Paddle Georgia 2021 – Day 2

By: Sarah Taylor, GRN Communications Coordinator

“Some journeys take you farther from where you come from, but closer to where you belong.” — Ron Franscell

Today’s paddle was perhaps the most physically challenging of the whole trip, but the pristine beauty was worth the effort. It began at Red Oaks Plantation and stretched for approximately 15 miles to Chehaw Park & Zoo, capping off with a five-mile lake paddle on Chehaw Lake and up Muckalee Creek to reach the campsite. Paddlers explored the final miles of the free-flowing Flint today before it widens behind the circa-1920 Flint River Hydro Dam (the dam is operated by a Paddle Georgia sponsor, Georgia Power Co.).

On the river, beauty abounded. Like on Day 1, an impressive list of fauna were spotted including a bald eagle, alligators, egrets, baby turtles and even a gar fish with another fish in its mouth. Breathtaking marsh prairies stole the show though, showing off blooming water hyacinths, lily pads and more. Throughout the day, paddlers stopped to swim and swap stories or jokes on sunny sandbars along the water trail. 

Today was also a river clean-up day. As paddlers came across trash stuck in an eddy or strainer, etc., they plucked it from the water and secured it safely in a bright red, mesh trash bag. In total, we filled more than 15 of these bags. It feels good to give back to a river that is offering the 36 of us so much this week.

The journey was bookended by a heavy rainstorm and some wind as Paddle Georgia adventurers made their way across the lake. It was a tough trek, but it did not overshadow the highlights from the first part of the day.

After a delicious taco dinner, participants enjoyed an educational program by a zookeeper from the Chehaw Zoo. He showed us a small variety of animals. First up, a baby alligator! The zookeeper explained how the American Alligator is a keystone species, meaning it has a very important role within its ecosystem. Alligators, in large part, determine the diversity of the smaller species in their ecosystem because they are predators to the mid-level species. They thrive in freshwater environments, can grow to be as long as 15 feet long, go through 3,000 or so teeth in a lifetime and most impressively, their bite can apply 3,000 lbs. of pressure per square inch (compared to the human 150-250 lbs./ sq. inch!). Not to mention, gators dig holes that can be as large as 60 x 10 feet, and in areas that dry out, can serve as a refuge for wetlands critters.

This group of participants is both knowledgeable and very curious and it was a lot of fun learning alongside them. We all asked a million questions as the zookeeper brought out a corn snake, adult male Screech Owl and African Pancake Tortoise. Here are my favorite facts about each: the biggest threat to the corn snake species is fear-based killing because folks confuse them with copperheads; the fine feathers on a Screech Owl’s face transfer noise towards the ear slits on the side of its head; and the African Pancake Tortoise is the fastest tortoise in the world, so fast, in fact, that its first line of defense is to run rather than hide in its shell. 

To cap-off the evening, Joe Cook led everyone in a fish prints arts and craft project! A variety of aquatic life foam carvings were painted and then pressed into paper — they came out great!

A huge thank you to Chehaw Park & Zoo for hosting us, feeding us and providing a memorable education program! Chehaw Park is a full-service campground with rental cabins available and a zoo, BMX bike track, RC car track and more on site.