March 12, 2000

Boulders of the Occoquan

12.5 miles

MAP

Small craft advisory predicted with winds out of the Northwest, so Mason Neck seemed like a good place to go. Light rain all the way to Mason Neck State Park. I had to wait two or three minutes for the park rangers to open the gate since I was early, but in short order I was loaded and on the water.

The wind was gusting and it was a battle from the start. My goal was to visit the Occoquan river before the weather gets much warmer and the boats come out in force. I dig in for the long haul in a steady rhythm knowing my progress would be slow.

Once across the bay I swing into Giles Run - a small tributary populated on one side by some nice houses. After going in as far as I could I turned and headed back towards the wind and up the Occoquan. It was sheer willpower that kept me going as the wind did its best to slow me down. During gusts I would feel my kayak stop dead in the water as I continued to paddle, not willing to give up ground. The further up the river the worst the wind and I found myself zig zaging across the river from one lee to the next to keep making forward progress. The vertical grain in the rock on the cliffs on the right side showed that this area had been subject to violent upheaval sometime in its ancient history.

Paddling against and straight into the wind requires almost no skill. It is probably the most stable configuration for a kayak and other than wiping the water spray out of your face, requires no special talent other than brut strength. The Occoquan dam finally came into view after two and a half hours of constant paddling. Preceding the dam are giant boulders and this is the first time I've actually seen water cascading through them from the dam. This area is off limits so I have no choice but to turn and leave.

I break out lunch and trail my paddle as a rudder as I move along with the wind at my back. I'm moving pretty good and continue to pick up speed the further I move from the dam. There are areas marked with danger signs as huge boulders lay just beneath the surface of the water. Several contain scars of past mishaps.

As I pass the large marina on my right, I've almost given up paddling as I'm moving at a faster rate than when I moving upstream. The waves are starting to pick up. In only 30 minutes I've zipped down the river and again I'm at the mouth of the bay. For the next 30 minutes I get one long surfing lesson. It will take me only an hour to cover the entire trip back from the dam.

From the edge of the bay I see whitecaps. It is obvious the wind has picked up considerably and near the launch I can see a windsurfer. I do my own surfing and enjoy every second of it. One thing I still need to learn is how to control my direction better. There were several times where I am applying a hard stern rudder and still unable to prevent my kayak from turning the opposite direction. The thrill of catching up to the wave trough in front of me and watching my bow begin to sink under until even my front hatch is underwater is absolutely incredible.

Near shore Trevor had been practicing surfing. We beached and went to get our cars as more wind surfers arrived. As I started to carry my kayak up to my truck, Trevor asked if I needed a hand. I instinctively said no, but as soon as I lifted realized I would have no control of this kayak and quickly changed my mind. After setting the kayak on the rack, Trevor had to hold on while I strapped it down as the wind kept lifting it from the cradles. Next was his boat and before long we were both strapped down and ready to go. I wanted to stay longer but I was already running late. It is good thing Trevor had been there as loading my kayak without him would have been tricky.