编者按. This is the third of a three-part series on the Lumber River and its potential as an eco-tourism destination.
Dickson McLean is a long-time paddler on the river and a member of the Lumber River Conservancy board. Les High摄影
Even though the Lumber River is one of only five rivers in North Carolina designated as “Wild and Scenic” by Congress, the meandering waterway sees limited use except for locals who were raised on it.
The Lumber River runs 115 miles from its headwaters at Drowning Creek near Southern Pines to the South Carolina line, 在尼科尔斯附近与小皮迪河交汇的地方, S.C. 81英里的河流被指定为野生和风景名胜. 像许多沿海河流一样, little of it runs in a straight line; instead, 这条河蜿蜒曲折.
这是一条富含单宁酸的河流, dark-brown tone; yet, the color of the water belies how clean it is thanks in part to its mostly sandy bottom and limited development along its corridor.
在奥勒姆的林河州立公园露营地度过一个轻松的早晨.
近18,000 acres that adjoin the river are owned or preserved by the State of North Carolina and the Lumber River Conservancy, a non-profit group founded by the late Lumberton businessman Carr Gibson and the late attorney Dickson McLean III. 大约4000英亩的土地归功于志愿者组织的努力. The Lumber River Conservancy, founded in 1991, is one of the oldest in North Carolina.
木材河州立公园在几个部分毗邻河流. There is a campground, a boat launch and a picnic area at Chalk Banks near Wagram in Scotland County. The river then runs through the ancient tribal grounds of the Lumbee Tribe near Pembroke, 在兰伯顿95号州际公路下, 转到博德曼大学.S. 74, then forms the border between Columbus and Robeson counties until it reaches the state line. The Lumber River State Park’s headquarters are at Princess Ann Landing near Orrum in Robeson County, 离U不远.S. 74.
顺流而下
安公主园是我遇见迪克森·麦克莱恩四世的地方, a Wilmington attorney who plays a leading role in the Lumber River Conservancy; Joseph White, the conservancy’s director and a professor of biology at UNC Pembroke; Lumber River State Park Superintendent Lane Garner, 还有公园护林员扎卡里·伦.
UNC Pembroke Biologist and Lumber River Conservancy Director Joseph White with Park Ranger Zachary Lunn
在这一天, 3月27日, a group of four dads and their sons from Trail Life troop 1533 in the Raleigh-Durham area spent the night at the Princess Ann Landing campsite and are ready for a day of paddling.
这让麦克莱恩想起了他小时候和父亲在一起的时光, 他的兄弟罗伯特和朋友尼尔·李, 谁后来成为了公园负责人, 作为海上童子军从兰伯顿到乔治敦进行为期五天的独木舟旅行, S.C., the terminus of the Lumber, Waccamaw, Little Pee Dee and Pee Dee rivers at Winyah Bay.
黄昏时，他们会寻找沙洲，在那里搭帐篷和露营.
麦克莱恩记得，有一天晚上，他在拍打水面的声音中醒来, 后来，他感到一股湿气钻进了他的睡袋. Little did the group know that they were close enough to the ocean to experience tides. 更糟糕的是，三只独木舟中有两只已经漂走了. 迪克森和罗伯特抓起手电筒, 奇迹发生了, 在下游发现了一只独木舟, 然后是另一个.
准备从奥鲁姆登陆点发射.
•••
这条河在早春和冬季的暴雨中有稳定的流量. 加纳说，一周前，在这条河上划桨会很危险.
“它仍然像一千年前一样流动，”他补充说.
加纳提醒说，划桨的人应该提前了解河情.
公园工作人员偶尔会打电话给失踪的划船者和溺水者. 这条河基本上没有倒下的树木, thanks to a North Carolina snagging program that cleared the river after hurricanes Matthew and Florence.
仍然, paddlers must be aware of underwater hazards and be careful not to get sidetracked or lost in oxbows, 哪些是被主河道绕过的老河床.
Garner says the upper part of the river was designated as North Carolina’s first recreational water trail in 1978 and the lower part was designated as a canoe trail in 1981.
“Having the national and state designation of being naturally wild and scenic is pretty awesome,加纳说。. “这是北卡罗来纳州唯一一条被称为黑水的河流. This river draws a small number of paddlers who just want to mark this river off their checklist. 它也有丰富的历史和大量的娱乐机会. 它是宁静而美丽的.”
木材河历史
American Indians are believed to have settled the river about 20,000 years ago. Four hundred and twenty-nine archaeological sites have been recorded in Robeson County, 根据国家野生和风景河流系统网站. 早期的文物包括一艘估计有1025年历史的独木舟.
水面高度的对比.
The river got its name because of extensive logging operations that created a large-scale economy for settlers. 在木材工业发展的早期, 原木将被漂到乔治城, 大约75英里的距离. Men who tended the rafts of logs are said to have walked or ridden horses back to the area if the water flow was too strong to paddle against.
博德曼，位于美国军队驻扎的河流上.S. 74号线在哥伦布-罗伯逊线交叉口, 是巴特斯木材公司的所在地, 创造了该地区最繁荣的社区之一. 伐木车在通往伐木场的整个地区穿梭. 在许多地方，仍然可以看到通往费尔布拉夫的20多英里的铁路.
•••
Today’s 11-mile paddle is easy; there’s enough flow to keep the boats moving on their own. 早晨的凉爽让位于有一点风的温暖的一天. The trees are just beginning to turn green and a few redbuds and dogwoods are showing some color.
有趣的鸟类生活在河边随处可见. 这是一只预翅林莺.
除了我们的谈话，这是一个安静的划桨. 我们把同一群木鸭从水里吓跑了六次. There’s little sign of civilization save for one area where there are a few shacks and an abandoned school bus left to rust long ago. There’s an RV and trailer campground a few miles upstream from Princess Ann off Macedonia Church Road in Columbus County.
Lunch is a couple of hours downriver on a small patch of sandy land owned by the conservancy.
保护区拥有的一块高地是吃午饭的好地方. 尽管在河上度过了一上午，但你的眼睛还是很难移开.
大自然在召唤我们，我们伸展双腿和背部. 伦恩要求加纳展示他叫林莺的能力, 河边常见的小鸟.
Garner is a “phisher,” which is the art of attracting birds with a repetitive, raspy call. As we eat lunch, Garner impresses our small troupe as he leans back and starts phishing.
几秒钟之内, three curious if not slightly agitated warblers are perched in a small tree above him.
Garner, the warbler whisperer, flashes a smile as if to acknowledge that he’s pretty good at this.
当天唯一的机动船只，一艘小船，载着三个人. 他们礼貌地放慢速度，尽量减少尾流，然后向费尔布拉夫飞去.
我们可以听到北路往默特尔比奇去的车辆.C. 904 when a small, dark cloud approaches and the bottom falls out for about 10 minutes. 麦克莱恩和我穿雨衣，但其他人划着水. 太阳很快就出来了.
Information about the Lumber River Conservancy can be found at 木材riverconservancy.org.
We know we’re near the end of our three-hour paddle when we see the Fair Bluff River Walk. We pull up to the North Carolina Wildlife Commission boat landing in Fair Bluff, 把独木舟上的水倒掉, and load them on the carrier that will take them back to Princess Ann for a trip on another day.
旅行时间和长度的木材河划桨段. 更多信息请致电910-628-4564或发送电子邮件 木材.river@ncparks.政府.
