Among the Lillies

by Barbara Bradley

Well, Mom, what are you going to do next – take up bungee jumping?” asked my son when I told him I had just returned from my very first kayaking adventure on the Catawba River. He wasn’t impressed that his mother, the senior member in a party of six, had been out testing the river’s rapids and rocky shoals.

He didn’t know that my friend and guide on this venture grew up in the backwaters, bayous and swamps of southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana and eastern Mississippi and was a fourth-generation swamper.

River tales
Sam Cranston, owner of Carolina Paddling Adventures, offered our party the same type of wildlife exploration and water-sport adventure he has enjoyed since childhood.

Those of us who arrived early were in for a treat – Sam shared tales of his experiences in the Ouachita River and the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge. He talked about his childhood friend and river hermit, Tom. A Marine Corps veteran of WWII, Tom lost an eye in combat. When he was discharged, he made his home on the Ouachita River.

“Tom lived in a tin building with cables attached to stumps,” Sam said. “When the river’s water rose, it wouldn’t wash his home away.”
One night Sam and his father, a fearless Marine veteran, decided to sleep on a sandbar in the Ouachita, which flows from the Ouachita Mountains to the valley below.

“We slept all night on the sandbar,” Sam said. “When I woke up I could see there were others who had joined us on the sandbar.”
Sam woke his father up and told him there were other people asleep near them.

“Let’s get out of here, son,” his father said. “Those aren’t people, they’re alligators!”

The excursion
Sam’s invitation came in mid-May – a perfect time for our eyes to feast upon the beauty of the near-endangered Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies (Hymenocallis coronaria) which only grow in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina from early May to late June. One of the world’s largest beds of these lilies thrives in the cold and rocky waters of the Catawba River.

“Just watch what I’m doing and follow me,” Sam said, as he guided us through the rapids and narrow channels of the shoals.

At first, it was easy keeping up with Sam – really smooth paddling. Frequently, though, before Sam could warn us of a difficult channel or rapid, I’d find myself and kayak stuck among the shoals. Sam or another member of the party would be quick to the rescue and we’d be on our way again. However, the exploration wasn’t without mishap. All of a sudden, my kayak cemented itself to a huge boulder and wouldn’t budge. I looked ahead and there was Sam more than 100 yards ahead of me. I looked behind and the rest of our party seemed a greater distance away. Everyone else was moving along, but even with all the shifting, shaking, and rocking my kayak, I was going nowhere!

Determined to get myself unstuck, I threw my left leg over the side of the kayak and attempted to push away from the rock with my left foot until I slipped and my foot stuck, instead, in a large crevice.The kayak shifted to the left and lodged on my leg, just above the ankle. The pain was excruciating. I don’t know how I managed to free the kayak – nor my leg, but soon I had found my way through the narrow channel.

From that point on, I was happy for every rapid and swift current we encountered because it hastened our journey to the sight of the lily habitat. And, what a sight it was! There in the middle of the Catawba, the shoals were transformed into a splendid showcase of the rare blooms. Likewise, I was transformed into an Alice in Wonderland, awed by the beauty of the delicate white flowers with wide throats and extended petals. The spidery stems reaching from the throat were a deep golden color. The pain in the leg was forgotten! My senses could hardly take in the amazing sight and spectacular, natural splendor of the Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies in full bloom.
Play it again, Sam!

© 2007 South Carolina Magazine. To read more articles in South Carolina Magazine, click here

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