Although I have been here for a month and a half, I haven't had a chance to get out on the lake to paddle with the exception of a short down river run to the dam. The wall to wall cabins left much to be desired, but I was looking forward to an up stream paddle as the dwellings appeared to thin out in that direction.

The 'lake' as it is called, is really the Occoquan Creek that has had it's flow interrupted by a dam a few miles down stream from where I live. But it has no resemblance to a lake at all as it twists and winds its way through Prince William County never getting more than a few dozen paddle strokes across.

The work day dragged on Friday as I waited for the time to pass so I could take my first adventure upstream. But once home it seemed like moments before I was changed and stepping in the mud to get in my kayak.

I backed away from shore and drew a deep breath. It felt good - the sunshine on my arms and face. It was at this moment I threw off the chill of winter and felt like I was truly embedded in spring.

There was a slight current heading upstream from the recent heavy rains. I could feel my right shoulder complain of the lack of paddling over the last several months.

Before long the houses fell away and I was alone on the creek. Paddling around each bend and feeling the slight breeze hit me from different angles. I passed ducks and geese, and even was entertained for a few minutes by a beaver making his way away from me.

A jet ski passed me at low speed, but a low fuel warning went off as they passed and the father and son pulled over to the bank to refuel.

I noticed a small log floating in the water and was thinking how it reminded me of an alligator tail. As I looked it slowly sank. It was alive, but I have no idea what it was. Possibly the back of a large turtle.

I turned around. I had been paddling into the sun for a while and without any sunscreen on I didn't want to burn. The jet ski, now refueled, continued on its way up the creek.

I noticed something fuzzy on the water. A giant ball of something. As I got close it suddenly ran at me across the water at high speed. I panicked and jolted as it ran right up to my cockpit until I realized it was a ball of fishing line. My paddle had snagged a submerged piece of line pulling the ball directly to me.

I saw what may have been a golden eagle. Much larger than a hawk, and a golden brown. It fled deeper into the woods as I paddled by. I've been surprised by all the wildlife I've seen in the last 6 weeks: squirrels, red tail hawks, deer, pileated woodpeckers, geese, mallards. As I sit here typing this a hawk flew across the water carrying a snake. Often in the early morning I see a lone bald eagle patrol the creek.

Before long I've returned home. I turn the kayak upside down against a tree and trudge up the hill to rinse off my water shoes before going inside. In a few moments it is dusk, and the song birds bring my day to a close.

Woody

A short paddle today, but my first for the year. Heading north to Farm Creek the water was glass smooth and felt a little thick. The kayak moved sluggishly through the water.

It was a short trip into the creek. The water was down so low that it was impossible to go beyond the pilings that cross the creek a short distance back.

After turning back out of the creek we headed to Freestone Point and explored the rocks up close. Many were undercut and appeared to be balanced on end on a pedestal. I'm often amazed at the interesting detail along the shore when we just stop and look. Just around the point a red fox scampered his way across the rocks and back in to the trees. The first time I've seen one here although I've heard others talk about them.

The paddle back to the launch was quiet and peaceful. Eating lunch by the water as the sun came out and colored my face a light pink. It was good to be on the water again...

Woody

We launched from Leesylvania and headed north. We crossed the boat ramps in short order, but we could see that out in Occoquan Bay the white caps. We knew that as we passed Whitestone Point we would be in the full force of it.

We paddled out from shore to stay out of range of the fishermen on the pier. And the closer we got to the point the louder we had to talk to hear each other. Once we rounded the point Patty mentioned going to Farm Creek, which lay directly up wind of our position.

"Do you want to paddle straight across or hug the shore to stay out of the wind?" I asked. She didn't need to reply as I already knew her answer. So off we headed into the wind. And an adventure it was. It started as gusts, but turned in to a steady blow. I gripped my paddle so hard to keep the wind from taking it that this short paddle would make a nasty blister on my right hand.

As the wind picked up we started to notice that the duck blind along shore wasn't moving. More accurately we noticed WE weren't moving. We dug in. The ache in my arms grew louder as we continued - inch by inch - toward Farm Creek.

Then it began to slacken. Just a tiny bit at first. As we moved toward the wind shadow created by a clump of trees ahead of us, the inches became feet until we were fully inside the creek and protected by the wind.

The relief was shocking. It almost seemed as though I was suddenly super human - moving my kayak forward with the lightest of strokes. We flushed ducks out of the creek for a short distance before the vegetation blocked our way.

