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Sunday's Wrong Turn...
I took the boat back out to Wallisville on Sunday. I was exploring some new areas and was by myself. As I came down this one trail I noticed it start to narrow. Now no chance to turn around I slowed, then saw the opening to the pond I wanted to be at... I gunned the motor, however I came to an abrupt & somewhat violent stop. There I was wedged between 2 young trees, and the prop was wedged between some roots of a larger cypress I had just crossed over.
After the initial sudden stop, I turned off the motor & looked around. Inspecting the situation and noticing very quickly the bow was up in the air wedged between these two trees. Realizing I had made a bad choice on which path to go down. I sat there scratching my head, wondering how to best approach the predicament I had got myself in.
I grabbed the young tree on the port side & gave it a good shake. The boat settled back into the water on the port side starboard still in the air. Just then, I felt a sting on my neck... BEES! Yup, a whole swarm of them! I instantly was in the 6" of water/ mud/ roots and nasty water rolling around yelling. They must have taken pity on me because they didn't hang on me long but they did swarm the boat for 10-15 minutes before leaving.
5 bee stings later and 10-15 minutes of laying in this nasty water I was able to finally get out & get back on the boat. I grabbed my machete & made quick work of the two young trees. The boat settled and the bees came back! Instantly, I dove back into the filthy water to seek refuge from the returning swarm.
I had freed the boat & now only had to take care of the prop still stuck between 2 roots. The bees swarmed the bow of the boat as I worked to free the prop from between 2 roots. As I'm using my knife, machete & hands to free the prop I'm moving branches & smaller roots & tossing them aside. I reached for one that had settled on my hunt deck, however when I reached to grab it, it slithered off! In one motion I did a back hand spring with a front twist back into the boat... Now unconcerned with the bees, I opened the gun box and drew my .40... The cotton mouth surfaced just of the stern & I shot. I had it rolling in the water after the 2nd shot, and now, not among the living.
I sat there collecting my breath for a second and looked back to the prop that was almost free. It was slithering with snakes! In fact, the whole reverse plate, prop etc was covered with them! I had disturbed the entire den & they were all coming out of nowhere to check out what the commotion was! They tried climbing on the motor, my spud pole I was using to lift the root over the prop. The spud pole became my weapon of choice. I killed or hurt about 8-10 before I lost count & finally somehow during what I thought was my final stand on the Gator-Tail, was able to get the prop free. The boat slid forward away from the snakes and I used the spud pole to continue to push the boat further away. Once safe, I returned the motor to the water / mud & powered into the pond. Relieved to be off that trail I quickly maneuvered the boat back through the correct trail and made my exit to the main lake.
Once back into the main part of the lake I was able to drink some water & wash off by jumping in. I took a couple of pills of Benadryl and called it a day. Nothing like an eventful Sunday to keep you on your toes!
After the initial sudden stop, I turned off the motor & looked around. Inspecting the situation and noticing very quickly the bow was up in the air wedged between these two trees. Realizing I had made a bad choice on which path to go down. I sat there scratching my head, wondering how to best approach the predicament I had got myself in.
I grabbed the young tree on the port side & gave it a good shake. The boat settled back into the water on the port side starboard still in the air. Just then, I felt a sting on my neck... BEES! Yup, a whole swarm of them! I instantly was in the 6" of water/ mud/ roots and nasty water rolling around yelling. They must have taken pity on me because they didn't hang on me long but they did swarm the boat for 10-15 minutes before leaving.
5 bee stings later and 10-15 minutes of laying in this nasty water I was able to finally get out & get back on the boat. I grabbed my machete & made quick work of the two young trees. The boat settled and the bees came back! Instantly, I dove back into the filthy water to seek refuge from the returning swarm.
I had freed the boat & now only had to take care of the prop still stuck between 2 roots. The bees swarmed the bow of the boat as I worked to free the prop from between 2 roots. As I'm using my knife, machete & hands to free the prop I'm moving branches & smaller roots & tossing them aside. I reached for one that had settled on my hunt deck, however when I reached to grab it, it slithered off! In one motion I did a back hand spring with a front twist back into the boat... Now unconcerned with the bees, I opened the gun box and drew my .40... The cotton mouth surfaced just of the stern & I shot. I had it rolling in the water after the 2nd shot, and now, not among the living.
I sat there collecting my breath for a second and looked back to the prop that was almost free. It was slithering with snakes! In fact, the whole reverse plate, prop etc was covered with them! I had disturbed the entire den & they were all coming out of nowhere to check out what the commotion was! They tried climbing on the motor, my spud pole I was using to lift the root over the prop. The spud pole became my weapon of choice. I killed or hurt about 8-10 before I lost count & finally somehow during what I thought was my final stand on the Gator-Tail, was able to get the prop free. The boat slid forward away from the snakes and I used the spud pole to continue to push the boat further away. Once safe, I returned the motor to the water / mud & powered into the pond. Relieved to be off that trail I quickly maneuvered the boat back through the correct trail and made my exit to the main lake.
Once back into the main part of the lake I was able to drink some water & wash off by jumping in. I took a couple of pills of Benadryl and called it a day. Nothing like an eventful Sunday to keep you on your toes!
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