Rhodes Pond #5 - See you later, in a while!
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Congrats on the FTF - Rhodes Pond Warriors - team consisted of Nocona1,lukedrywalker,CanterGirl,PinkDolphin,cazziliz,dflye,RPStew,2Alxndrs,3eagleshigh,Cissy839, ChucKremer,TerrificTingens,HawaiianCanoe,she_007, Wally from Raleigh,Team_Ducky17,htomc42,nightranger
Rhodes Pond has a very diverse ecology. These series of caches places have a common theme celebrating some of life of this wonderful place. They are all designed to be terrain 5 using a kayak or canoe and done best in their sequence. This is about a 3.5 to 4 mile "loop" through the pond, the swamp and the headwaters of the Black River. A couple of the deeper caches in the swamp may be harder to reach at lower water levels. Portage is hard back here, but not impossible. Take precautions and prepare! Also, this is gameland - hunters of ducks and fishermen fruquent these waters - bright colors help during hunting season.Most of all ENJOY this magical place. **All caches are reachable from the comfort of your craft BUT make sure not to over reach, or else you will be swamp food!** Also note - these were placed to be done in sequence #1 and #2 then the black river swamp cache, onto #3 through #7. It will take you on an "ecological" tour of sorts. Enjoy!
Sooner or later the question gets asked - "We are in a swamp, are there any alligators in here?" In fact, yes. Alligators are native to NC coastal plains but do come as far as Lillington, NC on the cape fear river and into the feeder streams. In June 2008, a 5 foot gator was seen at the Cliffdale Road Bridge in Fayetteville, NC. And Rhodes Pond? Tommy Godwin, owner of the property adjecent to the Pond saif in a Feb. 2011 article "There is an alligator out there. He's about 6-foot," said Tommy Michael, a 53-year-old Godwin man who owns adjoining property to the pond. "I had always heard it but never seen it. But I was out there in a boat last year in the spring, and he come right up."
Worry not that intrepid paddle cachers - Alligatros tend to be very shy. While some may have some curiosity as to why these strange looking animals in these strange looking logs are floating around, they will keep their distance. Chances are very unlikely you will ever see a gator in these waters, but in the event you are very lucky to do so a) dont'd feed it human food and b) if they start to get a little too close for comfort, smack your paddle on the water. It wil scare them off. But DO DO DO take a picture if you are lucky enough to see one!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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