Meg and I at Dead Lake Island

Thanks to the kindness of our friends Fritz and Harriet, who lent us their truck and kayak, Meg and I were able to camp at the Dead Lake Island platforms, something she has wanted to do for a while. After picking up the neccesary supplies, we headed to Upper Bryants Landing. We paddled west along the Tensaw River, and cut down the east side of Dead Lake Island, detouring up an unnamed bayou to add a little time to our paddle. The fall colors had started, making for a very nice paddle. We swung up to the platforms and set up camp well before sunset, enjoying a lovely freeze dried dinner as the sun went down. It would proved to be a very loud night, with owls and sundry other fowl hooting and squawking through the night. The occasional fish would jump, adding to the symphony. I think at this point, I have become accustomed to the noise, because I feel asleep pretty quickly. Meg is more used to the trumpeter swans of Cordova, so I think she was up a little later. Still, we both slept fairly well. The highlight of the trip (next to seeing Meg) was waking up to a spectacular foggy morning. It was chilly, but a good helping of oatmeal and coffee set us up nicely and after loading up the boats, we headed off for Bayou Tallapoosa. The water was very high, making Bayou T a very easy trip...no portaging over or around logs. We stopped for a quick snack where Bayou T rejoins the Tensaw to the west before backtracking. On the return trip, Meg scared a healthy size 'gator off it's perch on a sunny log. Unfortunately, we weren't close enough to see much more than a fleeting glimpse, but such is life! We ran back up the west side of Dead Lake Island and returned to Upper Bryants landing. It was a pleasant and uneventful trip, covering about 14 miles of water and giving Meg the opportunity to experience some good kayaking in the upper Delta!