Excerpts from Phillip Jordan’s Fall River Trip, part 3
Jasperite Phillip Jordan is an acclaimed wildlife photographer. The last few years he has concentrated on documenting life along the Altamaha River System, comprised primarily of the Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ohoopee and Altamaha rivers.
The following are excerpts from his 2016 river trip journal. This is part three of the series.
Tuesday, October 25
Day 12
7:00 a.m. As expected no owls last night. The traffic on I-16 did slow down a little in the middle of the night.
Amazing how busy everyone is. Contrasting my slow pace with that of the I-16 world is unbelievable.
6:00 p.m. Just ate the last cherry pie to celebrate getting through the Dublin section. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. There were 15-20 shoal areas instead of the four or five I expected. Could not see them last year because they were so far underwater.
Was able to paddle up all the shoals because in the pole boat/steamboat era a channel was cleared through each one. The channels concentrated the current making all of them swift but clear of rocks. Had to paddle with all my strength to get up each one. Used my whitewater paddle with its large blades. It pulls a lot of water but wears you out.
Started off the morning seeing a doe drinking. Did not try for a photo because of the swiftness of the current. The whole section through Dublin has a rock bottom. It makes the current swifter than sand does.
In Dublin at the Hwy. 80 bridge I passed by two USGS employees measuring the water level of the river with a string across it. Their water gauge was six to eight feet out of the water.
Sorry to see that a private boat ramp had been built below the manmade island I camped on last year. There were four wheeler tracks all over it. Had lunch there but would not want to camp on it again. Because of the low water a fish weir was visible in the rocks on the upper end. The island was probably built around 200 years ago when they cleared the channel of rocks for pole boats. Was the weir built by Indians still living on the west bank or by white settlers?
There was a large barge in the river at the bridge construction near Cow Hell Swamp. It left just enough room for boats to pass.
Saw a small snake crossing the river and landing on a sandbar. Could not go over for a closer look and photo because of low water where it landed. Did not want to get out of the canoe. The snake, probably two feet long was swimming on the surface of the water like a cotton mouth.
Was beginning to think I would get no wildlife photos when some yellowlegs showed up. They posed for me in several places where I could run aground and take photos. They even came with me to the pebble beach I am camped on tonight. It is all pebbles, no sand. Thought it would be nice to sleep on something other than sand.
Tonight I am in the middle of the Beaver Dam Wildlife Management Area. Can hear no sounds of civilization. Quite a change from last night.
Just heard some large birds fly up to roost in the trees behind me. Probably turkeys.
Should be a quiet night except for the odd cry coming from across the river. Oh well, does not matter what it is as long as it stays over there.
Wednesday, October 26
Day 13
7:40 a.m. It was one of the quietest nights of the trip, even the owls were at a distance. That is until 6:45 when I heard a four wheeler going through the woods on the other side of the river. Could even see its lights. Would not hunt that close to the river. A wounded deer could cross the river and be lost.
Hope to get above the railroad bridge above Balls Ferry today.
7:30 p.m. Put in a full eight hours today and it was a challenge. Lots of shoals at first and then problems with low water and snags. Pulled the canoe today more than any other. Believe this is the hardest I have worked since working at Suttles Saw Mill 49 years ago.
Camped several river turns above the RR bridge. Repair work was being done on the base of one of the bridges old supports. It really looked bad. Guess this is the first time in years the water has been low enough to work on it.
Saw two fishing boats not far below Balls Ferry. The first on the Oconee. Both seemed to be having a hard time.
Today saw kingfishers, wood ducks, great blue herons, great egrets, osprey, turkeys and the first wild hogs I have seen on the Oconee. Hear pileated woodpeckers almost every evening as they go to roost. The yellowlegs left me after a mile or so above last nights camp. A train went by at seven, crossing the bridge slowly. Should be a quiet night. There might be another train but I enjoy hearing them.
Thursday, October 27
Day 14
7:30 a.m. Early in the night I heard a deer back in the woods blow and stomp. It did it twice then left. I feel bad that they are coming to their watering place and finding me there. The rest of the night was quiet except for the train. It crossed the bridge three times.
Expect just snags and low water today. This section of river has a sharp turn at every bend and snags pile up in sharp turns. It meanders more than any other part of the river all the way to the straight section below Milledgeville.
7:00 p.m. Did not stop for camp until 5:40. Had a hard day, water is so low I had to zig zag searching for a channel deep enough to paddle in. Need at least 20 inches to get enough purchase on the paddle to pull the boat upstream.
One of the bad things about having to search for deep water and run the obstacle course of snags is that I don’t get to look upstream for wildlife. As I came around a bend today an eagle flew up from the water. If I had been looking ahead instead of down for a channel I might have gotten a shot of him.
It became obvious today that I will be unable to make the downstream trip to Darien. The water is so low I might even have to walk the rest of the way to Milledgeville.
Saw a wild hog and lots of deer today. A four point buck and doe just watched me as I paddled by. The doe ran around a little but they never spooked.
Nature gave me a special treat this evening. Around 6:30 as I was checking my GPS a young doe walked out of the woods and down the sandbar toward me. When she got to the tent she turned and walked back into the woods nibbling vegetation as she went. Later when it was almost dark I saw her drinking water down the sandbar. It was a real treat for me on my 14th and last night sleeping beside the river. This is no state park with tame deer, it is a wildlife management area where they are hunted.
Friday, October 28
Day 15
Very quiet night. Only me and the owls.
Well it is time to see if I can make it to Milledgeville.
4:00 p.m. Made it to the prison boat ramp below Milledgeville. The yellowlegs were here to greet me. The water is so low I did not try for the Hwy. 24 bridge. Afraid the rocky section before it would damage the canoe with the water this low. The trip was approximately 331 miles {not counting all the zig zagging} and ended 30 miles from where it started.
Today was by far the hardest of them all. The water was so low I pulled the canoe as much as I paddled it. It was also so hot I had to lay down in the river several times to cool off.
Before lunch I came across a 10 point buck dead on the river bank. He was most likely shot and died in the river where he sought refuge. Saw no gators on the Oconee. Know they were around because I saw them last year. The extreme low water is affecting their behavior.
I now know how the Oconee Rivers bottom looks all the way to the forks. It was crystal clear and shallow all the way. The Ocmulgee was also clear but not as shallow. This trip has shown me a little of how beautiful they both must have been when they were black water rivers. It has also shown me how tough the people were that routinely traveled up and down the rivers. It has been quite a workout for me.
