The water in Lake James, on the upper end of the Catawba River chain, is so clear kayakers could see an estimated 20 feet into its depths. On Lake Hickory, the paddlers figure they could see 5 feet down.
The Craazzy Kayakers, five people with ties to the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, are raising money for the foundation and awareness about water quality issues with their 150-mile trip through the upper Catawba River basin.
The team passed through Hickory on Wednesday and will start again today on Lake Lookout Shoals.
So far, they're averaging about 17 miles a day.
Along the way, they've seen the rocky rises of Linville Gorge and the majestic mountain peaks from the water of Lake James.
They've also seen development taking over the riverside and spots where sewage plants discharge treated wastewater.
The journey started Saturday at Linville Falls. The group hiked through Linville Gorge for two days, then boarded kayaks for the next leg of the trip. After paddling through Lake James, Lake Rhodhiss, Lake Hickory and Lake Lookout Shoals, they will partly kayak and partly sail across Lake Norman, ending up in Huntersville on Saturday.
Donors have given around $3,500 to the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation in support of their efforts. The trip didn't cost anything for the foundation, a nonprofit group committed to safeguarding the Catawba River and the streams and creeks that flow into it.
"We're the eyes and ears on the water," said Tracy Tripp, the 49-year-old community coordinator for the Riverkeepers.
Her son, the foundation's intern Jay Caldwell of Salisbury, came up with the idea for the trip. The 19-year-old also is along for the entire ride.
John Dettelbach, a 36-year-old kayaker who lives on Lake Wylie and joined the group for their 150-mile mission, donated four of the five boats.
The other volunteer kayakers are Tim Reaves, a page designer at the Hickory Daily Record, and Kevin Lackey of Mooresville.
A network of environmentalists — covekeepers and lakekeepers — are housing and feeding the paddlers.
Along the way, they've been spreading the conservation message to people who live and play on the river and its lakes. Other paddlers, hikers and sailors have and will join the group for segments of the trip.
Some 1.7 million people depend on the Catawba for drinking water, electricity, recreation, economic development, agriculture and other needs.
It's easy to take the river for granted until you begin to realize how many sewer plants release treated water into it — four into Lake Rhodhiss and two into Lake Hickory — said Taylorsville's Carrie Mahoney, the upper basin advocate for the Riverkeeper Foundation.
She kayaked with the core group for several miles Wednesday morning and hosted them at her lakeside home Wednesday night.
Other issues the group wants to call attention to include stormwater and agricultural runoff into the river and sediment that can harm habitat.
The Southern Environmental Law Center named the Catawba one of the Southeast's 10 most threatened river basins in 2010.
"We want off that list," Tripp said. "We can't do it without donations of time and money."
Steve Welker, editor of Morganton's The News Herald, contributed to this story.
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