This trip was lucky to even go since we had a thunderstorm leaving and another one approaching. With the time change, we now had time to get on the water and fully enjoy the sunset and the cool temperatures left behind from the rain. Circling the lake clockwise from the boat launch we paddled out and made our way through the cypress trees. The water level was up making the paddle even easier since all the downed trees were totally covered with water and less obstacles to navigate around. 
In our group were two friends that had planned to sleep over the water that night in their camping hammock and tarps or “gator burritos” as I call it. No real danger but it makes for a good joke. When they mentioned this to me, I made sure to bring the group by to have a look at their camp so everyone could ask questions and see something not of the “norm”. Since this was their first time setting up the hammock over water while standing in a kayak it took them almost 2 hours. When they returned their boats to Pack and Paddle the next day, they reported that they had a great time and everything went well.
By the time we made it to the North side of the lake the sun was setting and the moon was completely out of the clouds. The sunset was mostly hidden in the clouds but projected subtle pink to purple highlights across the sky. Taking pictures slowed me down and distracted me enough to get left in the wake of my group. Darkness came upon us just as we arrived back at boat launch where a great red beans and rice dinner from Hub City Diner awaited us. We also can’t leave out the bread pudding, OHHHHH YUM!
Be wild, get outdoors!
-Kevin Wallis, Trip Leader
To see more photos from this trip, click here!