Overnight Paddle Camping Trip to Chicot State Park Jan2012 Trip Report

We met behind Pack & Paddle at 8am, our group consisted of Glenn and I, Anne and Steve, a couple from Atlanta, Peter and Helena, siblings from Lafayette and Mandeville, and Dean, a long time friend of Pack and Paddle. We convoyed to Chico State Park and put in at the North Landing. We traversed the thick cypress forest on the north end of the lake and followed the markings to our canoe-only campsite where we set up our tents and had lunch.

We then headed out to explore Walker Branch’s secret spot. We could not find the path through the trees that I used the last time I was here, so we headed directly into the dense stand of cypress sometimes using our hands to pull ourselves past and between the trees.  It was slow going, involving some retracing of our path, but this ended up being to our benefit because we found wonderful pockets of 80+ years old cypress that were surrounded by rings of 20ish year old cypress. It was amazing to me because there was no growth under the spread of the old branches, just open water, then the rings of the young cypress arrayed in almost perfect circles.  I thought that these young cypress could have been offspring of the mature cypress but then why wasn’t there any cypress beneath the mature cypress.  Seeds fall beneath and around the tree, not just beyond the reach of its branches leaving this ring of open water beneath the mature tree.  After the trip, I ended up calling a friend and manager of the LA State Arboretum, now located in Chicot SP.  I told Jim what I saw and what I thought.  He said the lake was drained about 30 years ago and not refilled for about 5 years.  I said, that explains it all.  The seeds fell from the mature cypress, saplings came up under and around the mature cypress.  Those under the shade of the mature cypress did not grow as quickly as those receiving direct sunlight.  When the water was returned to the lake, those in the shade were drowned, leaving only the faster growing cypress in sunlight, hence the circle of young cypress outside of the shade of the mature cypress. We laughed at our original puzzlement and then accepted our new explanation as probable.

After we made our way out of the secret spot, we headed back across the open water of the lake toward our camp. On the way, we saw a peregrine falcon perched atop an old cypress snag, an unexpected surprise and very special indeed.  We also saw two adult and one sub-adult bald eagle flying overhead throughout the day, yet another treasure.

Before getting to our camp, we stopped at and took a short tour of Long Island. It is a canoe-in only campsite that has been developed by Lafayette Paddle Club. There are two fire rings and six marked tent areas, soon to be open for public use.  We then returned to our campsite to start a fire and heat up the dinner prepared by Hub City Diner. Our guests had red beans, rice, sausage and amazing cookies. Glenn and I ate homemade chicken and okra gumbo. After dinner, we sat around the fire discussing what we had seen during the day and sharing stories about other adventure each of us had experienced.  Glenn had brought a radio and head phones to listen to the Saints’ playoff game. As the rest of us talked by the fire, he sat to the side, sharing with us occasional and alternating exclamations of dismay and joy and then sorrow as the Saints finally lost to the 49ers. Thanks to Dean for keeping us all entertained by his stories and Glenn for not only keeping us informed about the game but also entertaining us with his outbursts of exclamations.

The sky was clear, and the stars were brilliant. Our conversation and the fire slowly ebbed, and we all retired to our tents for the evening. In the morning, we awoke to a warm fire started by Dean, the early riser. After coffee and a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and hash browns, we packed up our tents and gear and prepared to leave. Before pushing off, Anne, Helena and I decided to greet the day and say good bye to our camp with a bit of yoga.  The guys decided to sit this one out but did agree to photos of their version of yoga.

A comfortable paddle back to the north landing ended our venture. The small number in our group allowed for good conversation and the beginning of friendships. After packing up our vehicles, we bid our farewells awaiting adventures of another day.

-Stacey Scarce, Trip Leader

To view all the photos from this trip, click here!!