
Seeing the forecast for calm winds on the morning of Friday July 17, we packed up our gear. When we arrived at Cedar Hill Park, the temperature was a pleasant 80 degrees, and the heavy cloud cover meant that there wouldn’t be any tricky shadows to contend with. We launched our canoe, and were on-site in about a half hour. After we had made several short video clips, we noticed that even more clouds had gathered out over Lake Charlotte. Rain began falling on the lake, and soon it was upon us. This wasn’t quite what we had had in mind, but it turned out to be a great opportunity. After all, what could be more Zen-like than a scene of gentle rain falling into calm water surrounded by a forest? We were lucky to get in just one quick shot before heavier rain brought an end to the mood of serenity.
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| GPS Track |
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Calm Morning |
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Rain Over the Lake |
On our way back to the park, we decided to paddle a little ways into the forest. This was to be just the first of several great spots along the edge of the lake, where we saw swamp lilies, buttonbush, lizard’s tail, sagittaria, hibiscus, lots of cypress knees, and other wonderful plants. We almost forgot how wet we were.
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| Swamp Lily |
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Buttonbush |
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Lizard's Tail |
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| Sagittaria |
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Hibiscus |
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Cypress Knees |
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Cypress Cones |
Later, we spotted a lost fishing rig dangling from a cypress branch. Best we could tell, someone must have made a long cast through several trees to get it there. We decided to retrieve it and double back to the pier at the south end of the park, where a father and son were fishing. Our gift of the recovered floats, sinkers, and hooks was gratefully accepted. They showed us how some of their own gear had gotten hung on a submerged branch between the pier and the shore, but they were afraid to go after it for fear of alligators. So, we managed to squeeze underneath the pier by getting really low in our canoe. Most likely, we wouldn’t have been able to pull this off if the water depth at the Lake Charlotte gauge would have been any higher than about 9.5 feet, which it was on that day. Noticing that there was a lot more fishing tackle hanging from branches near the shore, we collected some of that, too. All in all, it was a great chance to foster cordial relations between those of us who paddle and others who also appreciate the swamp. Slipping back under the pier, we exchanged a couple of quick fish stories, bade farewell to the happy fishermen, and made our way back to the park.
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| This Way Home |
The swamp had worked its magic once again. Even though we had set out with just one specific goal in mind, we would return home with memories of three quite different and rewarding adventures.
It wasn’t until the following Tuesday that I had time to sort through our video clips to select two of them for submission: one made in fair weather, and one in the rain. The TV producer liked the one with rain sufficiently that they put it into the queue for that same evening’s newscast.
| Click to play the video |
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| Fair Weather Video |
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Rainy Weather Video |