Salthouse Branch II

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Philpott Lake - Salthouse Branch II

Put In - Salthouse Branch campgrounds on Philpott Lake. 2 hour 40 minute drive from Raleigh. I camped for a second time at campsite 87. It is on the lake, however, since the lake is around 10 feet below full pool, I had to carry my kayak about 50 yards down the cove to get to the water. The bathhouse has been converted to add showers. I found the regular shower had no hot water but the handicap one did. But I still ended up driving up to the main shower house. They added two large exhaust fans to the bathhouse and these things are quite noisy. Whomever designed them made the opening to small as the exhaust is like a jet engine. Anyone camping near the bathhouse would have to listen to this all night long. I think they are actually breaking their rule of quiet time at 10PM. It is like listening to an electric generator. Campsite 87 was ok as it is far enough away, but I am hard of hearing so who knows what an average person would hear. Just strange to go camping and have to listen to this racket, at least turn them off during quiet hours. Off my soapbox :)
Distance/Time - Trip 1: 10.4 miles; Trip 2: 3.4 miles; Trip 3: 8.7 miles, Trip 4: 4.9 miles.
Difficulty - Average.
Trip Directions - Did four trips over the two days. I want to do a fifth trip down at the other end of the lake but when I woke up on day three it was raining and decided to pack up and head home. I did stop for breakfast at McDonalds. The first trip was early in the afternoon as the campsite was in use and I could not setup camp until 4PM. So, I headed off to Fairy Stone Dam. Always like this trip, nice and scenic and the falls at the dam is nice to watch. The second trip was an evening paddle just around Deer Island and to visit the Goose Point camp area. The third trip on the second morning was to Bowers Creek, I though I had never been down this cove but I had on a previous trip. Ran into the ranger at the boat ramp and he questioned why the dog did not have a PFD. The final trip was an evening paddle up to the dam and back. Very cool and no wind evening. The weather forecast for the area was supposed to be sunny, but the whole two days it was overcast. They missed that forecast.
Scenery - On the second trip to the Bowers Creek area I ran into two male bald eagles who attacked a juvenile eagle that had come into the area. They flew at least 50 feet from me and the sound of 3 eagles wings is hard to describe. I also took a drive up to the town of Floyd and checked it out. Nice little town just like Mayberry USA. All the shops were closed because it was Monday.
Hazards - They say bears, but the camp host said they have never seen any in the two years they have worked the Salthouse Branch campgrounds. Had a new sign for rabid animals at the bathhouse. Had a bat bug me on an evening trip, quite strange.