Exploring the coastal backwaters by canoe 



Cypress dripping with Spanish 

 moss, a Venus' flytrap closing on a un- 

 suspecting insect, a river otter sliding 

 down a river bank. . . Nature has 

 tucked away a lot of fine secrets along 

 coastal North Carolina's rivers and 

 streams. The best way to discover 

 them? In a canoe. 



"What I like best about canoeing is 

 that feeling of isolation," says John 

 Anema, an avid canoeist and a mem- 

 ber of the Greenville Sierra Club. 

 "You're away from everything. For 

 me, it's therapy no doctor could ever 

 provide. 



"The quietness is great too. You 

 make so little noise in a canoe that you 

 blend in and animals hardly ever 

 notice you. You see lots of wildlife that 

 way." 



Anema says one of his most exciting 

 canoeing experiences came last month 

 as he canoed Lake Mattaponni in 

 Virginia. He saw two bald-eagles 

 perched in a tree. "It was just a very 

 majestic experience that I can't find 

 the words to express," he says. 



You might not see bald eagles in 

 North Carolina, but you can see bob- 

 cats, river otter, muskrats, mink, deer, 

 beaver, various waterfowl, alligators 

 and snakes, most of which are non- 

 poisonous. 



Cecil Frost, a ranger for the 

 Merchant's Millpond State Park in 

 Gates County, says the stories of 

 snakes dropping from trees into canoes 

 are exaggerated. 



Frost says nonpoisonous water 

 snakes do sun themselves in trees and 

 bushes, and if startled, will drop. "But 

 it's not like there are snakes hanging 

 from every tree and bush," he says 

 with a chuckle. "I've only had one to 

 drop in my canoe in four years." 



Poisonous water moccosins are not 

 tree hangers, but instead, sun them- 

 selves coiled on logs in the river, Frost 

 says. "What you have to remember is 

 that most creatures are as scared of 

 you as you are of them," he says. 



If wildlife isn't your forte, then the 

 coast abounds in unusual plant life. In 

 the Croatan National Forest, you can 

 find carnivorous plants such as Venus' 

 flytraps, sundews and pitcher plants. 

 Along the banks of Merchant's Mill- 

 pond, you can see six species of rare 

 wetland plants, such as water crowfoot 

 and featherfoil, as well as more com- 



mon plants, water lilies and swamp 

 roses. 



Most canoeists seem to agree that 

 Merchant's Millpond is the most 

 scenic area to canoe in coastal North 

 Carolina. The 170-year-old millpond is 

 surrounded by virgin cypress trees 

 draped with Spanish moss. Canoes can 

 be rented from the state park ranger 

 for 75 cents an hour or $4 a day. A 

 primitive camp on the millpond can be 

 used for canoe camping. But, Frost 

 warns, you must take everything you 

 need in with you, and bring everything 

 out. 



The canoe trip through the pond is 

 about five miles long. And, it's best to 

 check with the state park ranger for a 

 canoe route through the pond. 

 Otherwise, you may get lost. If you're 

 looking for a longer trip, you can canoe 

 from the millpond down Bennett's 

 Creek through the Chowan Swamp, 

 about 20 miles. Frost says this is also a 

 very scenic route. 



Photo by Carolina Wilderness Institute 



Other good rivers for canoeing in 

 eastern North Carolina are the White 

 Oak River in Jones County, the 

 Northeast Cape Fear and South 

 Rivers in Pender County, the Black 

 River in Bladen County and the Wac- 

 camaw River in Columbus and 

 Brunswick Counties. 



Moulton Avery, director of the 

 Carolina Wilderness Institute, an 

 organization specializing in wilderness 

 training, suggests that beginning and 

 less-skilled canoeists avoid canoeing in 

 wide rivers or river mouths. "If you're 

 canoeing in these areas and a wind 

 blows up, it can cause a lot of wave ac- 

 tion that can capsize your canoe," he 

 says. 



Also, many coastal rivers wind 

 through remote areas and Avery 

 suggests canoeists have some 

 wilderness experience or training 

 before attempting to canoe or camp. 



Continued on next page 



Spanish moss drapes the cypress at Merchant's Millpond 



