Weed, weed, weed and more weed (waterweed, that is). More than we had ever seen in some 20 years of paddling out there! That, with only 4.5 feet of water on the gauge, made for an “interesting” day!
For those unfamiliar, Champion Lake is part of the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in Liberty County, TX roughly 50 miles east of Houston. It features about 10 miles of paddling trails connecting 20 numbered duck hunting clearings (see map). Water levels above 6 feet on the local gauge are preferable. Convenient parking, restrooms, fishing pier and boat ramp. TRNWR Office 936-336-9786.
An enthusiastic group of 13 HCC paddlers put in at the boat ramp at about 9:45 Sunday morning 9/11/22, a nice sunny day in the 90’s. The water was noticeably low but clear in the immediate area, belying adverse conditions in the interior. We were spoiled by the 8.5 feet last year and experience told us the going might be tough and certain spots might be unreachable, but off we went!
The Group
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Christy accepting
Newsletter Honor (Credit Natalie Wiest) |
First, we headed over for a quick look at the new dam and the deep pool beyond, appropriately referred to as the “Gator Mancave”. It’s historically been the exclusive, territorial hang-out for several very large, reclusive big boys! They were all in hiding this time, but instead we were graced by a number of fine Wood Storks; some posing in the low trees and others soaring above.
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| Down to the Dam |
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Wood Storks (Credit Marilyn Kircus) |
From there we returned to the mouth of Caney Creek, roughly opposite the put-in and headed up-stream. Our original objective was to reach #12, the very picturesque and most distant clearing (2.4 miles). Early going was easy and punctuated with nice lotus blooms. However, within a couple hundred yards, we hit the beginning of the waterweed scourge on the surface mostly duckweed, azolla, hyacinth, gator weed, penny wort and other vines. Underwater were particularly dense masses of cabomba, elodea and hydrilla. All combined to create a very strenuous paddling experience! Fortunately, all participants were seasoned troopers!
The Green Wall
Follow the Leader (Credit Natalie Wiest)
Undaunted, we slogged forward, taking advantage of the few thin patches and periodically re-assessing our situation. Eventually we reached the #13-14 exit. It was pretty clogged, but offered a viable escape to the south, if needed. Deciding to continue on, we headed for the next exit, #15-18, which is just short of the Caney Creek junction heading up to #12, our original destination.
Clearly, however, conditions were so bad at that point, it was unreasonable to try going further up. Besides, increasingly low water would have quickly impeded progress towards #12. Instead, we decided to try the #15-18 channel hoping for deeper water towards the south and less weed on the shadier path. Not much luck with that though.
We managed to reach #15 where not only were the weeds impenetrable, but we also ran out of water! A quick slog knee-deep in mud confirmed the lake at #15 was virtually empty. Unbelievable! Bleached duckweed produced a weird winter-like scene.
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Muddy Slog
(Credit Natalie Wiest) |
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Lake at #15 |
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Lake at #15 |
At the end of our line, we gradually backed out to the main channel and returned to the #13-14 escape route. It proved to be slow-going but doable. Eventually we reached a nice, shaded spot for lunch, rest and relaxation.
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Exiting #13-14 |
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Entering #13-14 (Credit Tom D) |
Then, re-energized, we headed for the South Channel.
Deeper and more wide-open, it was relatively less weed-bound, but still too jammed to venture much further. Widespread Lotus growth offered pretty blooms but also would hinder paddling as far west as we could see.
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| South Channell |
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Back to the Pier |
After a brief stint down there enjoying the nice scenery, we all agreed it was time to surrender to the elements and head for home, only about 15 minutes to the east. Thankfully, the water cleared substantially as the pier came into view. On the way, we ran into a large school of fish basking in a wide-open area of Lotus pads. Our unexpected arrival spooked them into the most incredible, crazy, splashing and jumping frenzy we had ever seen. It was a great way to top off our adventure!
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GPS Track (Credit Tom Douglas) |
We never reached our planned destination and clocked only about 3.5 strenuous miles of an anticipated 7 or 8. But we still had a fun time! There’s always something new out there on Champion Lake!
Champion Lake 9/11/22