We exited the creek the way we came in, passing some fishermen at the mouth. With deliberate purpose we headed out toward the river. We wanted to catch the full force of the wind for the ride back. At speed it almost seemed quiet. We could hear each other speak without shouting moving in this direction - A trick one should remember if you need to have a conversation with someone while paddling in high winds.

We surfed a few waves, but they were really too steep and short to get any good rides. But the wind pushed us along very fast. What took us an hour and 15 minutes to go out, took only 45 to get back. We rounded the end of Leesylvania by the car top launch and fell in to the lee. A short day but I was tired but satisfied with the paddle, despite the blister....

Woody

I sat and looked for a few hours before finally getting on the water. Paddling and drifting in the wind up to Fletcher's then lazily paddling back up the opposite side of the river. Hunger had gotten the best of me so I checked in with Frank to find out how many Pirates were still out. As darkness fell pizza was ordered and would be waiting for the rest of the folks when they returned.

Marshall drove in to pick up his boat and we caught up while eating some pizza. Shortly after he left the kayaks came in and there was a whole new group to catch up with. Well fed and sleepy it was time to head home. Going in to work so early makes kayaking in Georgetown difficult. But I miss this place.

Woody

After lunch I sat and looked some more before heading home. I like days like this.

Today was a little warmer. The wind more slight as I edged away from shore. I headed out toward Conrad island, gliding over Hydrilla and Coons Tail. The shallow water dragged at my kayak and I felt tightness in my shoulders as I pulled through the water. A tug pushing two barges of sand headed up river.

At Conrad the boat traffic seemed light so I sprinted across the channel and turned left, thinking I would paddle around to Marumsco creek. The Cicadas soon drowned out all other sounds. Their song telling me Summer is coming to an end.

As I crossed the Occoquan Wildlife Refuge, I noticed a bit ahead of me two duck blinds, each with a jet black john boat tied up to them. Blast. The scene reminds me that Labor Day weekend also signals the beginning of hunting season. I heel around and head up the Occoquan, not wanting to disturb the hunters.

By now a steady parade of boats were streaming out of the marinas further up the Occoquan. It would not be safe to cross the channel where I had crossed earlier so I paddled up to near the railroad bridge. I was well within the no wake zone now and a narrow section here made it easy work to cross without affecting traffic.

For the return trip I hugged the eastern shore before turning back toward the park. The Hydrilla was thick and each paddle stroke had to be timed to avoid getting hung up in the green vegetation. The floating green mounds were interspersed with bright white feathers. Small air bubbles attached to the feathers made them so bright it was difficult to look at them even with my sunglasses.

I put my kayak away on the car and wondered back to the shore to have one last look. Deep breath.

Woody

While crossing the upper Mattaponi river, I stopped to check out a public launch where 360 crosses and enjoyed the intimacy but was curious about the speedy current going through there. The current ran fast, and looked to be driven by tide. After making note that it was a 'possible return trip' I got back in the car as a truck backed in with a boat on the trailer.

I waited a moment as he backed in, but rather than go down the ramp he parked right next to me. I wondered why he did that and then noticed a young girl at my window. "Ya'll can leave now", she said. I was taken aback, not used to being ordered around by a child. It took a moment to register and she said it again - "Ya'll can leave now"

Then it clicked. She wasn't ordering me to leave, she was telling me it was ok to back out. Her father had avoided the ramp to keep from blocking me in as I left. I felt a bit embarrassed that I had initially thought the worse, when in fact this was the pure country politeness that I had come to love about this area that was showing through.

Lodge Landing was my choice to launch from for the weekend. A tributary off the South Yeocomico River near Callao, Va. Paddling left from the launch takes you out to the river, right takes you in to a well protected and very shallow creek.

As I launched a very polite fisherman held off pulling his boat out of the water while I launched. I want to live here.

In the shallows the water was so muddy it was obvious something was stirring it up. The water began to boil with fish and was so thick it was impossible to take a stroke without hitting them. They banged the underside of the boat and gave the visual that I was paddling though small rapids.

The heat was unbearable, and with the water saturated with Sea Nettles this made for a very hot trip. I decided to keep it short and opted to find shade to spend the remainder of the afternoon.

Firm's Recall Hotline: (877) 677-4327
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Kayak Paddle Floats Recalled by NRS Due to Drowning Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: NRS Sea Kayak Paddle Floats

Units: About 1,000

Distributor: NRS, of Moscow, Idaho

Hazard: The plastic tubes used to inflate the paddle float could break and deflate, posing a drowning hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: NRS has received five reports of paddle floats breaking and deflating. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The NRS Sea Kayak Paddle Float is an inflatable device that is attached to one side of the paddle to help the kayaker re-enter the kayak in open water. The paddle float is yellow and black and measures 15" wide by 28" long, before inflation. The NRS logo is on one side. This recall involves those paddle floats with inflation tubes that are clear or translucent. Paddle floats with black tubes are not included.

