SHORELINES

3 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2015 Vol :3 I've taken a few canoe trips, always with a group of friends. My most adventurous was paddling into the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in the southeastern corner of Georgia. We spent a sleepless night on a platform surrounded by noisy critters likely much more fierce in my imagination than they really were, and paddled out the next day. I can't begin to fathom Trevor Clark's solo canoe trip. Clark paddled the Alabama Scenic River Trail, starting May 20 on Weiss Lake in the northeast corner of the state, and arriving July 15 at Fort Morgan in Mobile Bay 650 miles later. He is one of just two dozen people known to have paddled the entire river trail since its formal inception. Along the way, Clark slept in a hammock under the stars, shot at copperheads with his .38 pistol, and was handcuffed while sheriff 's deputies checked his ID and determined he was doing nothing wrong. The adventure of a lifetime also provided an open- air classroom for Clark as he studied medicinal plants. Clark became interested in herbal medicine after a car wreck his senior year in high school left him in debilitating pain that prescription drugs couldn't relieve. Also in this issue of Shorelines: • A wakeboarding champion's passion for helping children led him to start Wake the World, a nonprofit organization that lets less fortunate children spend a day on the lake. Since its first event in 2008, Wake the World now holds events in 23 states and Canada, including one this summer at Smith Lake. • Now that the weather is cooling down, fishing is heating up. Clint Nail, a chemist for Alabama Power who is an avid fisherman, shares his wisdom and knowledge about fishing in the fall. • Alabama Power continues to work to help anglers in search of the big catch at its lakes. The company recently planted water willow in Smith Lake and sunk fish attraction devices in Weiss Lake. We'll also show how Renew Our Rivers teaches environmental stewardship of Alabama's lakes and rivers, and Seibels Cottage's beautiful take on lake living at the Russell Lands on Lake Martin Idea Home. Enjoy! — BOB BLALOCK WATER WHYS Left: Photo by Bernard Troncale — Trevor Clark canoes on the Coosa River portion of the Alabama Scenic River Trail after completing a 60-day journey of the trail this summer. 3

• Cover