Little River 7/24/04

07/24/2004 - Little River: We went for an evening paddle up the Little River cutoff from the Savannah River. We put-in at the Columbia County boat ramp off Hardy-Macmanus Road, paddled up to the Savannah River and then back. Going up we came to a small stream with a strong current going up it (the wrong way), whereas Little River had no perceptible current. We followed the current up the little stream until it finally faded out into thick grass. Along the way we saw a solitary Wood Stork, lots of deer, and went over two small beaver dams. When we could go no further, rather than paddle back upstream, we portaged the 100 yards through the woods to Little River (practice for Boundary Waters next year). The current was also going upstream into Euchee Creek. Above Euchee Creek, the current was flowing down Little River and against us. We were shocked to find a golf course at the bridge across Little River. Above there, a fog lay just above the water up to about eye level of a canoer. In the fading light on the way back down Little River, we saw one muskrat chasing another. Then a third muskrat jumped on the chaser. Fur and water flew for a couple of seconds before each went different ways. Then we began to see beavers swimming in the river and hear them chewing in the darkness.