One of the remotest segments of the Withlacoochee River, yet
with easy access, and when the water was high enough. 
Also one of the least-attended WWALS outings, because we
hadn’t really gotten the hang of
announcing outings yet. But that just made it more intimate for
the three of us who went. I got especially intimate with the river,
choosing to swim twice. I always choose to swim when the water
comes up to meet me…. Eventually I learned not to lean towards
the side you’re tipping towards.
The closest USGS gauge is a bit downstream at Skipper Bridge Road. It read about 10.7 feet on 20 April 2013, which was its peak for that week. That’s well below flood stage (15 feet), yet was high enough for quite a bit of spread sideways into the flood plain in spots. Also you can see we were pretty close to some overhanging branches in spots. And no worries about deadfalls! Floated right over them. Thanks to Bret Wagenhorst for organizing this expedition on the Withlacoochee River from GA 122 to Franklinville Road Bridge, 20 April 2016.
Below are Gretchen Quarterman’s pictures from that outing. Click on any small picture to see a larger one.
-jsq
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Parking at GA 122
Kayak deliverty at GA 122
Water high
Flowing fast
Bret Wagenhorst leads the way
jsq may need a bigger kayak
Under the GA 122 bridge
Bret, jsq, Gretchen
Eye doctor on call
Closeup telephone
Wheres the bank?
Onwards downstream!
Movie: Water plenty deep (6.4M)
Unter den acer
Twin boats
Coats may have been more than necessary
Pyramid of vines
Bubbles
Nice oak tree
Go right
Snags
Dont fall over
Keeping on
Under the viny bough
Movie: Which way to go? (16M)
Orange flowers
Bret digging in
Greenwood
Diagonal greenwood
Loopy diagonal
Diagonal arch
Three boats
Wait, cant go that way
Field gateway
Riparian buffer?
Reflection
In a line
Sort of
Sunny contrast
Orange green
Blue boat
Palmettos
More palmettos
Uphill?
Shore?
Narrow
Shiny with moss
Dont go left
Found the path
Er, some way
There it is!
Abstract oaks
What channel?
Can see it when closer
That way?
Slick
Crossbar
Movie: Overhanging trees (6.2M)
Oak and house on stilts
House on stilts
Somebodys lawn
Sheen
Bubbly path
Movie: Paddle (647K)
Bret taking pictures
Bubbly branch
Road barrier
Closeup barrier
Cypress
Twin oaks
jsq
Palmetto bank
Tall twin oaks
Welcome to the las stretch
Wider
Abstract
Water or lawn?
Lawn
Paddle lawn
Some sort of road or path
Bret photographs a lot
Bret and the camera
Movie: Pushing on past palmettos (7.2M)
Boats here and there
OK, this way
Can see a long way now
Spreading branches
Narrow buffer
Convoluted buffer
Brownish
Greenish framed
Bret photographing ahead
Nice viny oak limb with epiphytes!
Slanted water
Tree house
Context tree house
Up from the river to the house
Paddling on
Dont fall in!
jsq under the epiphytes
Twisty passage
Rising and branching
Sign of the path
Flood plain
Orange flood plain
Steering flood plain
Spanish Moss
Canopy
Branches and columns
Branch points to the takeout
Frothy
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