On June 21, Janet Smith and Bob Laney kayaked a small part of the Cape Fear River.  We launched from the dock and ramp at Dram Tree Park, under the US Hwy 17 Business bridge over the river, at the west end of Castle Street. Our trip took us beside the downtown Wilmington, NC, waterfront and  along the River Walk boardwalk.

We started paddling upstream (north), which was deceptively easy. We were going with the rising tidal current about two hours past low tide, with no discernable river (gravity) current. We passed many walkers, large yachts and luxury condo’s.  

Our turn-around was about three miles upstream, at the US Hwy 74 bridge.  We knew that upon reversing course and heading  downstream, the tide would be against us.  But, I naively hoped that the river (gravity) current would counter-act the rising tidal current.

It did not.

At the upstream bridge, the river banks narrowed, which made the current faster.  I immediately recognized for the first time the strength and speed of upstream tidal current.  Adding to our problems was that heading back to the take-out [at the put-in] the weather report was wrong.  Instead of the 5 mph predicted wind, we encountered many prolonged situations with 10 - 15 mph winds directly against us.

The paddling was so hard that I could barely make headway.  Janet was not strong enough to make any headway.  She was mostly standing still relative to the river bank, and occasionally going backwards.

Luckily, just the day before, I had re-configured my kayak rear deck tow rope so that I could deploy it without having to beach and exit my boat.  Where we were, there was no beach – just several miles of six feet high vertical concrete and timber walls lining the river bank.

Upon hooking to Janet’s boat, the tidal current pushed us upstream so fast that we bumped into the curved bow of a huge metal barge. I steeled my nerves and prayed that neither one of us capsized.  I had a terrible concern that we could be pushed under the barge by the current, get caught on something and drown before we escaped. Within a few seconds, I got our boats oriented downstream and pulled us away from the barge.

The next hour of paddling with all my strength and all my determination, pulling two boats for three miles against a relentless tidal current and a heavy wind, took tremendous exertion. Lately, I have been going on paddling trips to build up my endurance, so sometime in the near future I can paddle with my Twin River Paddle Club friends from the Beaufort waterfront to Shackleford Banks.  I don’t know how today’s Cape Fear River paddle will compare to a Shackleford trip, but I certainly got a good workout.  We  hope to see everybody on the water soon.

On the long weekend of June 13 – 16, a few members of the Twin Rivers Paddle Club and the New Bern Outdoor Adventure Club joined leaders Terry and Becki Rich at Goose Creek State Park, near Washington, NC.  The park is located at the junction of Goose Creek, Flatty Creek and Pamlico River.

We camped in the front county campground. Terry and Becki stayed in a tent at a lovely site in the primitive section surrounded by a mature forest of tall trees.  I also used a tent, but stayed in the RV section, since those were the only sites with electricity, which I needed for my CPAP machine.  The Richs and I shared a couple of neighborly visits at their campsite. We exchanged Becki’s homemade brownies for Janet Smith’s homemade granola snacks.

The weather was mixed, mostly hot, with intermittent wind.  Rain varied from heavy in short bursts, to moderate, to none with bright sun.

Saturday morning Terry and Becki lead a kayak paddle trip on Goose Creek, launching from the beach between the public dock and their campsite.  I did not go on the paddle, because I had some strong physical soreness, due to ailments which I am now treating.

When Janet, Gracie and I go to Oakdale Cemetery for out daily walk or bike ride, we usually go along the lanes and paths.  But one day last week in early June, we encountered the hottest and most humid day of the year, so far.  We looked for shade.  The gravesites between the lanes had more trees, so we wandered among them.  Fortunately, the breeze was decent and was not hindered by the trees.

The gravesites are mostly raised above the paths, which gave us more exercise walking up and down between rows. For some reason, when following us, Gracie does not keep in the lanes. She seemed to enjoy staying near us on the raised areas.

There are four main city and county parks around Wilmington where Janet, her dog Gracie and I frequently go – Smith Creek, Greenfield, Long Leaf  and Halyburton.  Two have small lakes where Janet and I paddle; Gracie only swims at Smith Creek, because Greenfield has alligators.  At all four parks we ride our bikes. I had only hiked at Smith Creek.

 In early June I went to Halyburton Park and decided to hike, because some of the trails thorough the woods are made of sand, which makes it somewhat difficult to pedal my bike.  I also wanted to train for my next backpacking trip in a few weeks.  This foray into the woods was my first time hiking in several months. 

The first issue was the heat.  I started sweated strongly, but the sweat did its job – it cooled me down some.  After feeling uncomfortable for about five minutes, I surprised myself by acclimating fairly well. 

The next issue was some of my muscles had not been used in a while.  Again, after about 10 minutes, my body got used to the sensations.  The soreness did not disappear, but it subsided, and I was able to keep hiking at a decent pace.  It actually felt good to stretch some and push some. 

The final issue was boredom.  I was so used to the scenery whizzing by on my bike that I did not want to watch the trees creep past. It just took some attitude adjustment. I started paying more attention to the details in the forest, and my mind settled into the rhythm of hiking.

I believe that hiking is a better all round exercise than biking.  But biking operates at a cooler temperature, and is more fun, so I will keep doing both.

On the bright and sunny morning of Tuesday, June 3, about 15 solo kayakers and two tandem canoers met at Core Creek Landing, near Dover, NC. We were members of the Twin Rivers Paddle Club, under the able leadership of Carolyn Borgert.  Our group had a few boats with spray skirts; some open cockpits and sit-on-tops; and a foot pedal boat.

