So, it was on Sunday 12/11/22, the day of our HCC Xmas Paddle/Party.
It all started for me at 7:00 AM as I desperately tried to load my boat onto the car. It was pouring rain and lightning was scary enough to make me dodge back into my garage several times! Crazy! Finally got underway to Lake Charlotte, only a little behind schedule. Tom Douglas, my co-leader, checked in along the way. He was trailing me just a few miles behind on I-10 east. Surely, we had to be the only ones insane enough to be doing this and totally expected to be the only paddlers out there! Wrong!! By around 9:00, there were close to 20 of us crazies huddling in the Cedar Hill pavilion waiting for the storm to blow by. Awesome!!
Finally, the sky began clearing, and the wind was dropping, so we (13) headed over to the put-in, eager to get underway. It was still a little gloomy on the lakefront, but fortunately not windy or cold! Conditions were glassy with about 8 feet on the gauge when we got going at about 10:00 AM.
The Group
Cedar Hill, Lake Charlotte
GPS Track
(Credit Tom Douglas)
With only a couple hours left at our disposal before the picnic was set to begin, our paddle was a bit abbreviated. Still, we managed to fit in a really enjoyable loop across Charlotte, up Mac Bayou, across the Sulphur Cut, into Secret Lake and up to Mac Lake. It was so pretty out there, and we had such a fun group of intrepid paddlers.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Group Sulphur Cut
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Secret Lake |
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Tom on Secret Lake |
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Mac Lake |
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Gator on Mac Bayou |
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Lake Charlotte |
We got back to Cedar Hill a little after noon, not far behind schedule and promptly headed over to the pavilion to meet up with the rest of the group. A wonderful lunch and great camaraderie was shared by all….quantities of homemade chili, KFC, yummy sides and a plethora of irresistible, very fattening desserts! Wow!
Click on images to enlarge.
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Joe’s Table
(Credit Christy L.) |
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Tyrone’s Table
(Credit Christy L.)
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Group Photo
(Credit Christy L.) |
Many thanks to Alice N. and all her helpers for putting it all together! Such a fun event!
Happy Holidays to all!
See all photos on the HCC website.
HCC 2022 Christmas Party/Outing
HCC Xmas Party 12/11/22
Christmas Paddle and Party 2022