Trip Report: Lake Charlotte to Mac Bayou, Mac Lake, Secret Cut and lake
October 5, 2024
Also as a prelude to the club’s 60th anniversary celebration, a trip to the Lake Charlotte area. There were 7 participants in 6 boats. For once, the numbers of canoes and kayaks were balanced: 3 canoes, 3 kayaks. Most of our trips take the broad interpretation of “canoe” and end up majority kayaks so it was fun to have an even keel, so to speak.
In contrast to Champion Lake the day before with really low water levels, the Lake Charlotte gauge recorded 8.46 feet with plenty of water for wherever we wanted to paddle. Our route was somewhat fluid, heading first to the west across the lake to Mac Bayou, Mac Lake, and into the far northern range of the bayou feeding Mac Lake. Lunch was on a somewhat overgrown sandbar at the mouth of Mac Bayou and Sulphur Cut.
Following is the photographic evidence of our day on the water.
Here are the boats at the Cedar Hill Park access to lake Charlotte:
The spines of this locust tree are un-inviting
Lunch on the sandbar. Perhaps Ellen wasn’t as delighted as she might be with the lunch selection?
Ken in front of the collapsing sulphur docks at Sulphur Cut. Practicing some meditative gunnel grabbing.
The participants:
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Bob Scaldino
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John Diehl
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Carl Kuhnen
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Brandi Depew – in the branches, sorry about my poor aim…
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Ken Anderson
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Natalie Wiest
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Ellen Shipman
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Distance paddled: 8.16 miles
Trip report by Natalie Wiest, trip coordinator