Sold at: NRS stores nationwide and NRS catalogs from July 2006 through March 2007 for about $40.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the paddle floats immediately and contact NRS to determine if you have one of the recalled models. NRS will provide a free replacement paddle float for consumers with recalled units.

Consumer Contact: For more information, consumers should call NRS toll-free at (877) 677-4327 between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. PST Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.nrsweb.com

But how to practice the high brace and leave in that element of instability that causes you to react instantly?

This weekend I played with sitting on the rear deck, feet on the front deck and leaning back and laying down. Facing toward the sky the elbows are under the paddle in a high brace position. The least little wobble sends you rolling toward the drink where the only thing that can save you is a lightning fast high brace slap of the paddle.

I've practiced high braces on flat water many times by tipping to one side, doing the head dink and bracing back up. Very stressful on the shoulder. But this method seemed to work well without any stress at all. It won't teach you the head dink or how to brace back up, but it will teach you to make it automatic when you need it.

So, if you've mastered the low brace, can sit on the back of your kayak, and are looking for that next challenge - lay back and try and stay upright!

Woody

The shallow water made it a slow paddle. We angled out away from shore to gain a little speed, aided by a slight wind out of the North. It had been a good while since I've put in some distance, and the loaded boat made my body groan with each pull of the paddle.

We decided to stop on the tip of Pine Tree to eat lunch. We were out quite a distance so it was a bit of a paddle to come in for the refueling. A short stop for a bite to eat, and before long we pushed off, heading again away from shore and into deeper waters. We angled our way toward the cut through by the Pirate Islands. Having never been there before I was constantly second guessing where the campsite was located. But as luck would have it I guessed correctly and before long we dragged our tired butts out of the kayaks and began setting up camp.

Another grueling chore...arriving only to continue to burn calories hauling up the essentials and making camp. By the time we sat down to eat - an easy meal of chili and mashed potatoes - we were exhausted. As the food was served someone made the comment 'This is the best meal I have ever eaten'. Immediately we all agreed. It WAS the best meal I had ever eaten and I felt like I had earned every single bite.

(Purple Line) On Monday we headed out after chatting with a ranger who had come out to look for a mare she needed to shoot with a contraceptive dart. We paddled around a few of the guts and got in close to several groups of ponies to get some photos. As I sat in the kayak wishing the ponies would get closer they suddenly bolted toward me, running out of the bushes.

The park ranger walked out of the brush behind them, carrying her dart gun. She raised it and fired, but I think she may have missed since she put the rifle down and walked over and picked the dart off the ground. We paddled away as to not interfere with her duties, and soon found an even larger group of ponies to photo.

It was a short paddling day, which I was thankful for since it gave me a chance to recover a bit from the previous day's paddle and to catch up on some reading. Before long though it was getting near dusk so we walked out to where the kayaks were beached to watch the sun set over the bay. Before the lights turned dark I thought I saw a kayak turn out in the bay and start heading our way, but after waiting a good bit for them to show up they never did.

After an awesome sunset we turned around to continue the show and watched a full moon rise above the trees, another awesome sight. But as dark surrounded us we called it a night.

(Green Line) On Tuesday we packed the kayaks for the trip back. We had originally planned to stay another day but the weather outlook was not looking good so we decided to play it safe. But there was still a good breeze blowing out of the north and a fog thick enough that we often navigated by compass. Reading the GPS I could see our speed often fell to 2 MPH threatening to make it a very long day. We tried to stay near shore as much we could to cut the wind but the shallow water slowed us even more. About half way back to Pine Tree the wind slackened a bit so we paddled out into some deeper water to gain some speed.

By the time we got to Pine Tree we were tired, cold, and grumpy, but pulling out the stove and heating up soup in a can did wonders for the spirit. As we headed away from Pine Tree we stayed closer to shore until we reached Tingles. By then the wind was slacking so we once again took to deeper water for the short distance we had left to paddle.

Overnight we stayed in the park one last time, recovering a good bit before the drive home. The warmth of the car felt good after a cold and breezy night.

The trip seemed like a blur. On the trip home I made note that the paddle out to Green Run seemed like it had happened weeks before. It was as if the trip was already a distant memory, but one that I will do again and again.

