JASPER — On a bright and early Saturday morning, a number of seasoned, and a few not-so-seasoned canoeists load up in a canary-colored school bus and make their way to Bevilport.
An abandoned town that was once a major port for riverboats, Bevilport is often regarded as a highlight of the 10-mile canoe trip Paddling the Forks, a seven-hour excursion organized most months by Martin Dies Jr. State Park.
Michele Marcotte/The Daily Sentinel |
Rick Dunkin drifts for a moment as he waits for the other attendees of a Saturday morning canoe trip. The trip, called Paddling the Forks, is hosted once a month (apart from August) by the Martin Dies Jr. State Park.
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Michele Marcotte/The Daily Sentinel |
Paddling the Forks is a seven-hour canoe trip that begins at Bevilport and winds along the Angelina and Neches Rivers. The trip is $40 and includes canoes, life jackets and paddles. For more information on canoeing at Martin Dies Jr. State Park or Paddling the Forks, call (409) 384-5231.
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As they put their canoes in the water, a number of canoeists remark on the beauty of the area, taking particular note of the lush, green trees along the bank and the unusual breed of birds that soar by.
Katherine Crippens, the naturalist interpreter on the trip, provides the group with a short demonstration of the hand signals she'll use to notify them to look up or across at something, and then briefly describes some of the wildlife and vegetation they may see along the way.
"What makes this canoe trip so awesome is I never even know for sure what we're going to see," she says.
The canoeists paddle along the Angelina River at a leisurely rate of approximately three miles per hour, stopping for breaks and an hour lunch on a sand bar of the river.
The trip makes its way to the Bee Tree Slough, a unique ecosystem of birds, vegetation and reptiles.
"It's kind of like a bayou," explains Crippens of the slough. "It's this huge waterway maze, and it's beautiful to go in through there. The advantage of being in a canoe is you're very quiet, and you don't have the motor to scare off the animals."
Among the many occupants of the slough, and one canoeists often scour the swampy banks for, is the American alligator.
"We're lucky in that our park is right next to a wildlife management area," Crippens says, adding that the management area holds alligator hunts every year, reducing the park's alligator population. "There's plenty of food in the rivers and lakes for our animals. We don't worry about (alligators) trying to tip over a canoe and eat you because there is so much food there."
The trip winds toward the forks, where the Angelina and Neches Rivers meet.
Both of the rivers, while full of vegetation and wildlife, are free of houses and buildings, thus providing a "beautiful, natural setting" for people to paddle, Crippens says.
She says each trip has a capacity to hold 10 canoes, which, at most, is 40 adults.
"We've taken four adults per canoe before, but that gets kind of heavy because only two people can paddle," she says. "So, when we do take four adults, when we stop for a rest break, they switch and then, switch again at lunch. The best thing is to take two adults and two kids."
On this particular trip, most of the canoes have only one or two people, with several of the canoeists in their own brightly-colored, one-seat kayaks. Crippens explains the reason for the limited capacity is because the trailer, which carries the canoes from the boat ramp at the state park to Bevilport, only has 10 spaces.
She encourages those interested in participating in the trip to register as early as possible, and warns that the most popular months are April, May, October and November.
"Those are the ones that fill up very, very quickly," she says.
While Crippens believes Paddling the Forks is a great way to spend a Saturday — the group ends back at the park around 2 p,m. — she says the trip is geared toward the experienced canoeist.
"This is not for someone who has never been in a canoe before," she says.
But, the state park doesn't leave beginners out in the dark. Each month, the park hosts what Crippens likes to call "a dry land canoe talk," where she goes over the fundamentals of canoeing.
"I start with the basics. Like, 'This is the canoe. This is the front of the canoe. This is the back of the canoe,'" she says. "People who have never been in a canoe or it has been a long time since they've done any canoeing will sign up for the class, and then feel much more confident about getting in a canoe and going out for the day."
The park rents canoes for those who want to try their hand at the outdoor activity, and even offers clearly marked trails along the B.A. Steinhagen Reservoir for canoeing day trips.
"We have four trails that start here in the park so people can start here and go at their own leisurely pace," she says. "They each have markers so there is no way to you can get turned around, lost, or anything like that. These are more for a beginner who has never been in a canoe before."
Canoes are rented at varying rates that depend on the length of time they're taken out for.
For more information on canoeing at Martin Dies Jr. State Park or Paddling the Forks, call (409) 384-5231.
Upcoming dates of Paddling the Forks include, July 18, Sept. 19, Oct. 17 and Nov. 21.
