OUR THREE RIVER OVERNIGHTER
(MAY 15-16, 2020)
On May 15 and 16, 2020, Karma and I embarked on an overnighter that would take us down sections of 3 rivers: Red Creek, Black Creek and the Pascagoula. We had been planning this trip for months, and the pieces fell into place, and we went for it. We got a late start on Friday, May 15 and ended up putting in on Red Creek at Hwy 57 just before dark. Hwy 57 does not have a boat ramp or landing, but we were able to put our canoe in over the rocks under the bridge and leave our car there after dropping the truck off at the take out. We paddled a relatively short distance as it got darker, and we worried that we would be stuck paddling around in unfamiliar territory and not find a good sandbar. The rivers this far downstream are deeper and have less good sandbars to camp on. We got lucky and found a small sandbar that by morning light we found out was actually an island. We put up camp, started a fire and cooked a light meal.
Saturday morning we paddled downstream and into Black Creek. On the way we saw a small (2 ft. long) dead alligator and a live 10 ft. monster that slid into the water from a sand bar just ahead of us. Unfortunately, I did not get pictures of the live one, because I was too busy cleaning my pants.
We encountered a beautiful cypress backwater that we explored with some beautiful flowers and stopped to explore the confluence of Red Creek and Black Creek.
As we made our way into Black Creek, the river got wider, and we saw more habitations. We also encountered a large dead alligator in an area with lots of boat houses and people.
As we entered into the Pascagoula from Black Creek, there was a very large sand bar resembling a long sandy beach where we stopped and played and swam. It looked like the sand bar was created by Black Creek pushing sand into and through the Pascagoula. The river was very wide and deep here, and we encountered several motor boats and jet skis. The point where Black Creek met the Pascagoula was a stark contrast in water color and consistency as well as a visible shift in the current.
We were treated with the rare site of a Swallow Tailed Kite at the confluence swooping down to the water over and over. It was a beautiful sight! The Pascagoula itself was like open water. The weather was windy and the water choppy. We struggled to keep a fast pace downstream until we reached the takeout at a public boat ramp on Wade-Vancleave Rd. As we were struggling our way downstream, we were a little embarrassed to se a long specialty tandem kayak with an elderly couple zipping past us UPSTREAM at a high rate of speed, seemingly barely breaking a sweat. Must have been a very expensive kayak!
