High Water - Lake Carne
We spent a glorious Sunday afternoon paddling around a tiny lake that was filled to brimming with the cleanest, clearest emerald green water. Perhaps it was the intense sunshine that brought out the colors, or the fresh new aquatic life on the bottom - but it was one of the cleanest lakes we've yet paddled. No motorized craft are allowed, so it was also very quiet. The little cabin in the photo above was all closed up, with a padlocked gate across the driveway. It was a tidy little place, exactly the type of cabin I would enjoy having - absolutely no pretense, a simple homey dwelling with just the barest of essentials. The yard was immaculate, with a rowboat pulled up to the front porch. 
A moss-covered tool-shed (or outhouse) hunkered down in the brush off to the side. As you can see, most of these shrub along the shoreline are immersed in the water. We weren't sure why this lake had reached such a high water level, as we didn't see any inflowing stream, and precipitation has been fairly normal for this time of year. Regardless, there were many old cabins that had become dangerously close to the waterline. 
This little cabin also was close to the shoreline, and looked like it was uninhabited. Newer cabins have been built, but the plots have not yet been subdivided as is often the case on these lakes near large communities. There was a fisherman here who told me that it will only be a matter of time and these little cabins will be torn down and the land subdivided to bring in greater profit. When that happens, the whole culture of a lake can change, with more people out on the water, more noise from homes being built, and more congestion (outbuildings, boats and mobile homes) and traffic. For now, little Lake Carne has not had that happen. However, there is this abundant fresh water that has no place to go...
We spent a glorious Sunday afternoon paddling around a tiny lake that was filled to brimming with the cleanest, clearest emerald green water. Perhaps it was the intense sunshine that brought out the colors, or the fresh new aquatic life on the bottom - but it was one of the cleanest lakes we've yet paddled. No motorized craft are allowed, so it was also very quiet. The little cabin in the photo above was all closed up, with a padlocked gate across the driveway. It was a tidy little place, exactly the type of cabin I would enjoy having - absolutely no pretense, a simple homey dwelling with just the barest of essentials. The yard was immaculate, with a rowboat pulled up to the front porch. 
A moss-covered tool-shed (or outhouse) hunkered down in the brush off to the side. As you can see, most of these shrub along the shoreline are immersed in the water. We weren't sure why this lake had reached such a high water level, as we didn't see any inflowing stream, and precipitation has been fairly normal for this time of year. Regardless, there were many old cabins that had become dangerously close to the waterline. 
This little cabin also was close to the shoreline, and looked like it was uninhabited. Newer cabins have been built, but the plots have not yet been subdivided as is often the case on these lakes near large communities. There was a fisherman here who told me that it will only be a matter of time and these little cabins will be torn down and the land subdivided to bring in greater profit. When that happens, the whole culture of a lake can change, with more people out on the water, more noise from homes being built, and more congestion (outbuildings, boats and mobile homes) and traffic. For now, little Lake Carne has not had that happen. However, there is this abundant fresh water that has no place to go...
