Nottely Lake is about 10 miles north of Blairsville, almost on the North Carolina border. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has a dam across the Nottely River, making the lake totally manmade. They've also put in a boat ramp and a general recreation area for the public.
The northern part of the lake, where the dam is, looks like a narrow lake but the southern part is so narrow it looks more like a river. The whole lake is about 7 miles long.
Last night was down in the 50's or 60's again. That make 4-5 nights in a row. I love it. It's been so cold I've had to put clothes on when I get up for breakfast.
I haven't been on the water for 2 weeks. One of the reasons I chose to come to the Blairsville area is, in addition to being in the middle of the Chattahoochee National Forest and mountains with plenty of hiking s, Nottely Lake is nearby as is Chatuge Lake, 20 miles away in Hiawassee.
The Werner paddle is on its last legs. It's cracked half way around shaft by the button hole. This probably started when I was trying to leverage my fat butt in and out of the Looksha IV before I got rid of it. Its bad enough where I wouldn't take it into any kind of heavy water. I still feel comfortable enough with it on small waters though.
I tried carrying my cheap spare under the rear bungees. They come loose too easily and I paddle too many narrow creeks with overhanging branches to risk that though. The paddle won't fit lengthwise in the rear hatch. The separate blades do, however, fit nicely in front of the footrests so I think that's where I'll keep them permanently, even when traveling.
I paddled up to investigate the dam. It's really just a pile of rocks with SR 325 passing over top. There are some gates but there's also a 1-3 foot bank extending out from them. I don't know how they'd let water out of the lake at the current level. The gates must be just to release overflow when the lake becomes too full.
That won't happen anytime soon as the lake looks like its down 3-4 feet from normal. The northern end of the lake is mostly reddish clay shores. The rest of the lake is more of a reddish rock, presumably sandstone. I also saw some quartz like veins amongst the red rock. Small bluffs appeared occasionally as did a few ledges of red rock.
Mountain ranges and peaks lie to the south and the east. These always add much to the scenery and just having them there to glance at makes a trip much more enjoyable.
Several fair sized islands dot the upper part of the lake. I thought I saw a couple of campsites on one or two of them. Only one had any houses. A fair number of them dotted the shores though. I thought there quite a few of them in proportion to the population of the area.
During the whole trip I saw a single blue heron. No other birds, no other wildlife. A half dozen fishing boats beat me to the parking lot at 9am. The pleasure boats and jet skis appeared in force around 11am.
Paddling the southern end of the lake was like driving along a mountain road, all twisty and turny. The lake gets really narrow down there too.
After paddling the winter in Florida, every little thing in the water catches my eye. Now they're mostly branches. Not nearly as interesting as alligators and snakes.