The Sipsey - Hwy 33 to Hwy 278, June 5-6, 2010

     After waiting all week with the hope that we would recieve enough rain to be able to run the Sipsey down from the Bunyan Hill Bridge to Hwy 33 AGAIN, we didn't get it.  So, as an alternative, we decided to put-in at Hwy 33 and make the run to 278 instead, camping along the way. 

     I had heard that there are several really scenic places to check out around Moody Bend and surely there were, however, and due to the impact of Lewis Smith Lake, it turned into what should be called Sispey Lake, lol.  I knew the water would be deeper below Hwy 33, however, I did not realize that it would be impacted as much as it was by the lake and after Moody bend, there is little or no current, which makes the trip a pretty good endeavor for plenty of exercise.  Myself or Mandi didn't mind too much, but on this trip we brought my Mom and Step-dad who took a pretty good beating by the requirement, especially considering that my Mom had decided to bring everything but the kitchen sink, lol.

     Anyhow, we started out at the Hwy 33 public access area and utilized CR-2 as our shuttle over to 278 where a dock building company allowed us to leave a recovery vehicle overnight.  The water looked a little low, but was very floatable and I had figured it would get deeper as we went anyway, so away we went!  It was a muggy day, to say the least, but there was a air amount of shade to be found along the way, especially as the day progressed.

 Mandi a little after put-in.            

We encountered soaring bluffs all along the way and there were a couple of really cool undercuts that you could get several "boats" completely under, but not very many little creeks to explore, at least up until we got down to Moody Bend.

Myself and Pete, my step-dad.

     We paddled our way on down toward Moody Bend, where what looked to be a fair sized Cottonmouth actually attempted to climb into Pete's boat and go for a ride, lol.  Pete said that the specimen was just a watersnake, but it looked like a Cottonmouth to me.  What type of snake does it look like to you?

My Mom and Pete heading for Moody Bend

Pete and our little friend!

     Moving on...whatever type of snake it was, it was beautiful and seemed to be very much enjoying it's swim.  It actually raised its head a good 6" trying to look into Pete's boat after it made a couple of rounds and seemed to be very sociable.  The women went nutz, which was hillarious and to be expected, but it really was a treasured encounter.  Sorry, I don't kill snakes unless I absolutley have to, which is pretty much never.

     After a little ways, we arrived to Payne Creek, off the northeastern tip of Moody Bend, convergeing with the Sipsey from the north.  There were lots of bluffs and a very large bluff shelter on the left after entering, that had unfortunately been trashed, but would definitley make for a worthwhile camping spot.  Why can people not pic up their trash?  Beer bottles, a propane canister, the usual. Things not often observed north of 33, in my experience.  Sad, to say the least, especially considering that there was a logging road leading to it.  

Mandi in Payne Creek       

     The water in the prior noted creek seemed to be somewhat stagnate with an orange tint in areas, but due to the beautiful bluffs on each side, I would have really loved to have spent a little more time than we did wading up and exploring.  A very beautiful place to say the least and I know what you are all thinking.  Did I pick up the prior noted trash? As much as I would have liked to, the answer is unfortunately no, considering the lack of space we had to work with.  I did, however, consolidate most of it within the firepit I had found, so the place looked better than when we had arrived.

   After taking a short lunch break, we moved on down past Moody Bend and found a little cove with a waterfall surrounded by bluffs that was absolutley breathtaking.  There was plenty of room for several "boats" to paddle right up to the waterfall and really proved to make what had turned into a workout much more worthwhile.

In the cove...  

Another cool little cove not too far south from the first...

My crew and another cool little undercut a little further south

     After vising a little while here, we made our way on down and after briefly searching Curtis Mill/Sandy Creek to no avail, finally managed to find a decent campsite approximately a quarter mile upstream from Grindstone Creek.  It was a good campsite, but once again, it had a logging road leading to it with all the amenities that such could provide (trash, general lack of regard for the land or others, etc;) and I tend to prefer the shade and seclusion of the Hemlocks, off the beaten path.  I would have never chosen to camp where we did, but since I had to consider the tired bones of the elders, lol, we made camp anyway.  Later into the night, we were interupted by a truck that nearly plowed into our camp and then quickly drove away, in addition to passing boaters driving as quickly as they could up and down the "lake", but it's all good. 

     We awoke the next day and paddled our way on down to the take-out, just past the bridge on 278, which was kind of nice in it's own way, but more populated than I care for.  This wasn't a bad trip, by any means, but really kicked my mom and stepdad in the teeth with the amount of paddling that was involved.  I think that from now on, I would prefer to only go as far down as Hwy 33, but for those of you who don't mind trash, bugs and a hefty amount of paddling, this trip might be for you if the water up that way is too low.  No chance of scrubbing at all, but guaranteed, you can look forward to some good ole' exercise!  

P.S. Not sure why some of the photos are now square and seem somewhat contorted.  Sorry about that...