Pictures

Woody

The fare is simple - eggs, sausage or bacon, maybe some pancakes, and the prices quite reasonable. Coffee is served in mugs collected over the years - it is always a treat to see what mug your coffee will be served in.

Booths line each side of the diner, and a single waitress hustles around to take care of everyone. But what catches your eye when you first walk in is that 3-4 tables have been pushed together in the center. Locals come in for breakfast and pull up a chair at the big table, sitting where ever there is an open spot. Gossip is exchanged about the weather, the latest church happenings, or maybe talk about a grandchild's birthday. Today I overheard one man say "you can't say a damn thing at this table without everyone in town finding out."

I wonder what started the tradition of the table - how one gets invited to sit down, and when you don't need an invite at all. This morning I longed to be invited to the table - to join in on the conversation of the day. But I'm an outsider. Although a few people are starting to look familiar, I am but a guest passing through. With a kayak on my car this is a stop between water and home.

Pictures

Earlier Pictures

More Pictures

Woody

Dave Biss, Coordinator of the CPA, stated, “SK101: An Introduction to Sea Kayaking is a great opportunity for people who are just getting started or are new to the sport of sea kayaking. Here is a chance to meet and listen to others talk about their experiences and their love of the sport. Interested newcomers can gain hands-on understanding of essential gear, get indispensable advice from experienced kayakers, and see demonstrations of techniques. This is a winter kayaking event not to be missed."

The mission of the Chesapeake Paddlers Association is to help people safely enjoy sea kayaking and to promote safe paddling practices through the education of the local sea kayaking community and the interested public. Club activities may include, but are not limited to, kayak trips, kayak camping trips, instructional workshops, informal weekday evening paddles, and parties. The Chesapeake Paddlers Association has over 500 members and is a completely volunteer-run organization. Numerous volunteers work to support all aspects of the group, including paddling trips, workshops, web site, newsletter, and online community.

More information and registration forms are available at www.cpakayaker.com, at many local outfitters, and from Gina Cicotello at 240-305-0922. Registration will be accepted through February 1, 2007. Applications received after the workshop is full will be placed on a waiting list.

A lone Bald Eagle flew overhead carring something long and stingy. I thought it might be a snake. He landed on the shore and I forgot about him until he took flight again. He carried his prize out over the water and let it go. It wasn't as if he accidently dropped it - he simply tossed it into the water and flew away.

The object hit the water hard, and I paddled over to inspect it. Half a catfish with a clean cut through its mid section and entrails dangling behind it. We wondered if it had been hit by a boat and gone bad, so the eagle had thrown it back.

We paddled by the Heron Rookery. No birds in sight, but lots of nests. Around the point and up the eastern side of the neck. We entered the mouth of Great Marsh and watched as several hundred Tundra Swans took flight. The heavy beating of their wings against the water testified to the size of these large birds.

John paddled up through where the swans had been. We exchanged quick hellos then headed back toward the marsh, only to find it without much water, so we turned and looked for a place to have lunch.

Along the shore we spotted a place where sedimentation had left obvious layers in the soil. We inspected the layers and found a pile of shiny, very fine, dark sand in a small pile next to the layers. We wondered what could cause such an accumulation.

After lunch we paddled back to Mason Neck. The paddle back going too quickly.

2006 - Windows Media Format (wmv)

Woody

Campsites run about $23 a night, with electric/water sites only $2 more - a nice investment for winter camping. But if winter camping isn't for you, there are cottages and a local vineyard to keep you warm. Ray also hosts many local events - an art show was held the weekend I visited.

On Friday we paddled the upper reaches of Cat Point Creek. Before launching Ray gave us a very detailed overview of the area and also told us about nearby creeks. We paddled up the creek winding our way through through the bends. The trees shedding the last of their leaves were full of mistletoe. Ducks took flight around every turn.

The intimacy of the creek would provide a sheltered paddle even on the windiest of days. For campsites, Ray recommended #22, and #15 had a nice overlook over the water too. I'll be back again.

On a windy Saturday we paddled Belle Isle State Park. We headed out around Curletts Point where the water got pretty bumpy. But once inside Lancaster Creek things smoothed out nicely. Geese and Bald Eagles kept us entertained as we found our way through the creek before we turned around. Again Curletts Point was bumpy, maybe a bit more than before, but soon enough we were back to the park. So much water in this area yet for me to explore, that I hope to spend more time there next summer. Belle Isle SP will be opening a new campground in the 2007 season.