To reach the meeting place at the put-in, I had a two hour drive north from Wilmington.  I programmed my Jeep’s GPS to avoid the large highways and take the scenic route.   The small, two-lane country roads had views for many miles of beautiful rural scenery, old farm houses, faded barns, groves of pecan trees, field crops, forests and swamps.

Core Creek is a tributary of the Neuse River. It extends upstream into a cypress and tupelo swamp.  Some places it is shallow; and is alternately lined by, or interspersed with, stands of trees.

We went upstream three miles. Near the top of our run at a concrete ramp, we stopped for a snack break. The ramp curved downward precipitously as soon as it entered the water, making for bad footing and a poor landing spot.  Some of the smarter paddlers [not me] debarked on the dirt shore adjacent to the ramp.  About a third of the paddlers got out onto the shore to stretch out; and about two thirds stayed in their boats. Upon returning to the take-out, the same place as the put-in, we had traversed six miles and spent three hours on the water. 

There was a neighborhood dog which chased us upstream for a couple miles.  It was so energetic that several times it swam across the creek to reach drier sections of woods with better footing for it to run after us.

The whole trip had some mild current.  I noticed that the current increased as we moved upstream, where the channel was narrower.  The water also felt a little cooler than the places I had paddled recently near Wilmington, NC.  Mostly there was no appreciable wind.  One time, for a few minutes, it blew directly downstream.  Unfortunately for me, this contrary wind was pushing me back right at a spot where my boat was dragging on the creek bottom, making me get stuck for half a minute.

The most interesting feature was the semi-swamp through which the creek coursed several times.  Some of those places had no visible route, so us less experienced boaters closely followed Carolyn or Terry Rich.  Carolyn commented she had been here about 15 times.  I could  discern her expertise, because some places the route ran between certain trees with no more than a couple inches clearance on each side of our boats.  She seemed to have memorized the location of every tree in the swamp. 

In late May, Janet Smith and Bob Laney paddled our kayaks in Greenfield Park Lake.  In times past, we were bothered by excessive algae plant growth in the water, which clung to our paddles and hindered our strokes.  Today, the water was clear of plants.  The lake is a miniature swamp, with trees in the middle, which makes navigation a little bit difficult.  It is easy to go through or around the trees, but you can’t see past them to discern where you are on the lake, relative to the put-in and take-out. To keep us oriented, we paddled in a big circle around the shore of the lake. 

We have seen alligators here before, but not nearly so many as today.  We encountered about a half dozen of the scaly denizens, including a big on about five feet long sunning on a log at a small island in the middle of the lake. On one occasion, Janet was next to the shore exploring a small inlet, when a gator launched from the bank next to her and swam right by her boat.  Yes, she yelled!

My goal is to return here and paddle through the middle of the lake a couple times, to learn the topography, and prevent getting lost on future trips.  I also need to test to Terry Rich’s solid wood, one piece, Euro blade, 90 degree feather kayak paddle, and see if I want to keep it.

Bob Laney, Janet Smith and her Golden Retreiver Gracie go to Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington, NC, almost everyday, to walk or ride our bicycles.  Here is a nice collection of views up the grassy paths, down the sandy lanes, up into the live oak trees and over at the flowers.  The picture of a gravestone shows a birthdate in 1768, before the US Revolultionay War, the oldest date I have seen in Oakdale.  I hope you enjoy these scenes. 

On the bright and beautiful day of May 19 I joined the Twin Rivers Paddle Club kayak and canoe trip on Blount's Creek lead by Guy Blackwell and Buster Thompson.  There were about 14 participants.  We launched and returned to the NC Wildlife RC dock and ramp at Blount's Creek landing.

Part way up stream the group divided into two.  One group explored Sheppards Run; and the others explored Herring Run.  We experienced some wonderful camaraderie and many pleasant conversations.

Along the way we saw multiple bald eagles including a male, female and juvenile in a nest.  Osprey nests were so common that at one place I could see four nests at the same time.

The trip went upstream to the two creeks narrowing into a cypress swamp; and back to the beginning; for about 6 miles.  Water time was about 3.5 hours. Upon returning to the landing most paddlers headed to other places.  Several of us ate our picnic lunch in the grass under some shade trees by the parking lot.

On May 17 I joined the New Bern Outdoor Adventure Club at the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden in Wilmington, NC.  It is adjacent to the Piney Green Preserve and the First Baptist Church Activity Center on Independence Boulevard.  We had a pleasant visit with much photography.  Afterwards, we all retired to a nice pub nearby for beer or wine and lunch meal.

Smith Creek Park Wildlife

On May 16, I paddled my kayak at Smith Creek Park lake near Wilmington, NC, to practice for the upcoming Twin Rivers Paddle Club trip on Blount’s Creek.  I proceeded more quietly than usual, and was rewarded with right many wildlife sightings.

There were multiple groups of a half-dozen or more turtles rafted together in the water; and many more groups on the shore.  Maybe it was turtle mating season?  I tried to get several more turtle pictures, but whenever I approached, they insisted in swimming around behind me.  

A couple of 18 inch long fish swam under my boat.  I had seen other fish being caught from the dock and pedal boats, but none over about 8 inches long.  I spotted several male and female cardinals flitting in and out of the woods.  Near me on the lake were a male and female mallard. 

I did not get many photos because the animals were skittish and moved away too quickly.

North 34 17 00.30

West -77 51 06.75