Voice of the Rivers 2008

May 19. Merek Slagle. What a beautiful morning, waking up at 6 a.m. to a beautiful overlook of Lake Hartwell. We began bright and early by cooking some cheese grits and oatmeal and packing up camp. At 8:30 we presented to a group of home-schoolers from the Clemson area. Margaret Ann, Elizabeth and myself talked about the history, purpose, and experience of Voice of the Rivers. Clyde got to meet up with some old friends from his Clemson and scouting days; how exciting! They were a great group to talk to, and the kids along with all the parents seemed really engaged and interested in what we were doing and what we had to say. What a great way to start off the morning!

The weather was just right. We paddled Lake Hartwell and it was beautiful. All around us we were surrounded by greenery, beautiful trees and nothing but nature; not that many houses on the shores. I felt great while paddling: worry free and mind-wandering.
We stopped for lunch at a beach off the shore and pulled out our bagels, cheese, peanut butter and jelly and M&Ms and ate right away. Most of us jumped in the water to cool off and had chicken fights and took a lot of good pictures. Jenna gave us her presentation on Lake Hartwell and provided us with some fascinating information. We then took off and arrived at our destination fifteen miles later.
At Andersonville Island, we jumped out, cramped legs and all. We had no bathrooms or anything--this was true camping (something totally different for me; let’s just say I have done a lot of “firsts” on this trip) Most of us set up tents while Brian and I started dinner: fried rice. After dinner and clean up we had a little time to ourselves and then we got to have our lesson right at the shore overlooking the calm waters and discussing our novel, One Foot in Eden. This novel is interesting to read because it took place in the 1950’s in the now flooded basin of Lake Jocassee, which we paddled back in April for our weekend trip. It was a great discussion and everyone was engaged.
It was a relatively early night. The moon was the biggest I had ever seen it. It just began to peek over the treetops, enormous, with the vibrant colors of pink and orange stirred together, and it looked like a painting. The reflection of the moon just glistened right over the lake. The sky was clear and full of stars with the moon sailing in open skies.