Goose Creek Kayaking with Twin Rivers Paddle Club
Abley directed by our frequent trip leader Carolyn Borgert, a group of about 10 paddlers took a pleasant trip in mid-March, launching in mid-morning from Martin Marietta Park and going to the narrow, upper reaches of Goose Creek [labeled on some maps as Bachelors Creek].
The weather was sunny and clear; the wind was mild; the water temperature was 58 degrees; and the air temperature was around 70 degrees. I wore a wetsuit, which was about right if I capsized [which did not happen] but was too warm most of the trip. I got a little sweaty, but was not miserably hot.
Along the way, we saw a large beaver lodge in the swampy area between the canal from Park and the main channel, an eagle’s nest, an osprey’s nest, an osprey and some nutria’s bank burrows.
Besides following Carolyn and the other paddlers, I checked our navigation with my Garmin Montana 750i. It worked well. Several other Club paddlers have commented that Google Earth on a smart phone also works well. It has a moving icon that shows where you are located, and you can see subsurface sandbars. So, for practice I tried to call up Google Earth, but it did not operate. I think it was due to lack of cell phone reception.
The trip was a little less than three hours; and a little more than 5 miles. For most of the group, those were leisurely measurements. But for me, those factors were stretching my experience in a kayak. The good news is that I handled the paddling well and did not have trouble. At the end, I felt good and could have gone further.
Along the way, I was able to paddle near Terry and Becki Rich, so we had some nice discussions about kayaking.
Credit for the group picture of all paddlers at the turn-around point facing the camera goes to the photographer Carolyn.
