What we thought would be just another late summer trip to Jocassee turned into an adventure we never expected. Little did we know, we were about to face some major storm events.
We spent our first night, a Monday, at Devils Fork State Park, setting up our tent in the early afternoon. Eager to explore, we paddled across what we fondly call the “Big Water” to check out the boat-in-only sites. However, the low water levels made access difficult, and even at full pond, these sites would be a steep climb. After hiking around the point and evaluating several options, we concluded they weren’t for us.
As midday approached, the sky grew ominous with rain in the forecast. We returned to our camp, where we enjoyed salmon burgers for dinner and caught up on some reading before bed.
Tuesday dawned early as we packed up our camp and decided what to take for our 8.8-mile kayak trip to the Foothills Trail camp. With our boats loaded, we set off mid-morning, making good time to our destination. We detoured to Laurel Fork Falls, but the low water levels prevented us from getting as close as in previous years.
Anticipating rain, we quickly set up camp and rigged a tarp to shield our tent. This proved invaluable later.
With camp ready, we hung our hammocks and relaxed. As darkness fell, we started cooking dinner—chicken helper and rice. Midway through cooking, the rain began, and by the time we were eating, a full-blown thunderstorm had descended upon us. The tarp collected water on the left side of the tent, releasing it in bucketfuls, splashing mud and water everywhere. During a brief lull in the storm, Gusto managed to rework the tarp, redirecting the water flow off the back, just in time for more rain overnight.
We awoke to a calm morning, the rain finally ceased. After a quick breakfast, we began loading the boats, only to discover Gusto’s kayak had filled with water overnight, requiring him to pump it out.
Once ready, we decided to head back without any stops. We made the return trip in just over two hours, averaging slightly over 4 miles per hour—our fastest paddle yet.
I had planned to track our journey with GPS, but my watch didn’t capture data in Kayak mode. I later learned that GPS isn’t available in this mode, unlike hiking, biking, or walking. Although disappointed, I found an old set of data from a similar path, allowing me to create an overview of our trip back to Devils Fork.
