Gunter Branch Boater Camp #72

I went on a 4 day, 3 night kayak camping trip to Lake Fontana in the mountains of North Carolina. We launched from the Flat Branch Boat Ramp, near Bryson City NC and started the hour long paddle, 3 miles to Back Country Campsite #72. They drop the water level in the fall. It was nearly 30 feet below full pond and 20 more to go. The camp was small and on the end of a little peninsula, but there w... I went on a 4 day, 3 night kayak camping trip to Lake Fontana in the mountains of North Carolina. We launched from the Flat Branch Boat Ramp, near Bryson City NC and started the hour long paddle, 3 miles to Back Country Campsite #72. They drop the water level in the fall. It was nearly 30 feet below full pond and 20 more to go. The camp was small and on the end of a little peninsula, but there was room for 4 hammocks. The average high temperature here in October is around 75 degrees with lows in the 50s. Day 1 was 93 degrees, day 2 was 90, and day 3 was 85. The day we left, the high was 75 and no forecast above 80 for the foreseeable future. Luckily, there was a pretty constant breeze blowing through camp. Nighttime lows were in the low 60s so mornings and evenings were quite pleasant. It was pretty muddy at the water's edge and we had to park the kayaks a good walk from the camp to get solid ground. The mud yielded a lot of wildlife tracks, the most impressive being a large bear print. Sitting around camp, we noticed this little bear going down to the water for a drink. We heard a lot of coyotes howling at night. There was a burn ban in place so campfires and cooking fires were not allowed. Stoves were ok so we were able to cook. The night sky was gorgeous. The real shocker on this trip was cellphone service. There was very little at the boat launch but in camp we had 3 solid bars. We were able to keep in touch with home and post pictures. Since we couldn't have a camp fire, we set up an iPhone in the fire ring and watched the Braves game on Hulu. All in all, this was a pretty lazy trip, paddling around a beautiful lake in the mountains, swimming in cool water, naps, and good times with friends. We will certainly do this again, but probably in the late spring when the lake level is still up.