2/1/25 Section 2 of Gum Swamp Creek from X-Way Rd. to Barnes Bridge Rd. in Laurinburg

2/1/25 Section 2 of Gum Swamp Creek from X-Way Rd. to Barnes Bridge Rd. in Laurinburg. Weather was clear, sunny, and cool but warming up. There was good water level and current and moderate downfall. We had 14 paddlers, Crystal did the shuttle from the take out back to the put in. We got on the water at 10:15 AM. We had it all today: go unders, bump overs, drag overs, and portages. We all helped each other and had a great time. Thanks to Gene and Garrett for their chain saw skill - opened several pass throughs. Paddlers were Andy (TL), Omer, Van, Gene, Garrett, Scott, Bill, Ruth, Kathleen, Crystal, Kim, Keith, Donna, and Aaron. This section is one of the prettiest of Gum Swamp. Some paddlers encountered briars and received their RBC awards (Red Badge of Courage). Omer is acknowledged for his perseverance in getting under one specific log. From the downstream side it looked like a medical team helping to birth a baby from a log. Such action! Everyone enjoyed this paddle. Thanks for sticking together. It made for a great day on the creek. Thanks, Bill for shuttling Crystal, Kim and Keith back to the put in. Stay tuned for the next section. We're on a roll.