March 27, 1999

Staying out of the wind

Trip #11

The plan changed from going to Black Swamp Creek on the Patuxent River to North Beach on the western shore of the Chesapeake at the last minute. I wanted to go explore Calvert Cliffs and thought today may be a good day. After a late start and an hour and a half on the road, I arrived at the North Beach pier. I parked along the street and walked across a small sandlot to look at the water.

The waves are not too big but the water is choppy. Worse, the wind is out of the north and blowing hard. To get to Calvert Cliffs I would need to paddle south, with the wind. This means a long and hard paddle back and one I'm not looking forward to. I decide that today's conditions are beyond my abilities and grudgingly make my way back to the truck.

I'm bummed. Tomorrow I've promised the kids to do something with them so there will be no paddle this weekend. On the way back, I remember I'm pretty close to where I wanted to go on the Patuxent. I head off in search for a place to launch near Black Swamp Creek. The first road I try, Milltown Landing, ends in someone's yard. One road further up is Magruders Ferry Road, and this place has a small boat ramp sponsored by the Patuxent River Park. As soon as I enter, I realize I'm about to learn more than I want about special use permits. There are a few signs saying they are required, so I ask a couple of fishermen where I can get a permit. They give me directions and tell me the permit is $5 and lasts all year.

Back in the truck for a 9-mile journey the way I came in. The Patuxent River Park main building is in Upper Marlboro and when I finally get there, the door is locked. I notice a note that says "Back in 5 minutes" so I decide to wait. A couple of minutes later an elderly man in a uniform comes back. I ask for a permit and he says "Sure!", followed by a whole lot of nice comments about my kayak. On the way in the guy looks at my license plate and tells me he can't sell me a permit because I don't live in Maryland. Blast! I ask about a permit for out of state folks and the only thing they have is a $7one-day permit. Having driven this far I wasn't about to leave now, so I asked him to sell me one while we continued to talk about the building of my kayak. After a minute or so he asks if this is my first time here, and I tell him it is. "This one is on me then" and he hands me the permit free of charge. I thank him many times, buy a river map and pick up a tide table from him and I'm on my way for the 9-mile trip back to Magruders.

Back at the ramp the wind is now blowing hard. The first fishermen I met here are gone and have been replaced by a few more. I unload the boat and head off down river with the wind.

The wind through here is strange. Because of the trees, the wind first seems to be out of the North. The waves come in sets of small, then large, then small again. The first large set caught me by surprise and tried to turn the boat, but I was able to quickly get the kayak turned back in line to travel with the wind. I decide not to go too far because the wind is really blowing hard and I want to be sure I can get back. A few minutes later and now the wind and waves are coming out of the east.

I find a little inlet leading back into the swamp. I've never been here before but I was expecting something a little bigger. I pull the rudder up to allow me to maneuver better but the further I went in, the more narrow it got. The "channel" was only about a foot deep and at times no wider than my kayak. As I twisted and turned through the marsh I realized that places to turn around was getting scarce and I didn't want to have to back out. I was also getting worried that the further I went in, the harder it would be to find my way back. Without my GPS (I sent it in for an upgrade) I had no track log I could use to help me figure out all these twisty side trails. So turn around I did and after a few minutes I was back out at the Patuxent.

I decided to head further on down and it wasn't long before I found the "real" entrance to Black Swamp Creek. This was much wider and deeper with plenty of room to turn. With my rudder back down I found I could move along at a pretty good clip when the wind was at my back with little or no paddling.

This area is populated by duck blinds, and with good reason. There were all types of ducks and waterfowl back in this creek. The further I went back, the more birds I saw, including a pair of Bald Eagles. A couple of geese and many bends in the river later, I decided I better head back since the wind is not letting up and is becoming more steady.

The creek runs through a tall grass marsh. In Florida, this would be prime gator country, and I would have my eyes peeled looking for the sleeping beasts. Naturally, as soon as that thought finishes running through my head there is a HUGE splash not 3 feet from me in the grass! I don't know what it was, maybe a beaver, but it sure got my heart racing for a moment.

The paddle back is mostly against the howling wind. Luckily, a kayak is close to the water and it doesn't take much of an obstruction to create a lee near the bank. The tall swamp grass is all I need to find a nice place out of the wind just a foot or two from it. Making it back to the river I decided to finally to get some exercise and take off full bore into the wind.

The wind and waves are from the east and I need to apply left rudder to hold a course to the north and keep my kayak from turning into the wind. I sprint for a while until the wind and waves suddenly change out of the north. This is quite different than the waves I've encountered before. Although I've been in bigger waves, the frequency is much closer together. The waves are still in sets and after a good workout I head across the river to take advantage of the small lee against the river grass.

It is an easy paddle against the grass though I can see the tops of the waves turning white on the other side of the river. After getting close to the launch site I cut back across the river and make a prefect landing (meaning I didn't fall in trying to get out). No one is around as I load the boat and fix a little lunch before getting on the road. I think I might like to come back on a calmer day...even if it does cost me $7.