Back to the Bays

...highest quality examples of a peat-filled Carolina bay complex over the global range of this geological feature

...one of the most diverse natural areas in the North Carolina Coastal Plain, with 11 different natural community types

...one of the very best examples

...Five rare plants and four rare animals have been found in the natural area

I could do this all day, because I'm only on page two of the NC Heritage Trust Fund's 2005 report that discusses the area we recently visited--Carolina Bay-pocked Bladen County, located in the southern portion of North Carolina's coastal plain.

I discussed what I knew of the mysterious Bays in my Lake Waccamaw post, so I won't repeat it here. In short, Bladen County is covered with them, and if you look at a map, you'll see several in the form of lakes. And that was our goal on this particular journey.

But first, lunch, and for that, we went to Elizabethtown. Though small by Charlotte's, Asheville's, and Raleigh's standards, Elizabethtown is big enough to detour to while in the area if you're in need of food or contact with civilization. We ate at the Corner Cafe, located on the corner of Broad and Poplar. It's clean, and the cuisine is simple, but it's decent and the prices aren't bad. While there, we learned about the push to renovate downtown Elizabethtown. Always a laudable goal!

Also while downtown, we passed a historical marker that in the split second we saw it, indicated something big had happened in E-Town during the Revolutionary War. I know major battles had been fought in ENC during the War Between the States, but this is the first I'd heard about fights between local Whigs and Tories. I scrounged around and found the following excellent links:

www.elizabethtownnc.com/history.htm

http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/historyfiction/fullview.aspx?id=ccf

On to the bays. Our first stop was Jones Lake State Park, just north of Elizabethtown. From the strip-mall size parking lot, we walked across a sandy trail (bypassing the sidewalk to the Visitors Center) and headed to the oval shoreline. A short pier stretched past a small beach to a marina sitting in the tannish waters of the Bay:

And that's about it. Despite the fact it was a Friday afternoon in mid-July, we didn't see a soul. Not even a boat or canoe that's supposedly available for rent. A lone beach ball played bumper pool with itself in a small alcove near the bank, but that was it until two other tourists walked on the scene. We didn't spot a sign indicating the lake was closed for any reason. So where was everyone? It was hot that day!

There are a couple of short (three miles or so, total) hiking trails at Jones Lake State Park. One leads to adjacent Carolina Bay, Salters Lake, which we later learned requires a permit to enter. To our surprise, Exploring North Carolina's Natural Areas indicates bears inhabit this area.
Come to think of it, that may explain the lack of visitors....
Our next stop was White Lake, just west of Elizabethtown. Where Jones Lake looked abandoned, White Lake could barely be seen through the cramped rows of houses and trailer homes surrounding it. We finally found an entrance to a pavilion area, and we pulled in to take a look. In addition to a couple of shops, we found a pier and a ton of people. Apparently, White Lake is the place to go:

Other Bays in this area: Beside Lake Waccamaw, located to the south, Singletary Lake and Bay Tree Lake, both State Parks, Little Singletary Lake, and Peterson Lake. Not all are accessible. At least one requires a permit.
We enjoy visiting the Bays, and we hope to learn more about them, and the plant and animal life these unique formations host. They're worth the visit, and the research. Here's a few more pictures from our trip:

* Executive Summary: An Inventory of the Significant Natural Areas of Bladen County, North Carolina, September 2005, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program
http://www.ncnhp.org/Images/Bladen09_28_06.pdf

The Search for Pungo (Part I)

I can't give up. Even if a bout of frustration causes me to quit, rarely can I stop all efforts to achieve a goal. So it wasn't a surprise when, after our original outing plans fell through last week, I pulled up Mappoint and Google Earth and set out to find an access point to Pungo Lake.

Twice last year we tried to find this obscure body of water, and twice we failed. Once, our GPS indicated it was beside the dusty road on which we stood. Having seen it as a destination in my exploring north carolina book, as well as other resources, I knew it had to have an entrance. But where? After zooming in and scooting the image left, right, up and down on both digital maps, I found two potential access points to the lake. I set the GPS for one and my iTouch maps app for the other.

And we found it: http://tinyurl.com/PungoEntrances (click on aerial).

Pungo Lake is part of the 110,000+ acre Pocosin National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is nestled between Highways 99 and 94, moving south from Phelps Lake, and extending to New Lake (a.k.a. Alligator Lake). Need a visual to get your bearings? Click here for a map.

If the refuge name sounds familiar, think back to the North Carolina wildfires of 2008. The pocosin forest just north of Pungo caught fire, which burned deep into the peat that makes up the forest floor. Though the wildfire blanketed the state with thick smoke (and chased us to Richmond, Virginia) I recently learned that, like the longleaf pine forest, fire is beneficial to this natural community. Many plant species that exists in a pocosin thrive from it.

But that's another natural communities blog post. For now, let's continue down the road.

The refuge, and thus Pungo Lake, is located on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula. The large center "flap" on the coastal plains if you're looking at a map. On each of our visits, I'm struck by the order that now pervades a land once covered in tangled shrubs. Originally inhabited by Algonquin-speaking natives, and after years of rigorous taming, farmland, boxed off by deep ditches, creates a quilted look visible from plane windows or satellite images. Tilled rows lead the eye to a line of longleaf pines in the distance.

