In past stories I’ve mentioned the different seasons of the year we are blessed with. In this week’s story I want to paint you a beautiful picture and tell you of some of my many experiences on the Pee Dee River in the winter time.
Long years ago there were no dams or bridges on the Pee Dee. It ran wild and free from Blowing Rock N.C. to the South Carolina coast. Fish and wildlife abounded along its banks. The forest was full of beautiful trees that had never seen an axe or a saw.
As man came along, the river became a friend and a foe. It provided food and drinking water but at times its waters would flood the river basin.
The Indians used canoes to navigate the river. When the white man came, rafts and homemade boats were used to cross the river. Then as more people and supplies needed to get across the river, ferries sprung up all along the river banks. People took their time and respected the river for what it was. Today, a four-lane bridge spans the Pee Dee and most people don’t even give a second thought about crossing the river.
Through the years man has learned to harness some of the river’s power to make electricity. Its waters are used to operate all types of industries and it is a major source of our drinking water. In the early twentieth century a dam and a powerhouse were built at Blewitt Falls that changed the course of the river and formed a large lake.
Through all this, the river hasn’t lost its majestic beauty. Its water still steadily flows toward the ocean with seemingly endless amounts of water.
In the spring and summer months the river offers people a chance to enjoy fishing, boating, camping and all sorts of summer sports. But as the tree leaves turn a golden brown and the water temperature cools down not many people enjoy the beauty the river still has to offer in the winter months.
That’s where this story really begins. As the winter months begin, only a few hardy fisherman, hunters and bird watchers brave the elements to enjoy their sports along the river and its tributaries.
In the late fall, duck hunters build their blinds around the grassy islands that line the upper end of the lake around Mt. Creek. Deer hunters use their boats to take them to a favorite hunting spot while bird watchers scan the sky with their binoculars.
One of my first experiences on the river in the dead winter started out at the Mt. Creek boat landing. This is a small boat landing on Mt. Creek not far from the main river at Grassy Islands. Several of my deer hunting buddies decided to try our luck walking out the many islands that dot the river in that area and try to spot a trophy buck.
It was late in Dec. and the weather had turned real cold. As we arrived at the boat landing, right before day, we could see that the creek had actually frozen over. Never seen that before around here but some-how we managed to break the ice by bouncing on the front of the boat. We thought if we could make it to the mouth of the creek and into the river the ice would be gone. Wrong!!!
As we entered the Pee Dee the sun was just coming up. Why it looked like a scene off a Christmas card. We just stopped our boat to take in the beauty that was all around us. The river had a sheet of ice from one side to the other. All the trees limbs were also hanging with ice. As the morning sun rose its rays seem too filtered through each limb with different colors of the rainbow. This is one time I wished I had a camera handy because it was such a magnificent sight to behold.
As we sat there in the boat, flocks of geese and ducks flew overhead. The sound of their wings filled the air just as three shots rang out across the river. The sound of the shots echoed up and down the river seemingly for five minutes. Bout that time, the steel shot from those duck hunter’s guns slowly comes rolling across the top of the river on the ice and stops gently against our boat. Bet not many people ever witnessed that before huh!!!
Finally we started our motor and headed up the river breaking the ice as we went. As we rounded a bend in the river, I looked and there in the top of a tall white pine tree sat a beautiful American Bald Eagle. Folks, this is a rare sight to behold indeed. He sat as a sentinel guarding the river. His large dark eyes pierced through the cold and watched our every move. Why, he just sat there till we got close. He then sailed out of the top of that tree, spread his wings, and flew over the icy waters with all the majesty the great bird could display.
You know, I don’t think we had any luck that day hunting but the memories of that cold winter day on the Pee Dee River are forever etched in my mind.
You see, God does have reasons for every season.