The San Jacinto River is historically considered the Big Thicket s western boundary. Most Texans have heard of Big Thicket National Preserve, unique enough to be dubbed a United Nations Biosphere Reserve in 1981, but few realize relicts of the Big Thicket spread into the eastern edge of the Houston metropolis, including the northeast Houston communities of Kingwood, Humble and Huffman. Less than 150 years after Paxton recorded his thoughts, only 300,000 acres of the original 3 million remain, with but 85,000 acres of this primeval forest preserved within the Big Thicket National Preserve. The bears and panther, wolf and wild cat that Paxton speaks long since have vanished from even the most segments of the forest. On the river, wildlife is still fairly prolific and visible.
Paddlers can spot beaver, nutria, night herons and other waterbirds in the evenings.
Jumping fish sometimes surprise unsuspecting paddlers by landing between their feet. Carothers says she even saw a river otter swimming along during one of the moonlight paddles. They eye us warily for a few moments, squawking tentative warnings to each other. We watch in silence for several minutes, until one egret spooks. The rest follow in an eruption of white wings and tails.