We had unexpected company on this trip. Following directions dished out by our GPS, we drove east on Hwy 264, then turned north on Hwy 99 in the heart of charming Pantego. After turning right onto Hwy 45, we spotted an impressive flock of large, white birds resting in the midst of winter wheat. Though we suspected we'd found more Tundra Swans--yet still hoping we'd found the elusive snow geese--we pulled off the road near a couple taking pictures beside a truck.

Yes, I have a picture, but I didn't know about it until we returned home. Therefore I didn't have a chance to secure permission to post it. Next time.

No one hauling kayaks and cameras on a Carolina trail is a stranger, so after taking pics of the *sighs* swans, we introduced ourselves to Steve and Gail, birders from the Durham area. Ironically, they were looking for Pungo.

They followed us, which, if you're a regular reading, you know isn't a good idea. Though I have maps galore and a good Carolina atlas, we often guess at a route or say "hey, I wonder where this goes". Apparently, my preparations and the routes we showed them on both machines convinced them we knew where we were going. Fortunately, it worked out this time (thank you, Lord) and before long, the four of us were standing on an observation platform staring at the gorgeous blue waters of Pungo Lake.

A Not Quite Stitched-Together View of Lake Pungo

Next Post: Pungo

Lake Waccamaw State Park

If you're walking in Dixie, the Carolinas in particular, you may be walking across a mystery. No, not an unmarked grave or Blackbeard's hidden treasure.

Well, you may be strolling over the treasure since no one knows where Blackbeard hid the stash. But I'm talking about a Carolina Bay.

Acre(s)-large, mostly elliptical, and predominantly situated northwest/southeast, Carolina Bays exist by the thousands below the Mason Dixon line and can be seen on aerial photos and satellite shots such as this Google Earth image:

Carolina Bays Have Made An Impression on Bladen County, NC

Named after the sweet-, red-, and loblolly bay trees that often grow in the sandy rims around these indentions, most bays are unnoticeable in everyday life unless you live in Bladen County, NC, which is home to nearly a thousand of them, or if you travel to Lake Waccamaw, the largest Carolina Bay in NC.

These geological marvels are a mystery to me, so I can't begin to explain the theories of their origin, common elements among bays, soil make up, efforts to restore them, etc. If you can't stand the not-knowing, I've provided several links to helpful resources at the bottom of this page. Hop on down there or stick around while I finally get to the subject of this post...

Lake Waccamaw State Park is located in southeast NC, southeast(ish) of Lumberton and west of Wilmington. Finding it is easy if you're not using a GPS. Our dear device tried to send us over dirt and gravel paths instead of perfectly acceptable paved roads. So if you're heading to Lake Waccamaw, compare your GPS's suggested route to an atlas, and follow the atlas if need be. If you don't have a GPS, North Carolina has provided excellent directions on their Lake Waccamaw State Park site at www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/lawa/directions.php

This attractive park offers the usual array of activities: picnicking, camping, fishing, and--to our immense pleasure--hiking. During this visit, we hiked at least four miles of the park's nine or so mile trail system, traversing primarily on sandy soil alongside the lake, under tattered Spanish moss. We stopped at the park's 375-foot pier, enjoyed the view, and then followed the Pine Woods Trail back to the Visitor's Center, where one can freshen up in clean restrooms.

Boating is an option as well, but ramps aren't available in the park. However, public access ramps are located nearby. NC Parks recommends contacting the Wildlife Resource Commission for more information.

In addition to the serene beauty and the knowledge of walking alongside a mysterious Carolina Bay, visitors to Lake Waccamaw may see wildlife including birds and alligators--seriously--and plantlife. Home to ancient cypress trees, the lake is at the edge of the biological preserve, Green Swamp. That in itself indicates botanical wonders, but the water holds another secret.

Bodies of water that originate in the coastal plains are black and acidic thanks to ubiquitous cypress trees. From my new acquisition, The Natural Traveler: Along North Carolina's Coast, we learned a limestone outcropping along the northern shore gives the waters of Lake Waccamaw a near neutral pH. As a result, unusual aquatic and plant life exist in this area, the latter of which may be visible along the trail. That new fact calls for more research--and a return trip with fellow CarolinasAdventurers.

For more information on Lake Waccamaw's unique ecology, visit http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/lawa/ecology.php

As usual with the waters of the coast, the recommended method of exploring is by kayak or canoe. So if you have either, take a trip to Lake Waccamaw and, as The Natural Traveler recommends, consider exploring the Waccamaw River while you're there. We've yet to venture into either method of water exploration, but soon. Very soon.

Below is a slideshow of a few pictures we took on this trip. No show-stoppers, but it's a decent journal of what we saw. For more information on Lake Waccamaw and the Carolina Bays, check out the links at the end of this post.

Lake Waccamaw
http://org.elon.edu/geo/waccamaw.htm

Carolina Bays
www.fws.gov/seweecenter/text/carolinabays.pdf
www.ces.clemson.edu/scmaps/manual/pdfmanual/chap8.pdf
Nature Conservancy Carolina Bay Preserves

Bay Images:

http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/cbaymbm.jpg
http://www.ces.clemson.edu/semaps/nc/cbay.html
http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/cbaymbsc.html