What a great day for a paddle! Clear to partly cloudy skies with air temperatures in the 70s, water temperature of 80°, and just enough of a northerly breeze on Pickett’s Bayou to be comfortable.
After signing in at the registration tent for the day’s “Walk for the Wild” event, we took in a brief guided tour of one of the log-construction buildings that is being refurbished for use as an educational space for the Champion Lake Unit of the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge.
Tour of the Lodge, photo by Joe Coker
Our group of ten paddlers with their three canoes and five kayaks met up at the Pickett’s Bayou boat ramp at 10:00 and started down the bayou around 10:45.
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| At the Put-In, photo by Joe Coker |
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Heading Down Pickett's Bayou, photo by Joe Coker |
About 2 miles along, we encountered the sandbar that ushers in the more winding portion of the bayou. (There is a map of our paddling route at the end of this trip report.)
The Sandbar, photo by Joe Coker
Soon, we came to a mysterious bit of river art hanging from a tree branch far above the water. This was a sign that we were approaching Linda’s Narrows, where Pickett’s Bayou becomes noticeably narrower and more winding.
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| River Art, photo by Joe Coker |
Entering Linda's Narrows, photo by Tom Douglas
Through Linda's Narrows, photo by Joe Coker
A bird that was perched along the bank drew a lot of attention because of its unusual, mottled blue-and-white appearance. We speculated that it was an immature little blue heron making the transition from its juvenile white plumage to its adult blue and purplish plumage. Thanks to Carl Kuhnen for finding an excellent article that explains how this change comes about.
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| Birds Ahead, photo by Linda Shead |
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Little Blue Heron, photo by Alan Bernstein |
As we approached the confluence of Pickett’s Bayou and The Cutoff, we were greeted by a couple of relaxed, swimming alligators. At this water level, the banks at our intended lunch spot at the confluence were too steep and high to be very inviting. So, we decided to continue about 0.6 miles north up The Cutoff to what the Army Corps of Engineers designates as Structure A, and many paddlers call the “Flow Restrictor”. This structure is designed so that it can be closed when saltwater creeping up the Trinity River would otherwise flow into The Cutoff and from there farther inland from the Trinity. Today, the Flow Restrictor seemed to be doing its job. Although there was a bit of minor leakage of water around the gate, Joe Coker (pictured) estimated that the water level on the north side of the structure was still about 2 feet higher than on the south side.
The Flow Restrictor, photo by Tom Douglas
The banks near the Flow Restrictor didn’t offer a favorable lunch spot, so we backtracked a short distance down The Cutoff to a small side channel. Conditions there were a little better, leading some paddlers to have lunch ashore while others decided to remain in their boats.
Lunchtime, photo by Joe Coker
Following lunch, we retraced our route: back down The Cutoff, up through Linda’s Narrows and Pickett’s Bayou, to the boat ramp. Even counting the several paddlers who explored Pickett’s Bayou for a short distance to the northeast of the boat ramp, everyone was at the takeout by about 3:20.
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Back Down The Cutoff,
photo by Joe Coker |
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Back Through Linda's Narrows,
photo by Linda Shead |
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Nearing the Take-Out,
photo by Joe Coker |
As promised, here is the map of our paddling route. Total paddling distance was 8.2 miles.
The Paddling Route, photo by Tom Douglas
There are more photos from this outing in Joe Coker’s photo album Picketts Bayou WFTW 10/7/23,
The Trip at a Glance
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Put-in
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Pickett’s Bayou Boat Ramp – Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge
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Take-out
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Pickett’s Bayou Boat Ramp – Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge
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River Miles
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8.2 miles (GPS track)
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Fees or Permits
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None
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Gage
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7.1 ft / 2210 cfs at Trinity Rv at Liberty, TX – 08067000
3.1 ft / -- at Trinity Rv nr Moss Bluff, TX - 08067100
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Temperature
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70° - 75° F
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Sky
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Clear to Partly Cloudy
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Moon Phase
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Waning Crescent
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Sunrise/sunset
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Sunrise 7:18 AM / Sunset 7:01 PM
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Precipitation
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None
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Wind
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14-15 mph from the NNW to NNE
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Coordinator
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Tom Douglas
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Participants
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Ann Andrisek, Alan Bernstein, Joe Coker, Lance Dean, Tom Douglas, Gregory Fan, Carl Kuhnen, David Lehmann, Linda Shead, Jenny Zhang (Names of HCC Members are shown in bold type.)
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Shuttle
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None
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Craft
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3 canoes, 5 kayaks
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HCC Club Miles
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8.2 miles x 7 HCC Members = 57.4 Miles
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Road Miles
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94 miles - From Houston and back.
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Guide Book
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https://www.fws.gov/refuge/trinity-river
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Photos
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Alan Bernstein, Joe Coker, Tom Douglas, Linda Shead
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Food
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Sack Lunch
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Water
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1/2 gallon per day, per person
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